4 Reasons to Avoid Using Quartz Countertops
Did you know that you’ve been using the wrong material for your countertops?
Well, if you’ve been using natural stones like granite or quartzite, you’re using the right materials. The reason why manmade materials, like quartz, is the “wrong” material, is that it can’t compete with the natural look and resistive characteristics that are inherent with natural stone.
To clear the air a bit, there is a vast amount of information online that states why quartz is the better choice over materials like granite. Being a manmade product, quartz countertops are often sold with a warranty, coupled with advertisements that express their high resistance to scorching, scratching, and chipping. This means a couple of things:
Impending Failure
A red flag should immediately go up when you see that the product has a warranty. Why should this be concerning? This implies that the product will fail. Not too comforting when making an expensive purchase or investment, right?
Don’t get caught up in the fine print
When looking at the fine print of these product warranties, it specifically says that they do not cover damage caused by the things they advertise the product to be resistive to. One would think that a reliable product line would cover these damages, as those damages aren’t supposed to happen with that material. So if your material comes with a warranty, be sure to read it carefully and multiple times.
Take it with a grain of salt
Take a look at this link to an old forum about quartz countertop damages. To summarize, many homeowners using quartz have brought up the issue of cracking, chipping, and stains (from liquid or heat) with their quartz and are baffled that it happened, when the materials were advertised as resistant to those things. Even though manmade materials are often advertised as exceling in areas where granite falters, that doesn’t mean that they are bullet proof. No countertop is.
It’s the resin, not the Quartz
If they advertise all this resistance, but are still seeing problems, what’s going on?
Well, it’s important to keep in mind that quartz countertops are manmade with about 90% crushed quartz (a natural mineral) while the other 10% is made up of resins, glues, and pigments.
Again with fine print semantics, quartz countertops are able to be advertised as resistant and dense because of the mineral quartz that is within them. The mineral itself is what gives those highly resistive characteristics. All the damages that occur aren’t damaging the quartz, but the glue that is holding it together, a problem you wouldn’t see with natural stone.
The beauty of natural stone
While granite or quartzite materials aren’t bullet proof either, they aren’t being advertised in a manner that would make you think otherwise. Refer to some of our other eBooks and recently published blogs to get an idea of the kind of wear and tear stone counters can withstand, as well as the maintenance required to keep them in tip-top shape.
Changing the Industry
It is because of the loopholes and the confusing verbiage found with other brands, that Granite Liquidators approaches this industry differently. We strive to be transparent in every aspect of our business. We won’t beat around the bush with pricing or product specifications, as we want you to make the most informed decision as possible for your materials so that your project is fulfilling and enjoyable.