Marble, Quartzite and Travertine Look Benchtops Without the Sealing
Reviewed by Team Asetica · Sydney · Perth · Melbourne · October 2026
Colours in this article
Asetica sells sintered stone slabs only to stonemasons, cabinet makers and builders. Sintered stone gives you the look of marble, quartzite or travertine on a benchtop that never needs sealing, but it is not natural stone. Asetica colours such as Calacatta White, Taj Mahal, Mont Blanc and Travertino Pearl are all sintered stone. It is non-porous, so there is nothing to seal, and it resists heat, scratches, stains and UV. Real marble, quartzite and travertine are natural stones with one-off veining, but they are usually sealed, and marble and travertine etch from food acids such as lemon and vinegar. Choose the natural stone if genuine stone matters most and you are happy to look after it. Choose a sintered stone look if you want the appearance with less upkeep.
- Sintered stone reproduces the look of marble, quartzite and travertine. It is not natural stone.
- It is non-porous, so it never needs sealing, and it resists heat, scratches, stains and UV.
- Natural marble and travertine are softer, porous and etch from food acids. Quartzite is harder, but is usually sealed and its porosity varies from stone to stone.
- Natural stone wins on one-off veining and depth. Sintered stone wins on upkeep and slab to slab consistency.
- Indicative sintered stone slab prices start from about $820 (Classic), $1,020 (Designer) and $1,480 (Luxury) per 12 mm slab, including GST. Your stonemason quotes the finished job.
Is sintered stone real marble, quartzite or travertine?
No. Sintered stone is a man-made surface in the large-format porcelain family. Minerals are pressed and fired at high temperature, with no resin or synthetic binder, into a dense slab. The marble, quartzite or travertine pattern is designed into the surface, so a colour name such as Calacatta White or Mont Blanc describes the look, not what the slab is made of. If your benchtop must be genuine marble, quartzite or travertine, sintered stone is the wrong product and a natural stone supplier is the right call. For more on how it is made, see what is sintered stone.
How do natural stone and sintered stone looks compare?
The table compares the three natural stones with the sintered stone version of their look on the points that matter on a kitchen benchtop. Natural stone varies from quarry to quarry and slab to slab, so treat the natural stone columns as typical behaviour and ask your stone supplier about the exact slab.
| Natural marble | Natural quartzite | Natural travertine | Sintered stone look | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Natural stone, mostly calcite | Natural stone, mostly quartz | Natural limestone; its holes are usually filled | Man-made fired mineral surface, no resin |
| Sealing | Usually sealed, then resealed over time | Usually sealed; porosity varies by stone | Sealed, then resealed over time | Never needed |
| Food acids (lemon, vinegar) | Etch the surface, even when sealed | True quartzite resists etching; softer stones sold as quartzite can etch | Etch the surface | Resists acids, no etching |
| Stains | Porous; sealing slows absorption | Varies; sealing helps | Porous; sealing slows absorption | Non-porous; resists stains |
| Scratches | Softer; scratches and dulls with daily use | Hard; resists scratching | Softer; scratches and dulls with daily use | Resists scratches |
| Pattern | One-off veining in every slab | One-off veining in every slab | One-off banding and holes | Consistent; can repeat across slabs |
| Edges | Stone runs right through | Stone runs right through | Stone runs right through | Pattern sits on the face of most colours, so edges are usually mitred; full-body colours run through |
General guide only. Natural stone behaviour varies by stone and finish. Ask the supplier of any natural slab about sealing and etching, and ask your stonemason to test an offcut.
Sintered stone has trade-offs too. Its pattern is consistent, which helps matching across a big kitchen, but it lacks the depth and one-off character of a natural slab, and the same pattern can appear on more than one slab. It is relatively brittle, so an edge can chip under a hard knock and chips are difficult to repair invisibly. Cutting it needs diamond tooling, so use a stonemason experienced with sintered stone. Our sintered stone pros and cons guide covers these in full.
Which colours give a marble look?
These Asetica colours reproduce popular marble styles:
- Calacatta White (Classic): a white base with bold grey veining, the Calacatta marble look.
- Marvel Gold (Designer) and Essential Gold (Luxury): white bases with gold veining, inspired by Calacatta Oro marble.
- Bianco Lasa (Classic): a crystalline white base with soft ochre, cream and beige veining.
- Crystallo (Classic): a bright white base with delicate black veining.
For a closer look at the most popular marble style, read Calacatta sintered stone: the marble look without the maintenance.
Which colours give a quartzite look?
These Asetica colours reproduce popular quartzite styles:
- Taj Mahal (Designer): a cream base with soft gold veining, the warm Taj Mahal quartzite look.
- Taj Mahal Royal (Designer, 12 mm only): soft ivory-beige with gold veining, matte in NSW and WA and polished in VIC.
- Mont Blanc (Designer): a creamy base with delicate grey veining.
- Quartzite sintered stone (Classic): a classic quartzite look with rich depth.
- Super Taj (full body, 20 mm only): a soft white with fine pale grey veining that runs right through the slab, so cut and mitred edges match the face.
For the full comparison, read quartzite vs sintered stone benchtops and our Taj Mahal sintered stone guide.
Which colours give a travertine look?
Travertine looks bring warm, banded character without the open holes of natural travertine. These Asetica colours reproduce it:
- Travertino Pearl (Designer): warm neutral tones with soft linear veining and a 3D carved finish you can feel.
- Crema Travertine (Designer, 12 mm only): a soft beige with linear veining. Samples come through a specification request.
- Premium Travertino (full body, 20 mm only): a pale ivory vein-cut travertine look with fine horizontal striations that run right through the slab.
Natural travertine is sold filled (its holes packed at the factory) or unfilled, and vein cut (cut along its layers, giving straight bands) or cross cut (a cloudier pattern). The sintered stone looks above have no open holes to fill.
For the full comparison, read travertine sintered stone: the travertine look, engineered.
What does a marble, quartzite or travertine look cost in sintered stone?
Every Asetica colour sits in one of three ranges, and the range sets the guide price. Natural stone is priced slab by slab by its supplier, so we don't compare against natural stone prices here.
| Range | 12 mm slab | 20 mm slab (on request) | Marble, quartzite and travertine looks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | from $820 | from $1,060 | Calacatta White, Bianco Lasa, Crystallo, Quartzite sintered stone |
| Designer | from $1,020 | from $1,250 | Marvel Gold, Taj Mahal, Taj Mahal Royal (12 mm only), Mont Blanc, Travertino Pearl, Crema Travertine (12 mm only) |
| Luxury | from $1,480 | from $1,650 | Essential Gold |
Guide prices as at October 2026. Indicative only, not a quote. Prices include GST and cover the slab only, with no delivery, cutting, edging or installation. They can change with stock and colour availability, and not every colour is stocked in every state. 20 mm slabs are available on request, minimum quantities apply, and some colours come in 12 mm only. Full-body colours are not covered by these prices.
Prices cover the slab only. Installed, porcelain and sintered stone benchtops from Melbourne fabricators typically run about $1,500 to $1,600 per square metre, or about $5,000 to $6,500 for a standard kitchen. That is indicative only, and your stonemason gives the final price. See the sintered stone price guide for more detail.
Homeowner? Asetica supplies slabs through stonemasons, so we can't quote you directly. Choose your colours, then ask your stonemason for a full quote. They can obtain sharper trade rates than the guide prices in this article. Need a stonemason? Ask us for a referral
Which should you choose?
- Choose natural marble, quartzite or travertine if you want genuine stone with one-off veining, you are happy to seal it, and, for marble and travertine, you are comfortable with etch marks becoming part of the patina.
- Choose a sintered stone look if you want the appearance on a benchtop that is used hard every day, with no sealing and a consistent pattern across every slab.
- Still deciding? Put a natural stone sample and a sintered stone sample side by side, add a few drops of lemon juice and red wine to each, and check them the next morning.
How do I see these colours in person?
- Order samples. Choose up to 3 free samples from the sintered stone collection, sent the next business day to NSW, VIC and WA addresses.
- See full slabs. Visit our showrooms in Sydney (Padstow, bookings only), Melbourne (South Yarra) and Perth (Home Base Subiaco). Not every colour is stocked in every state, so check the colour you want with us before you travel.
- Take your plans to your stonemason. They can open an Asetica trade account for current trade pricing and quote your job in full.
- No stonemason yet? Contact us and we can refer you to stonemasons who work with Asetica slabs.
Stonemasons, cabinet makers and builders: call 1300 161 388 or contact us for the current trade price list.
Comparing colours? Order up to 3 free samples, sent the next business day, to see each look at home. Samples are available to NSW, VIC and WA addresses. Choose your samples
Frequently asked questions
Is there a benchtop that looks like marble but needs no sealing?
Yes. Sintered stone reproduces marble looks such as Calacatta on a non-porous surface that never needs sealing. Asetica's Calacatta White, Marvel Gold and Essential Gold are examples. It is not real marble, so it lacks natural marble's one-off veining, but it does not etch from lemon or vinegar the way marble does.
Is sintered stone a natural stone?
No. Sintered stone is a man-made surface in the large-format porcelain family, made from minerals pressed and fired at high temperature with no resin. Colour names such as Calacatta White or Mont Blanc describe the look, not the material.
Can you tell sintered stone from real marble?
Close up, usually yes. Natural marble has depth and veining that never repeats, while a sintered stone pattern is consistent and can repeat across slabs. Edges differ too: most sintered stone colours carry the pattern on the face, so stonemasons usually mitre the edge. See full slabs in a showroom before you choose.
How much do marble-look sintered stone slabs cost?
Asetica's indicative slab prices start from about $820 per 12 mm slab for Classic colours such as Calacatta White, $1,020 for Designer colours such as Marvel Gold, and $1,480 for Luxury colours such as Essential Gold, including GST. These are slab-only guide prices; your stonemason gives the final price.
More guides from Asetica:
- Calacatta Sintered Stone: The Marble Look Without the Maintenance
- Quartzite vs Sintered Stone Benchtops: Which Is Better?
- Travertine Sintered Stone: The Travertine Look, Engineered
- How Much Does Sintered Stone Cost in Australia?
Asetica Surfaces is a trade wholesaler supplying sintered stone slabs to stonemasons, cabinet makers, builders, architects and designers across Sydney, Perth and Melbourne. Asetica does not cut, install or quote direct to homeowners; your chosen stonemason does. Prices in this guide are indicative only and are reviewed against Asetica's current price list. See the range at our Perth (Home Base Subiaco) and Melbourne (South Yarra) showrooms, or book a visit to Sydney (Padstow). Call 1300 161 388.
Choosing a look? See sintered stone in person.
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