Granite vs. Quartz

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Every piece of your new house is special, but one of the rooms that will get the most attention is the kitchen. It’s a social hub and, for many good reasons, often called the heart of the home. As one of the stars of your main floor, it’s also a space that earns careful consideration when it comes to features. What types of appliances do I want? What about cabinets? Is this the backsplash for me? And of course, the counters. These days, a very regular decision facing the home owner is the “quartz versus granite”? This decision isn’t always easy as both surface materials though similar, are quite different.

Granite is pulled from the earth, polished and sealed. On the other hand, quartz is chopped, poured and laid. Quartz counters contain roughly 93 per cent crushed quartz material pressed with roughly 7% resin.

Between the two, a key difference is visual impact. Quartz is processed so that multiple sheets look identical. Each slab of granite is unique as granite is a naturally formed item. Granite is essentially a unique naturally occurring piece of art. When deciding which way to go, someone with a more modern look to the kitchen will likely turn to quartz. The uniformed look of quartz is well suited for a sleek, simplistic space. And as you might imagine, for traditional kitchens, artful granite is a popular pick. For those who can’t decide, you can also combine quartz and granite in the same kitchen. In the right situation, they don’t only co-exist, but thrive. Take our award-winning Savannah show home in Mahogany, for example. We installed a granite countertop on the Kithen Island that wrapped the floor and installed quartz on the remaining Kitchen countertops.

When it comes to durability, it must be taken care of. There may be maintenance required with granite. Quartz is essentially more durable. The resin makes it a bit more flexible, so it’s got tensile strength when heavy items are dropped on it. Both materials are stain resistant but not stain-proof. Granite should be re-sealed annually, and when the sealer has worn off, that’s when stains happen. When exposed, the pores in granite may soak up hard-to-remove substanes like cooking oil. For the best cleaning methods, check with the manufacturer of the material, as it may be different depending on the quartz or granite you choose. Quartz and granite are also considered a lifetime material. Because they’re both so heavy and removing it is such a complicated task, it’s not usually changed out very often.