What Is It Made Of
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Quartz kitchen countertops have certain qualities that make them special, even among other stone countertops like granite. You can find quartz kitchen countertops in many colors&#;from bright whites to cool grays, warm creams, and rich browns and blacks. Some quartz has veining that makes it look like marble. And some options contain mirror chips that reflect light and appear to make the countertops sparkle.
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
Quartz is a great choice for its durability, ease of cleaning, and color selection. Here are some facts to know about this material and what makes it a top pick.
What Is a Quartz Countertop?
Quartz countertops are a form of engineered stone made from ground-up particles of quartz bound together with resins. The industry is increasingly using the term engineered stone to refer to this type of countertop in order to differentiate it from natural stone.
What are Quartz Countertops Made Of?
Quartz countertops are not made of solid quartz, but a mix of 90% crushed granite, marble, natural stone, or recycled industrial waste, such as ceramic, silica, glass, and mirrors. The other 10% is a polymeric or cement-based binder that binds all the material. The mix of these materials gives quartz countertops the look and feel of stone.
Quartz countertops can include some amount of actual quartz, but they contain no solid quartz extracted from quarries. The 90% of stone-like materials that form the base of quartz countertops are all waste byproducts of other quarrying or manufacturing processes, which makes quartz an eco-friendly countertop option.
All Quartz Countertops Are Made Using Bretonstone Technology
Bretonstone Technology is a patented process created by the Breton company in northeast Italy. The process consists of blending pulverized natural stone aggregate with a mix of polymers, removing the air, and then heating and shaping the material into slabs that have the hardness and appearance of natural stone.
Bretonstone Technology has been licensed to more than 50 companies around the world, including such famous quartz brands as Silestone, Cambria, and Caesarstone. While these manufacturers add their own flair and nuances to their engineered stone countertops, they're still working off the original patent, from Breton.
Quartz Has Excellent Durability
Quartz kitchen countertops are nonporous, so they don't need sealing like granite or marble do. This also means quartz does not get water stains easily.
In addition, quartz does not scratch easily; in fact, granite tends to scratch easier than quartz. However, extreme pressure can cause a scratch, chip, or crack.
The good news is it&#;s possible to buff out light scratches with polish and get your countertops looking like new again. It&#;s also possible to fix deep scratches using an epoxy filler. However, the key is scratch prevention by doing things like always using cutting boards.
Though quartz countertops are very durable, placing a hot pan or baking dish directly on the surface will cause discoloration or even warping. To exercise caution, always use a trivet or coaster.
Is Quartz Better Than Granite
Quartz is more durable and less porous than slab granite, which is a natural stone. For years, quartz tried to play the natural stone game, and it was all about deciding between quartz kitchen countertops vs. granite. These days, the popularity of quartz has driven down the price of granite.
Here are a few of the key differences between quartz and granite countertops:
Quartz
Easier to maintain
Doesn't require sealing
Resistant to staining
More durable
Granite
More involved maintenance
Must be sealed
Stains easily
Less durable
While granite-look quartz materials still ply the market in huge numbers, quartz that looks like nothing else is an increasingly popular segment. One example is Caesarstone. As if "modern" weren't a current-enough style category for consumers, Caesarstone now has an "ultra-modern" category with offerings such as Apple Martini, Blizzard, and Crocodile.
How Much Does Quartz Cost
Quartz countertops cost $50 to $150 per square foot on average and are generally cheaper than granite and marble, yet more expensive than options like laminate or butcher block. Grade-specific quartz prices vary as follows:
The main difference between low-quality and high-quality quartz is the makeup of the mixture. For example, low-quality quartz has about 12% resin and high-quality quart has about 7% resin. Other factors that may drive up the cost of quartz include features and customizations like the following:
Are Quartz Countertops Easy to Clean?
You can easily keep quartz countertops spotless with the occasional wipe with a soft cloth and warm water. Tougher messes will benefit from a small amount of dish soap or a cleaning spray that is safe for quartz countertops. Fortunately, quartz countertops are resistant to staining and don't require sealing like granite, so you don't have to worry about everyday messes.
FAQ
Are there any cons to a quartz countertop?
Quartz is a highly durable countertop material, but it's not without a few drawbacks. Quartz countertops can be difficult to install and often have visible seams after installation. They're not very heat-resistant due to the resins used to make them. Lastly, quartz countertops can also be expensive.
Is there a difference between quartz and quartzite countertops?
Quartz is a manufactured material mixed with other stones and resin, while quartzite is a pure, natural stone. Quartzite resembles marble or granite, with delicate veining, and is usually $90 to $175 per square foot.
What are the best brands for quartz countertops?
Three of the best quartz countertop brands are Cambria, Caesarstone, and Silestone. They all feature plenty of quartz countertop color options to choose from, as well as multiple textures and thicknesses. Some smaller but still well-rated brands include Viatera, allen + roth, Daltile ONE Quartz, and Pental.
How much can it cost to install quartz countertops?
Installing quartz countertops can range from $1,500 to $12,000. Factors affecting the price include the size of the project, any customizations (such as a sink cutout or beveled edges), and the quality of the quartz. Labor costs also can vary by location.
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I&#;ve installed quartz countertops in two of my houses and I love living with them! If this is a material you&#;re looking at for countertops I thought I&#;d share my experience and what I love (and don&#;t) about quartz counter tops- what you need to know to order and live with them.
Forever, I have been obsessed with having marble- that grey look with the beautiful veins. I&#;d daydream about it, but the thing I didn&#;t like is that it is super sensitive, can stain and chip easily, and so you have to be very careful with it. That&#;s now how I want to live, so when I heard of quartz, I was excited! So what is quartz?
Quartz are a man made engineered stone. Most of the countertops (90%) are made of small pieces of quartz. The rest is what holds the quartz pieces of quartz together- resins, polymers, and pigments. Once combined, they create a beautiful countertop that is hard like granite.
Let&#;s start with the video tutorial so you get an overview on selecting and caring for Quartz countertops. Then, I&#;ll dive in with more details below:
If the video doesn&#;t work here, you can watch it on YouTube here. I&#;d be over the moon happy if you subscribed to my YouTube channel! Videos are actually released on YouTube first (usually the night before they&#;re published on the blog). Thank you!
The appearance or quartz can vary greatly and depends on how the quartz is ground. The finer it is ground creates a smooth appearance. While the coarsely ground quartz has a more flecked look
One thing I love about quartz is it can look like a natural stone. There are also a variety of neutral colors- beige, black, grey, or white. It can look like marble (what I love!) or it can look like granite, it can also stand on its own and look like a composite.
Here&#;s a few examples. Can you tell how number one looks kind of like marble while number two definitely has a more composite look?
Quartz costs $55-$200 per square foot (that includes the stone and installation). You can get it cheaper if you have a smaller kitchen and can use a remnant. It is now on average about $125 per square foot. It just depends on the vendor, thickness, and style selected.
For my kitchen, I needed a slab. That cost $.
Then for installation I got multiple quotes and they ranged from $ to $.
If I was to do my kitchen again, the second I had my floor plan finalized, I would have started getting quotes. That would have been in February- 5 months again.
Then, after getting the cheapest quote, I would have gotten in the schedule with the installer. Why? The home building and renovation industry is very backed up right now. Most installers were 8-10 weeks out.
I was in a hurry to get my countertops done and had to go with who could get me in. My installation cost $. So the total was $ (in June ). If I would have planned better, I could have saved $. Ouch. So learn for my mistakes.
In November of , I had countertops installed in my kitchen in Florida. The price for a slab and installation cost $. It took 7 days to have the quartz cut and installed after templating.
Quartz is kind of the sweet spot between granite and marble. It&#;s the most durable of the three. It&#;s harder than granite and not pourous like marble and granite. That means that stains don&#;t soak into the stone. It&#;s also doesn&#;t etch.
On the other hand, it&#;s not heat resistant like granite.
Price wise, granite is the least expensive option while marble is the most expensive. But if you&#;re spending around $100 per square foot of quartz for a high end choice, it&#;ll cost about the same as marble.
Like with anything, there are a few downsides to quartz. Let&#;s go over those-
Yes! Quartz does increase a home&#;s value. I&#;ve read that it can be an increase of 3 to 7% of the home&#;s value. So I&#;d consider them a good investment.
No! Quartz is actually considered a green material so it&#;s great for the earth!
Why? The stone that forms the base of quartz countertops are actually waste from quarrying and manufacturing stone. So quartz is a by-product of other stone. This makes up 90% of quartz countertops.
The other 10 percent of a quartz countertop are made of resins, polymers and pigments. The combination makes a very strong countertop material.
Since most of it is made of stone that would have been wasted, it&#;s like using recycled materials for making a countertop!
Here&#;s the process to get your counter tops installed-
You can google &#;quartz + your city&#; and you should be able to find a good variety. Make sure to read reviews of each company to make sure you select a reputable company and someone you&#;re comfortable with.
I am on a budget for this kitchen renovation, so before I selected anyone or left my house, I emailed 3 quartz providers. I got a quote from each of them. It helped that I knew I wanted a marble looking quartz so they could give me their best price over and then I could visit to confirm everything.
Note- you&#;ll need an electronic copy of your kitchen floor plan for this step so that they can see your layout (which effects the cost). Ikea provides one with their kitchen planner service so that was simple to over.
Like I mentioned above, start getting a quote early in the kitchen planning process. This will save time and money. Plus, the sooner in the kitchen renovation you can get counters installed, the sooner it&#;ll feel like a real room and it&#;ll be somewhat functional.
For my kitchen, I&#;m using Hanstone Quartz for my countertops. They are the quartz manufacturer. Most fabricators (the company who cuts and installs the quartz) will have samples you can check out so you can see them in your space.
Or, you can order samples directly from Hanstone Quartz here. $5 for a 4&#;x4&#; size or $10 for a 5&#;x10&#; size.
Once you&#;ve selected a fabricator, go to their store front to see the stone in person. Bring your kitchen plan so that the fabricator can give you suggestions. Then you can check out a few samples.
You will also want to know the sink, faucet, and sprayer you&#;ll be using. Or, if you need an accessory hole for something like a soap dispenser or if you&#;re using a garbage disposal button on the countertop.
here&#;s the samples I looked at- Tranquility, Calcatta Extra, Calcatta Gold, Paros, Strato
If your fabricator doesn&#;t have enough variety, you can also visit a slab yard (where your fabricator buys the slabs from). The slab yard will usually has a good variety of different stones to see.
It&#;s nice to see the movement of the veins, the full color, and touch them in person. Plus, this is the fun part! You can pretend you&#;re on a TV show ;).
If you aren&#;t able to see the full slab in person, it&#;ll be ok! Look online at a picture of the full slab and a picture of it installed in a kitchen. This will give you a great feel for how it&#;ll look in your your space.
Quartz fabricators will sometimes offer accessories that you can buy right from them. Things like sinks, faucets, sink grids, etc. This is convenient because then they have the exact measurements needed for cutting the quartz!
I sourced all my own items, but for lots of people, this is a convenient way to get multiple items from one place.
After looking at samples and slabs, it&#;s time to finalize what will be the quartz you select. Here&#;s some things to consider-
I ended up going with Calcutta Gold. I liked the white background, the gold veining, and it was a great size to avoid seams.
Next, when lower cabinets are installed and level, it&#;s time to schedule a time for a template to be made for the counter tops.
The quartz fabricator will send someone over to house to digitally measure for this. They make an exact drawing of the countertop with crooked walls and everything!
What this means is there is super fun (haha) part in your renovation where you have to have your base cabinets in without a sink and counter tops for 2 weeks or more.
Two or more weeks or so after the template has been made, the counter tops will be cut to size and the they will be delivered and installed- cue the happy dance!!!
Our installation took a few hours and three guys. I didn&#;t take any pictures during the process, I didn&#;t want to be in the way. But I have picture of it after installation!
They installed my sink. And they ended up cutting the holes for my faucet and disposal button once the sink was installed.
To say I&#;m thrilled for fancy countertops is an understatement! I just believe that your home should be a beautiful backdrop for the story of your family&#;s lives. I was sick of my dingy, broken, hard to use kitchen. Living in a renovating mess isn&#;t fun, but making your dreams come true is. You&#;ve got this &#;
The kitchen is done, the Calcatta Gold quartz countertops are in and we LOVE them! They&#;re a clean white with warm gold veining and I&#;ve never had nicer countertops in my life. They&#;re beautiful and 100% worth the splurge!
These clean up easily. I love wiping up my fancy countertops after cooking because they&#;re so gorgeous! The installers specifically put the veining where it&#;d be seen most and its really pretty in person.
It&#;s a little hard to tell in these pictures, but we made sure the cabinets were tall enough for the countertops to be cut to go in the window sill too. It&#;s seamless and the perfect spot for plants.
Anyway, I hope it&#;s helpful to know what to expect when ordering quartz counter tops and how to care for them once they&#;re installed. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments.
Catch up on all the Kitchen One Room Challenge Posts!
Floor Plan / Interior Window / Mood Boards / Stairs Plan / Demo & Flood / Drywall / Rainbow Wallpaper / Cabinets, Floors, & Ceiling / DIY Fireplace / Cabinet Doors / Reveal / Stair Railing Installation / Kitchen Cost Breakdown / Quartz Countertops
This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy. Thank you to HanStone Quartz for supplying the quartz slab for this kitchen!
If you want to learn more, please visit our website Custom Quartz Vanity Tops.