Quartz countertop companies like Silestone and Cambria have gone to great lengths to convince us that their products are better than granite. Have they really created a better product or are they selling us on features we don’t really need?
If we’re going to compare granite and quartz countertops we should compare: maintenance, durability, and beauty.
Maintenance
The largest difference between the countertops is in the maintenance department. About once a year you’ll have to rub a sealing compound on your granite countertops. It’s not a hard process, much like waxing a car, but you can’t forget to do it.
If you forget to apply the sealer you’ll be opening yourself up to a higher risk of staining the countertop.
When quartz countertops are made raw quartz is ground up and combined with a resin that cures into a surface that has no pores. You won’t have to seal it, just keep it clean using simple household cleansers like Windex or Formula 409.
Durability
Granite and quartz both share common traits when it comes to durability. Both counters can take some serious abuse.
Without having to use cutting boards or parchment paper you can prepare foods right on the countertop. If you want to knead bread, cut out cookies, or slice vegetables you can do it right on the surface of the counter.
You will also grow to appreciate the heat resistance of each countertop. You might not realize it but not being able to place your hot pots and pans right on the countertop is quite an inconvenience. You’ll find that with natural stone countertops you’ll be able to work more efficiently in the kitchen, since you can put piping hot pans right on the counter.
Beauty
You‘ll appreciate the beauty of both granite and quartz countertops for different reasons. Both have an amazing luster that anyone can appreciate. No other countertop compares.
The appearance of the two differs in the available patterns. Granite has veining that is not available in any other material. The flecks and irregularities in naturally occurring granite is nearly impossible to reproduce outside of nature.
The look of quartz is uniform throughout the stone and from countertop to countertop. You can go to Home Depot, buy two different quartz countertops that will match exactly.
You can’t do that with granite. Every two granite countertops are different.
Either countertop will be an excellent addition to hard working kitchens, while serving as a show piece at the same time. If you’re deciding between granite and quartz you can’t make a bad decision.
This guest post was written by Lucas Jenkins from Affordable Home Remodeling Ideas. You can visit his site to get some budget remodeling ideas like slab door kitchen cabinets or basement bathroom remodeling ideas. He’s also available to answer questions through his website.
