So you have decided on a countertop. It’s a big investment so you have done some research. Little did you know your research may have been skewed by marketing teams of Engineered Stone manufacturers. Day after day clients come into our countertops Victoria BC shop and say the same thing. “we want quartz as we don’t want the maintenance of natural stone, quartz is also much stronger”. This is textbook marketing babble pushed onto you by these companies. I will give you an unbiased view of the pros and cons of Natural stone and Quartz. Currently Quartz accounts for approximately 50% of our business so it is a good time to make this Blog Post.
Firstly lets talk about Granite
Cons
- Can sometimes be scratched
- Chips if not careful
- Stains if not sealed on some materials
- Harder to work with for a fabricator
- Fragile in more exotic variants
- Non “A” grade slabs are not desirable
- Needs to be resealed from time to time
- Cracks along sink bars etc if not careful
Pros
- Can withstand heats over 1500 Degrees Fahrenheit
- Scratches on the surface can be repaired(exclusively by Abstract Stone)
- Chips can be repaired easily
- Sealing only needs to be done every 1-5 years and only takes 20 mins
- Rodding ensures reinforced material never fails
- Never sun fades like Quartz
- Been around for hundreds of years
- Each slab is unique
- Bigger slabs
- Stains are easy to remove
- Resistant to many chemicals
- Applications from floors to walls to bathtubs. Very weather resistant
Quartz
Cons
- If hot pan is left on countertop is can melt the resin
- Warranty doesn’t actually cover any damages
- Scratches easily and cannot be repaired
- Stains cannot be removed
- Cannot have 90 degree corners as it voids warranty and may crack
- Small slabs
- The more exotic looking the more resin which means scratching is easier
- Sun can fade the resin
- Chemicals will wreck the surface
- Can randomly crack
- Chinese quartz has been tested positive for carcinogens
- Cannot use outside
Pros
- Withstands heat up to 450 Degrees Fahrenheit
- Scratch Resistant
- Stain Resistant
- Never needs to be sealed
- Warrantied for 15 years usually
- Uniform pattern
- Can get them very white unlike granite
- Weighs less and easier to work with than granite
- Many different brands
- Very strong tensile strength
These are not all the pros and cons of Granite and Quartz however it is the most common ones. Quartz is a great product and we will never talk you out of choosing it. However you need to pick it for the right reasons. The major issue with quartz is how they market it. They can say whatever they want against natural stone because they are branded products. Natural stone come from a quarry and carries no branding. Therefore no marketing. If you read the fine print on quartz manufacturers warranties and claims you can be sure that they use tricky words that sound amazing but aren’t. Such as the word “resistant” . If you are aware of these downfalls of both products you are able to make a better informed decision and save yourself from being thoroughly disappointed after such a large investment. Brendan Carson