People often confuse granite with marble and vice versa, but they are actually very different materials geologically. Granite is much older and harder than marble and is actually igneous rock formed mainly of feldspar and quartz, usually with traces of mica or hornblende. Granite can be highly polished to expose all of its natural characteristics; honed for a matt finish or flame-textured for an aged, antique finish. These finishes are sometimes combined to produce interesting patterns and features. Granite is tremendously popular for its aesthetic appearance and its hardwearing, almost maintenance-free qualities. This is especially true of kitchen worktops and counter tops.