Your kitchen is the heart of your home. This room in your home sees a lot of action from cooking, dining, entertaining, and all the in-betweens. Homeowners when they renovate their kitchen, design it in such a way that makes the kitchen more functional than before with add ons that make your day to day use of your kitchen 10 times easier. The design of your kitchen usually mimics your style and life. From cabinets, countertops, appliances, and all the utensils and cookware- your style is displayed. Both natural stone and quartz that is engineered will both be the same in terms of the appeal and functionality, however when it comes to the upkeep, durability, and cost you will see major differences amongst the two. In this article we will be breaking down the differences between granite vs engineered quartz. Stick around to learn more!
Granite Vs Engineered Quartz
Granite
Natural stone has been used in the home for years on end and often lasts an unbelievable amount of time. Granite is one of the hardest stones on the hardness scale which makes it ideal for kitchen countertops. Marble, along with granite, is a very good candidate if you are looking for something with a hardness that will withstand anything damage that comes its away. Granite is a natural stone that is mined through a quarry, cut into a slab, and resold to be fabricated into a countertop.
Quartz
Quartz, on the other hand, is engineered in a factory and only contains a percentage of actual quartz while the remaining percentage contains materials from other products. These slabs are not mined and distributed from a quarry, although it does have a very similar natural stone look. It has been found that 93 percent of all quartz slabs are actual quartz, while the remaining 7 percent being binding agents such as cement.
When it comes to the aesthetics of granite, slabs are available in a wide range of colors and many different sizes as well as finishes. Every slab of granite is different which makes each job unique. The colorations of each slab, as well as the movement, are one of a kind, very intricate, and eye-catching. Marble is usually seen in lighter colors like bright whites and creams with touches of pink, green, brown and black.
Engineered quartz is usually limited on the color ranges available. There are many different colors to choose from, but they do not look like granite or marble and looks engineered rather than natural.
Granite and marble are very durable stones and withstand a lot of damage and wear and tear that countertops are exposed to. Granite is a very porous stone which means you must get it sealed properly to avoid staining if spills occur. If granite is properly sealed, you will have no issues with staining, cracking, or chipping.
Engineered quartz is also a very durable product because of the resins that it is engineered with. This is the one area where quartz and granite are on an equal playing field. Although, just like with everything, there are pros and cons. In this case, because quartz is engineered with resin it is not as heat resistant as granite is.
Both granite and quartz are very versatile and beautiful products to use when remodeling your kitchen. It is up to you to decide which one best suit your needs and wants for your kitchen. Interested in granite? Give us a call!