COMAF Marble & Granite Team
Stone Fabrication Specialists
Since 1985 we've been fabricating and installing granite countertops in El Paso homes. We still love the stone — but every week at our Gateway Blvd E showroom, more homeowners are walking in asking about the alternatives. Granite isn't going away, but it's no longer the automatic first choice. Here's what's actually replacing it in 2026.
So, what material is overtaking granite countertops? The top El Paso countertop trends heading into 2026 center around three materials that keep showing up in our showroom: quartz, quartzite, and Dekton. All three fill a need that granite can't.
Quartz countertops keep winning. According to the National Kitchen and Bath Association's 2024 trend report, granite has fallen to second place behind quartz in the U.S. residential market — and that gap is projected to widen in 2026. Quartz doesn't need sealing. It doesn't stain with normal cleaning. For a busy El Paso family with kids, jobs, and desert dust, that matters. Quartz is engineered from natural quartz mixed with resin, which gives it a consistent color and pattern across the entire kitchen with no surprises at install.
Quartzite is the pick for natural stone enthusiasts. All of our quartzite comes from Brazil, and the slabs are stunning — marble-like veining with hardness that beats granite. We see this story all the time: a homeowner in the Westside or Upper Valley falls in love with marble but worries about etching and scratching. Quartzite gives them the look without the fragility, and it handles El Paso's hard water beautifully.
Dekton is the surprise contender. Most El Pasoans haven't heard of Dekton until they walk into the showroom — then they're hooked. It's an ultra-dense surface engineered to mimic thousands of years of natural stone formation in just hours. The result resists sun, heat, scratches, and stains. That UV resistance matters here. If your kitchen catches strong afternoon sun off the Franklin Mountains, Dekton won't fade. We've installed it in outdoor kitchens across the Borderland with great results.
Here's what we tell customers: pick quartz if you want easy-care countertops with a consistent look. Pick quartzite if you love natural stone and want something harder than granite. Pick Dekton if you need true high-performance — heavy-use kitchens or outdoor installs. And yes, granite still has its place. There is no single best material for every kitchen. Choose what fits your home, your lifestyle, and your taste.
Quartz countertops are the top material right now across El Paso and the Borderland. They never need sealing, they shrug off coffee, wine, and salsa, and many of the patterns mimic natural stone closely enough that guests can't tell the difference. We've installed quartz from the Westside to the Lower Valley and it still looks new years later.
Quartzite countertops are a step up to natural stone. This is real stone pulled from the earth, and ours comes direct from Brazil. Quartzite is harder than granite, handles hot pans better than quartz, and the veining is impossible to replicate in a factory. A lot of customers don't realize quartzite and quartz are completely different materials — one is natural, one is engineered. Both are good choices for different reasons. Quartzite is ideal when you want the look of marble with more resilience.
Dekton countertops are perfect for our arid desert climate. This ultra-compact engineered surface is UV-stable, so it keeps its original color whether it's an indoor kitchen counter or a poolside outdoor kitchen. It's stain, heat, and scratch-resistant with zero sealing required. For homeowners who want minimum upkeep, Dekton checks every box.
Marble still has its place — it's just moved into a more specialized role. We mostly install marble now on bathroom vanities, shower surrounds, and fireplace surrounds. Its softer surface, which can be a problem in busy kitchens, is perfect in lower-traffic areas. A homeowner in Kern Place recently went with marble vanity tops and quartzite kitchen counters — sophistication in the bathroom, toughness where the kids eat breakfast.
What's falling out of style? Solid tan or brown granite (homeowners want bold veining or modern color now), tile countertops (the grout collects too much dirt), kitchen laminate in serious remodels, and concrete countertops (cracks easily in our dry climate). But granite with vibrant color and dramatic movement is still in demand — homeowners just aren't picking it by default anymore.
We've worked with granite since 1985 and still bring beautiful slabs in from Brazil weekly. But the conversations at our Gateway Blvd E showroom have shifted. For two decades granite was the status countertop. Today, homeowners want something different. Families in Kern Place, West El Paso, East El Paso, and outlying areas like Horizon City are using their kitchens hard, and they're tired of the maintenance.
The most common reasons homeowners cite when looking at alternatives: maintenance and sealing (granite is porous and needs resealing once or twice a year, and many homeowners forget until a stain appears), shifts in style preferences (the busy speckled granite of the 2000s doesn't appeal to everyone now), resale value (local agents say quartz and quartzite photograph better in listings), and El Paso's desert climate (dry heat and strong sun wear the sealant down faster, especially near big windows in the Upper Valley and Northeast El Paso).
We're not saying don't buy granite. We still fabricate granite countertops every week, and a one-of-a-kind Brazilian slab can't be replicated by any engineered material. But the conversation has changed. Most homeowners don't realize this until they're standing in front of samples. A customer last month came in set on granite because that's what her mom had. She put her hand on a piece of Dekton, asked two questions, and changed her mind on the spot.
The numbers back it up. The National Kitchen and Bath Association reports quartz has overtaken granite as the most-requested countertop in U.S. kitchen remodels. We see it in our own books — five years ago granite was about 70% of our orders. Today it's closer to 40%, with the rest split between quartz, quartzite, and Dekton. Whatever you're leaning toward, we sell and fabricate all of them on-site. Call us at (915) 345-3774 and we can walk you through your options before you ever visit the showroom.
Common questions from El Paso homeowners
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