While there are many components that make the kitchen one of the favorite rooms in the home, most often, it’s the countertops that take center stage. While remodeling, selecting a surface that is sustainable, durable and decorative are vitally important.
When selecting a countertop, there are many different materials to choose from, however there are only two that seem to reign supreme above the rest. One of the current top trends for kitchen countertops is the use of quartz countertops, where historically granite has been the top choice in kitchen restoration.
But what are the differences between these two countertop favorites and what is the best choice for your kitchen?
What Are The Differences Between Quartz And Granite?
For starters, granite is 100% natural and is a very hard stone mined in quarries around the world where it’s atomized and then polished to a fine finish. Whereas quartz is not 100% natural, being only 95% natural quartz and 5% polymer resins.
What Is The Selection Process Like Between Quartz And Granite?
Being that no two granite countertops are alike, granite provides a unique option for complimenting your kitchen look and feel. The choices are limitless, and because of how granite is made, there are many colors and patterns to choose from. However, searching for the right piece of granite to match your color scheme might prove more difficult than that of the selection process for quartz, where what you generally see in the showroom is what you can expect to see in your home, due to its uniformity of colors.
What Is The Cost Difference Between Quartz And Granite?
Although engineered quartz might be the more popular trend with countertop projects, per Travis Neff of Neff Enterprises in Phoenix, Arizona, for the most part, quartz costs about 20-30% more than granite.
What Is The Environmental Impact Between Quartz And Granite?
Another difference between quartz and granite is the environmental impact between the two and this has a lot to do with how they are made. If you have lived in Portland very long, you know that Portlanders take their environment seriously.
With the quarrying process of granite, it uses a lot of energy getting it from quarry to your kitchen. But with quartz, and being that it is engineered, it’s much more environmentally friendly. Also, using more domestic and local fabricators, this alone will cut down on the cost and energy required for transporting it.
Which Material Between Quartz And Granite Is Easier To Install?
Although quartz is as strong as granite, it’s more flexible. This flexibility makes it much easier to work with during the installation process than with granite.
What Type Of Maintenance Does Either Quartz Or Granite Require?
When maintaining these countertop surfaces, a common question is about resealing. The good news for quartz is that being a solid surface, there is no need to ever have your countertops resealed. However, for granite, to ensure longevity, you may want to consider resealing the counter annually. Because granite is a porous material, it can easily harbor bacteria, germs, and mold. Sealing your granite countertop takes care of this issue. For many, the porous versus nonporous debate is a big question for this very reason.
Per granitequartz.blogspot.com, the majority of the engineered quartz manufacturers have applied for NSF certification. NSF stands for National Sanitation Foundation, a non-profit organization which helps certify and create standards for food, water and other consumer goods.
What’s The Best Way To Clean Your Quartz And Granite Countertops?
For daily maintenance of the two stone surfaces, a simple cloth and soap and water should do the trick or a simple household cleaner. With granite and the potential for staining due to some oils and acids, make sure you don’t let those spills remain for long. With quartz, that is not the case as they are largely stain-resistant. For this reason, homeowners who are looking for a more maintenance free kitchen countertop often favor quartz.
What Is More Durable Between Quartz And Granite?
With home remodels, sustainability and durability are a couple of the top priorities homeowners look for before making their countertop purchase. Being the harder surface of the two, quartz is considered to be more durable and because it’s not porous like granite, it’s much easier to keep those counter tops relatively bacteria free. However, quartz can be susceptible to damage from excessive heat while granite, is a durable material that is extremely heat resistant.
Quartz can also discolor over time when exposed to direct sunlight. So consider your kitchen counter placement and any exposure that the countertop would receive from the UV rays of the sun.
Which Kitchen Countertop Material Is Best For Your Home?
While there are many different countertop materials to choose from, granite and quartz remain top choices for home kitchen remodel projects. Making the right choice is of course important for the overall environment you are wanting to create within your kitchen. The proper countertop selection can pay big dividends when deciding to sell your home, since remodeling your kitchen well can prove to be a great return on investment. Home buyers will appreciate that investment and it will, no doubt, add greater value to your home.
