Marble, limestone and travertine are the overwhelming choice throughout the house as granite in the US is usually reserved for kitchen's counter tops in slabs and for commercial applications in tiles. In Europe they prefer marble for the kitchen as granite is judged too dark and commercial looking for the house. Granite is as porous as marble. The only reason that a contractor and a fabricator in the US usually recommend granite over marble for a kitchen counter top is that granite is easier to fabricate and to transport to a job site, less likely to snap during transportation. Once installed, though, a customer should never experience any problem with a marble counter top. The most beautiful material in stone with a lot of variations and movements in them is only available in slabs, not in tiles, as it is best appreciated on a big canvas, not in 12x12 tiles. In Europe people are familiar with natural stone material. They do not rely as much on the advice of various intermediaries when selecting a tile. When picking out a tile a customer should always remember that it is his/her house that he/she is remodeling and not some office floors and hotel bathrooms. Ultimately a tile has to be your pick, not someone else's pick, not some prima dona's pick (because they are partial to this and that or in the case of a contractor would prefer not installing large tiles, small mosaics, glass tiles, slate with cleft, etc), and not reflect the bias of people who may be good at color matching but often know very little about tiles in general and their suitability.