Granite countertops in Houston run about $40 to $100 per square foot installed for most slabs, and common Houston granites land at $45 to $75 (SlabWise 2026, Fixr 2025, Sugar Land Stone 2025). Kitchen Remodel Masters templates, cuts, polishes and installs granite countertops from its own Houston shop, so the slab you tag at the yard is fabricated by the same crew that installs it.
Granite is natural stone, which changes how you shop for it, care for it and where you can use it. This page covers slab selection, colors, sealing, heat, edges, outdoor use, timeline and cost. For the engineered-stone comparison, see quartz vs granite countertops.
Granite is igneous rock, quarried in blocks, sawn into slabs and polished. It is made of quartz, feldspar and mica, which is why it is hard, heat-tolerant and speckled. Every slab is unique; two slabs of the same name can differ in color and movement.
Granite is slightly porous. A penetrating sealer fills the pores so liquids bead instead of soaking in. The Natural Stone Institute notes that sealers make stone more stain-resistant, not stain-proof, and that some dense stones need little or no sealing.
With quartz you pick a sample. With granite you pick the slab.
Kitchen Remodel Masters sends every granite client to a Houston stone yard to tag the exact slabs for the kitchen, usually one or two. At the yard you see the whole slab, not a 4 inch sample; you can check for fissures, pits and resin fills; and you can ask where seams and the sink cutout will fall. The shop then templates and cuts that slab. What you saw at the yard is what goes on the cabinets.
Houston kitchens lean toward mid-tone and dark granites that hide water spots, plus a few whites. Material prices are per square foot, slab only, from Fixr (2025); installation adds about $30 per square foot.
| Granite | Look | Material per sq ft (Fixr 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Uba Tuba | Dark green-black with gold flecks | $40 to $50 |
| Black Pearl | Black with silver and gray mica | $40 to $50 |
| Absolute Black | Solid black, little pattern | $40 to $80 |
| New Venetian Gold | Cream and gold with brown veins | $30 to $40 |
| Steel Gray | Charcoal gray, low pattern | $30 to $40 |
| Kashmir White | White-gray with burgundy flecks | $45 to $50 |
| Colonial White | White with gray and black speckles | $55 to $65 |
| Blue Pearl | Blue-gray with reflective crystals | $50 to $100 |
HomeAdvisor (2026) lists similar material prices, for example Ubatuba $30 to $60 and Black Galaxy $50 to $70. Exotic slabs such as Blue Bahia run $120 to $200 in material (Fixr 2025).
Finish. Polished is standard. Honed adds $10 to $20 per square foot and leathered adds $15 to $25 (Fixr 2025, HomeAdvisor 2026). Both hide hard-water spots better than polished, which matters on dark granite in Houston.
How often. Every 1 to 5 years depending on the stone (SlabWise 2026). Light granites such as whites and creams may need it every 1 to 2 years; dense dark granites such as Absolute Black can go 4 to 5 years or longer. Fixr (2025) says many fabricators seal at installation at no charge.
How to know. Pour a few tablespoons of water on the clean, dry counter. If the stone darkens within 5 minutes, reseal. If it beads for 15 to 30 minutes, wait (SlabWise 2026).
What to use. An impregnating sealer, $15 to $30 a bottle, applied in about 30 minutes with a 24 to 48 hour cure (SlabWise 2026). Skip topical coatings and waxes, which haze and peel.
What it protects against. Oil, wine and coffee soaking into the pores and staining. Granite is siliceous stone, so lemon and vinegar do not etch it the way they etch marble (Natural Stone Institute).
Humidity. Houston humidity does not hurt sealed granite. Stone does not swell or warp with moisture in the air.
Hard-water film. Houston tap water dries into a white mineral film around the faucet, most visible on polished black granite. Use Natural Stone recommends a weekly wipe with a neutral stone cleaner. Never use rust removers or toilet bowl cleaners; the Natural Stone Institute warns they can contain hydrofluoric acid, which attacks every stone.
Heat. Fixr (2025) describes granite as heat-resistant and able to take a hot pan without a trivet. The Natural Stone Institute still advises trivets, since a sudden temperature change near an edge or seam can stress any stone.
Scratches. Granite is harder than a steel knife, so cutting on it dulls the knife, not the counter. Use a board for the knives.
Chips. The weak point is an edge, usually a sink corner or overhang that takes a hard knock. Chips fill with color-matched epoxy. A rounded edge chips less than a square one.
Eduardo, KRM’s countertop fabricator with 15 years in the trade, cuts and polishes every granite edge in the shop. Per-linear-foot adders from Fixr (2025): eased or square included; bullnose and bevel $10 to $12; ogee, Dupont and mitered $20 to $25; French cove $30 to $35.
Mitered waterfall edges, full-height slab backsplashes, undermount sink cutouts and seams are all done in-house; on granite, seams go where the pattern hides them.
Granite is the usual countertop under a covered outdoor kitchen in Houston. Standard quartz is not approved for outdoor use (Cambria product specification sheet) because UV light yellows the resin; granite has no resin, so Houston sun does not change it. It takes grill heat and handles rain once sealed.
Three rules: put it under a patio cover, reseal on the short end of the schedule, and pick a mid-tone or dark slab that hides water spots and pollen. The patio cover and outdoor kitchen project is a Houston example.
Template to installed counters is days, not weeks, because there is no third-party fabricator in the chain. The cabinet refinishing and granite countertop project shows new granite on refinished cabinets in Houston.
In Houston, granite countertops usually run $40 to $100 per square foot installed: entry $40 to $55, mid-range $55 to $80, premium $80 to $120 and up (SlabWise, July 2026). Sugar Land Stone (2025), a Houston-area fabricator that publishes prices, puts common granite at $45 to $75. Fixr (January 2025) lists material at $40 to $200 plus about $30 to install, and HomeAdvisor (June 2026) lists material at $40 to $60 with an average project near $3,250.
For a typical 40 to 60 square foot Houston kitchen, that is roughly $2,000 to $4,500 installed in a common granite. Honed finishes, premium edges, waterfall panels and exotic slabs add to that. These are published market ranges, not a Kitchen Remodel Masters price. Every line item, including removal, is in the countertop replacement cost guide.
Quartz is engineered: non-porous, never sealed, consistent marble-look whites, but it needs a trivet and stays indoors. Granite is natural: one-of-a-kind slabs, better with heat, fine outdoors under cover, sealed every 1 to 5 years. SlabWise (2026) puts mid-range quartz $10 to $30 per square foot above mid-range granite, with entry-level slabs nearly the same.
The full comparison is in quartz vs granite countertops; the engineered-stone page is quartz countertops in Houston. Granite is one of the materials under countertop replacement in Houston, and new counters are part of most kitchen remodels in Houston. Financing through Synchrony is available.
Kitchen Remodel Masters measures your kitchen, shows the granite in a free 3D design, and gives a written proposal with the slab, edge, finish and backsplash priced line by line. The in-home consultation and the 3D design are free. Call (713) 364-6603 or contact us to set a time.
Granite runs $40 to $100 per square foot installed for most slabs (SlabWise, July 2026), and Houston planning numbers from Sugar Land Stone (2025) put common granite at $45 to $75 per square foot. Fixr (2025) lists material at $40 to $200 plus about $30 per square foot for installation. A 50 square foot Houston kitchen in a common granite is roughly $2,300 to $3,800 installed. These are market ranges, not a Kitchen Remodel Masters quote.
Every 1 to 5 years depending on the stone (SlabWise 2026). Light, porous granites like white and cream may need it every 1 to 2 years; dense dark granites can go 4 to 5 years or longer. Test once a year: pour a few tablespoons of water on the counter. If it darkens the stone within 5 minutes, reseal. A bottle of impregnating sealer costs $15 to $30 and the job takes about 30 minutes.
No. Sealed granite does not absorb moisture from the air, and humidity does not swell, warp or dull it. The only Houston water issue is the mineral film that tap water leaves when it dries near the sink. Wipe standing water and clean the sink area weekly with a neutral stone cleaner.
Granite handles hot pans better than quartz. Fixr (2025) describes granite as heat-resistant and able to take a hot pan without a trivet. The Natural Stone Institute still recommends trivets or mats, because sudden temperature changes near an edge can stress any stone. A trivet is cheap insurance.
Granite is one of the hardest countertop materials and resists knife scratches in normal use. It can chip at an edge from a hard knock, usually at a sink corner or an overhang. Chips can be filled with color-matched epoxy. Cutting boards protect your knives more than the counter.
Yes. Granite is the usual choice for a covered outdoor kitchen in Houston. It does not yellow in UV light the way standard quartz does, and it takes grill heat. Keep it sealed, pick a darker or mid-tone color to hide water spots, and put it under a patio cover to limit direct sun and rain.
Yes. Granite is natural stone, so every slab is different. Kitchen Remodel Masters sends you to a Houston stone yard to pick and tag the exact slabs for your kitchen. The shop then templates and cuts those slabs, and you can ask where the seams and the best veining will land.
Once cabinets are set, Kitchen Remodel Masters templates the kitchen, cuts and polishes the slab in its own Houston shop, and installs, usually within days. Installation is normally one day. Sink plumbing is reconnected after the epoxy cures, often the next day. There is no outside fabricator in the schedule.
