If you have just bought a new home or are thinking of remodelling your existing one, you would probably have come across a plethora of information from the internet, designers and friends & family on the materials you should be using for your countertops.
Chances are during your research 2 common countertop materials that would have popped are quartz and granite. Let’s begin by with a quick rundown of these 2 materials before we dive into the finer details.
The main question remains: What is Quartz and Granite?
Quartz countertops (aka engineered stone) is man-made comprising 90% to 95% crushed quartz minerals (think white sandy beaches) with the balance comprising various resins, polymers and pigments. Being man-made, quartz countertops can be designed to look just like natural stone such as marble.
On the other hand, Granite is 100% natural and made up of primarily quartz, feldspar, micas, amphiboles, and a mixture of additional trace minerals. The combination of these materials give granite the numerous colors and textures that we see everyday
Difference between Quartz and Granite
Below is an overview on the salient differences between quartz and granite.
| Quartz | Granite | |
| 1.Manufacturing | Quartz is comprised mainly of crushed quartz that are compressed together with binding agents and pigments to form slabs. | Granite is mined from pure stone. It is then cut into slabs and polished before installation |
| 2.Appearance | Quartz comes in a wider range as compared to granite and can often be customized to suit your design preferences. | Depending on where the stone was mined from, granite colors can vary significantly and its’ appearance is almost never uniform. For some, this will be considered a benefit while others will consider it a drawback, |
| 3.Duarbility | The resins used to bind quartz make it non-porous and therefore more resistant to stains and more hygienic.
Quartz has no striations that can lead to cracks. |
Granite is porous and can soak up liquid and might harbour bacteria and viruses. If spills are left unattended for too long, stains may form on your countertop.
Granite tends to be harder than quartz. If you were to drop a heavy item (say a large frying pan), this could cause the countertop to chip or crack. |
| 4. Maintainance | Quartz already comes pre-sealed and no additional resealing is required.
Most spills can be wiped off with just a mild cleaning liquid. |
Granite countertops requires regular resealing to prevent liquids from being soaked in.
You will need to keep a rag handy to wipe up any spills fast if you want your countertop to look in tip-top shape. |
| 5. Cost | Dependent on the brand and design of the product. On average however, quartz is only marginally more expensive than granite. | Dependent on where the granite was mined from, granite in general is slightly cheaper than quartz but certain varieties may cost more. |
Conclusion
If you’re looking at a beautiful painting and someone comes along and tells you what’s wrong with it, you’re still going to think it’s beautiful no matter what. It is no different for quartz and granite. There is no right or wrong answer and everything will boil down to which you prefer best.
There are some who prefer granite more due to its’ natural imperfections while other prefers the modern uniformity look of quartz. The great news is that there is no wrong choice!