Which stone should you choose to use as your kitchen top? Is quartz stone better than granite?
This article will help you make up your mind by comparing them in these aspects.
- Appearance
- Durability
- Maintenance
- And Price
What is Granite?
Granite is a 100% natural stone mined from quarries (stone mountains). Then cut down to 11mm – 30mm slab.
What is Quartz Stone?
Quartz stone is an engineered stone. In other words, the manufacturer used unique compositions, which are 89-95% natural quartz, polymer resins, accessories, colour additives, and others, to make a quartz stone slab.
Appearance
Granite’s appearance depends on the quarry. Mother nature designed the pattern, veins and colour.
It’s like a human fingerprint. There is no slab of granite that is the same.
With advanced technology nowadays, people could design how quartz stones should look. Usually, it mimics natural stone such as terrazzo, granite and marble’s pattern, vein and colour.
The colour and shades can be more consistent for large area design.
Choosing granite or quartz stone based on appearance is subjective. If you like the colour, pattern, and shades, there is no need to have a second thought about it.
Durability
Quartz stone and granite durability are the same. But quartz stone is a bit more forgiving. It won’t crack and chip easily because of the polymer resins used in the composition.
Both of them can last long. Granite requires extra care, which we will explain in the maintenance article below.
Maintenance
Granite with bigger porous needs to avoid heavy colouring foods contact the surface for a long time, especially the light colour granite. The best way to maintain it is to clean the surface every time after cooking.
If you want to extend the lifespan of granite, you could consider applying sealant every year. It helps prevent food colouring stain quickly.
The polymer resin used to bond the quartz stone composition make it a non-porous material that resists staining much better than granite. It stands up to sources of stains in the kitchen such as turmeric, oil, coffee, sauces, juices and many others.
Most of the time, you can just clean it with water and a soft cloth.
Price
Granite cost based on a 10-foot kitchen top is around RM 2200 – 6000 depends on the colour, shades, the origin of the quarry, and supply.
Quartz stone cost for a similar size is around RM 2200 – 12,500, depends on the colour, shades, the origin of the manufacturer and how close it looks like natural stone.
Ya, quartz stone prices differ dramatically because the option is vast.
Conclusion
We would recommend you to choose quartz stone as your kitchen top. If you don’t like any quartz stone and you “super” like a granite colour pattern, go for it if you can tolerate a small maintenance disadvantage.
