Marble, quartzite, porcelain or engineered quartz?

Use the name to ask a better question.

Natural quartzite is a rock; manufactured quartz is a composite product. A trade name or a similar-looking photograph does not make them interchangeable. Obtain the supplied material identification and product information. The Natural Stone Institute also explains that commercial stone groups can differ from strict geological names.

For porcelain or a manufactured surface, keep the maker, product code, finish and technical sheet together. For natural stone, keep the supplied name, slab reference, finish and disclosed treatments together.

Describe the real use.

A dining table, a bathroom basin and a wall panel expose a material to different conditions. List what the surface will encounter, how often it will be cleaned and the appearance you expect over time. Ask the supplier to address that use for the actual product.

Avoid a universal score for hardness, price or prestige. Ask which properties matter for this piece, which information supports them and whether a finished sample is available. An image cannot establish a tested performance value.

Compare a finished sample, not just a colour.

View the edge, surface and underside as well as the face. Discuss the proposed construction and supporting assembly. Check the sample against the room palette in more than one light condition.

Record what has been selected and what is still open. The next step is a product-specific specification, not a promise that every material in a broad family behaves identically.

Your checklist

Questions before the next step