If you are installing a brand new kitchen (or bathroom) or remodeling your old one, no doubt you are anxiously following the debate of whether quartz or granite is the best countertop surface to make your space beautiful and functional. To get your answer, you need to ask yourself this question: Do you want a natural stone formed by volcanic rock in your home, or are you okay with an artificial surface as long as it is beautiful, durable, and matches the color scheme of your dream kitchen?
What Are Quartz Countertops Compared to Granite Countertops?
The key difference between quartz and granite countertops lies in their material composition. Quartz is an artificial engineered stone. It is made by mixing crushed natural quartz stone with other minerals and molding it into slabs with resin. On the other hand, granite is a 100% natural stone, mined out of the ground, polished, cut to size, and installed.
Differences in Appearance
There is also a difference in the way each material looks. Quartz offers a uniform surface that can be created into a multitude of colors and patterns. Sometimes glass is added to quartz stone in manufacturing, resulting in the surface having that extra shine and sparkle. Granite is a natural stone, so what you see is what you get. Every piece of granite slab is one of a kind. Depending on where in the world your chosen piece was mined, there may be color differences, and every slab has unique veining patterns and inconsistencies that cannot be changed, but those imperfections give granite its charm. Granite can come in gray, pink, white, or even red colors and always has dark mineral spots and veining arranged in naturally occurring patterns.
Maintenance
Both surfaces are easy to care for and clean when it comes to maintenance. Quartz is virtually maintenance-free, but granite tops must be sealed yearly to protect the stone surface against staining or scratching. Both surfaces can be damaged by exposure to high heat. Granite is less at risk of this because it is a natural stone, but there is a danger of cracking when high heat is applied to a small part of a large surface. Don’t place pots directly from the oven onto the surface to keep your countertops safe. Use heat pads to protect your countertops.
Environmental Impact
There is a debate about which countertop materials are more environmentally friendly, granite or quartz? There is no clear answer. Granite is a natural stone, but it needs to be mined out of the ground and transported over long distances to find its way into your kitchen. Depleting natural resources and increasing carbon emissions while transporting stone is not earth friendly. Quartz slabs can be manufactured closer to home, but chemical resins and other possible pollutants are used in manufacturing, which is bad for the environment.
After reading through the information above, you must decide which material will make the best countertops to use in your home. If you are a stickler for natural materials, choose granite, but if you don’t mind some artificial engineering, then quartz may be the one you go with.