As mentioned in another thread, I'm starting this thread for discussing the differences/commonalities of granite and quartz surfaces. We are trying to come to a decision as to what we are going to replace our kitchen countertops with.

There are just a few differences. Quartz is harder than granite and less prone to chipping. I'm guessing they are talking about the edges -- it's easier to shape when cutting the quartz.

The quartz countertop is a man made item, but good quartz must be at least 93%, which is what most are. There are at least 4 brands here that I know of. I don't want to post links, but if you google quartz and countertop you will come up with them.

You don't need to seal quartz as you do granite.

And, although it is neither here nor there in my opinion, granite (all the rage here for the past few years) is starting to go the way of all fads and quartz is rising in popularity. You still don't see much of it though.

This quartz process is about 10 years old, relatively new in the "kitchen surface" arena.

The "design" of the quartz is more uniform. Granite is nice, but unless you go and pick out the real piece of granite, it can vary quite a bit in color/movement. So if you are looking for one end of the counter to be the same design/color as the other end, granite may not be what you are looking for.

Both come in varying thicknesses. I tend to go for 3 cm although they can be gotten in 4 cm. and even 6 cm. However, both are quite heavy and I don't see the need for much more than 3 cm (between 1 1/8 inches and 1 1/4 inches).

As for cost, they both vary quite a bit ranging from $40 US upwards to $90 and up. They are very similar in price.

I think that's about it Copago. Oh, time -- from the time of making the template (measuring) by the professional, the average time until installation is about 2 weeks. Although, the major home places like Lowes and Home Depot will be 4-6 weeks. I would think that would vary from region to region.

You might want to consider whether the material you choose has measurable amounts of radon gas emissions. Radon is a naturally occurring gas generated by the decay of trace amounts of uranium found in the earth's crust throughout the world. It is an invisible, unstable gas that quickly breaks down and dissipates in the air. It has no odor.

Granite in particular has proven to be a vehicle for the formation of this gas in certain situations. It seems many countertop companies have funded their own research projects and come up with a green light for using the substance in kitchens [ rather icy in their comments about other reports that contradict the safety of granite]...SO you may have to make up your own mind on this one, Jar. Whenever there's a lot of money involved, coupled with scientists kept on a leash - sometimes the truth is hard to come by.

That's interesting ktstew. I had not heard of radon in connection with countertops. When we moved here from Indiana and sold our house I remember we had to have it tested for radon gas. (Luckily we passed! ((not the gas, that is)))

Guess I'll do a bit more research on the subject and see what I can come up with.

June

We installed a new kitchen a couple of years ago, with granite worktops - and they're fantastic! We've had no problems whatever with them, and they look as good as the day they were installed. They are a sort of dark green marbled effect and are 3 cm thick - knowing the weight of each section I shudder to think what 4cm would weigh. Just make sure you have adequate supports if you go for this thickness.
I've never heard of quartz worktops, but from what I've seen of natural quartz, I'd be more concerned about cracks and chipping than I'd be of granite.
As to the radon gas issue, the amount of such gas which could potentially be stored in such a small amount of granite is almost negligible, and nothing at all compared with the many millions of people whose homes are situated in granite based areas. If radon really worries you, then I'd say 'avoid the world's beauty spots at all costs", and it might also be worth checking the base rock of your hometown.

Thanks, Jar Very interesting. I'd not heard of quartz being an option so will have to look into that one when it comes time to do our kitchen. (which will happen next year. )

Never heard of randon gas either

I don't want every thing that sings and swings in the new kitchen but as it's a once only thing I want to get it right and it to look good. It's a bit harder to get around and see showrooms and that sort of thing for us due to distance so I'm starting to prick my ears up now at different options available.

This is kind of exactly what I do for a living, so I've done a lot of research between the two and have heard an awful lot of feedback from both customers and co-workers, so without further ado, I'm going to break it down to a few categories as both quartz and granite have big positives and small negatives.

What are they?
Granite is one of the most durable sedimentary rocks mined out of the earth -- just what you see on your counter is exactly how it came out of the earth, albeit with a shined up, polished and smoothed finish. Different granite colors and styles are generally found in different parts of the world, and the color of the material is surprisingly analogous to the material that has been deposited and compressed to form it. For example, the most popular color of granite in the US is most commonly known as Ubatuba. The "real" Ubatuba is primarily mined in Brazil, but also in other river deltas that drain from major rainforests. Somewhat unsurprisingly, since Ubatuba comes from the Amazon River delta, the primary colors are blacks, greens, and golds. Another color, most frequently known as Blue Pearl, is mined underwater off the coast of Scandanavia. This is mostly beneath glaciers, and as such has primarily grays, whites, and light blues, with some blacks mixed in. With granite there is infinite variety -- no two countertops are the same.

Quartz surfaces are manmade material. They are approximately 90 to 95% ground quartz held together with various resins. The exact composition varies by brand. The color of quartz comes from dyes within the resin. Quartz is one of the most durable materials on earth, with only certain precious gemstones such as diamonds and emeralds able to scratch it. Important to note that while quartz is put together by man, it's still primarily a natural material, unlike solid surfacing such as Corian which is 100% acrylic.

Durability
Granite is said to be more brittle. This is somewhat true. It is an incredibly hard, but at the same time, slightly brittle material. A severe shock can cause a fissure, especially on colors and styles with distinctive, deep veining. Quartz surfaces are slightly less prone to this due primarily to the fact that there is no veining and it is of uniform consistency. However, you can crack a quartz top almost as easily as a granite top. If you have a significant overhang, an island, or a peninsula where more than 6" is beyond the cabinet (or anything else) holding it up, both can be cracked. Now, when I say severe shock, I would equate that with approximately a blow from a sizeable sledgehammer. There's really not much that can cause either to crack except under very extreme circumstances. Either one of them, do not use as a cutting board. This is not because you will scratch the surface, rather, you will dull your knives. No real advantage to one over the other here.

Longevity
The majority of quartz countertop manufacturers warranty the top against defect for 10-15 years. Unlike granite, quartz is completely antimicrobial, requires no sealing, and is usually Microban (or equivalent) sealed in the creation of the product. It is a sanitary surface. Granite is indeed a natural, porous stone. Most manufacturers of granite do not warranty the product at all, only offering installation on the installation. However, there is a brand now, Stonemark, that offers permanently sealed granite countertops. These are warrantied for 15 years, like most quartz tops. Stonemark is from Innovative Stone. More on the permanent sealing (what they call permashield) later. Advantage here to quartz, with the one exception.

Appearance
There are very few people who will argue that quartz looks better than granite. Granite has a very deep, natural appearance to it that seems to transcend just the surface, mostly due to the various substances that are found in the stone. The appearance of quartz, at least to me, is one that is extremely obviously superficial and man-made. There is no depth to the look of quartz with a couple exceptions in some of the extremely dark colors. Several manufacturers of quartz tops have made colors that are similar to various granite colors, most notably the above mentioned Ubatuba. Putting the two next to each other for me is almost a sure way to push a customer to the granite. Granite simply has a much stronger visual appeal. Advantage granite.

Market share and trendiness
Granite has been the mainstay for a very long time, and does not seem to be suffering a slowdown. This is most likely 100% regional, and previous poster Jar might have found a different situation where they live, but near Chicago, granite still is the choice. Quartz seems to enjoy a niche market, but granite is still held as the standard by which measurements are taken.

Authenticity
Probably wondering what I mean by this. For a moment, lets delve into how Innovative Stone makes their permanently sealed granite. When granite is superheated (upwards of 1500+ degrees farenheit) the pores of the material become much larger and open. At this time, Innovative injects and bakes their sealing agent into the stone. When the stone cools, and the pores shrink down again, the sealing agent is permanently trapped within the pores. This makes granite a MUCH more sanitary surface, eliminates the necessity to seal, and allows the company to warranty it. This process actually came as an offshoot to a method of creating "counterfeit" granite. Many of us have seen outside the major home improvement warehouses signs or banners proclaiming granite for ridiculously low prices, sometimes 30-33 dollars a square foot. Using a very similar process, granite that is mined that has very poor visual appeal can be treated and literally dyed to appear more like more desirable colors. The material is heated up, but instead of a sealing agent, various dyes are used to mimic the desired color. For example, many Subway restaurants now feature counters made of granite that looks very much like Ubatuba, but when compared to an actual sample, is close but not quite. A lot of stone is quarried in areas of western China, northern India and other places of geologic uplift that has neither the durability, nor the coloration of the better stones. Oddly enough, much of this stone is actually mined by the Bin Laden family. True story, at Pyramid Stone in Illinois, I was looking through several slabs for my own counter when I noticed several hundred huge slabs, unfinished, waiting to be shipped out. When I asked if I could look through, the foreman told me that those were being sent back because they were undesirable to the public. In large letters, stamped on each slab, were the words BIN LADEN. Apparently they didn't sell well. Go figure.


At the end, the choice is up to you. In quality, the differences are negligable as long as you purchase from a reputable dealer. Lead time on both is the same, usually 2-4 weeks from purchase to fabrication and install. I work for one of the "big boxes" (won't say which, not a shameless self plug) and have had counters take 5 weeks in the middle of March. I've also had a customer order on the 2nd of December, and had his install on the 19th of December, which is unarguably one of the busiest times of year. Too much variance to tell. If you choose granite, the stonemark product is most likely your best choice. Quartz is available from several companies, it really just depends on which big box is giving the best deal. With Thanksgiving coming up, this is a great time to buy, since this is a huge time for kitchen modification so people can show off on the holidays. Get your order in soon if you want it before Thanksgiving.

If you have other questions, please feel free to email me. Hope this helps!

^^^^^All you've ever wanted to know about stone counters but were afraid to ask!

Good onya, Scythykins, great rundown, which I will have to read over again to fully understand it all. Thanks for taking the time to respond