With more people choosing to invest in quality worktops, the two most popular worktop choices for a high-spec kitchen are quartz and granite. As the debate continues, here is an explanation of the between the two, and is one really better than the other?
What is granite?
Granite is an igneous rock formed by the cooling and crystallisation of magma underground. All granite includes the minerals mica, feldspar and quartz in varying proportions and compositions, which accounts for the varying patterns and textures visible in granite worktops. Granite is mined in large blocks across all continents of the world, cut into slabs and polished to create worktops. It is a truly natural product.
What are the properties of granite kitchen worktops?
Granite is a very dense, hard rock which accounts for the many properties sought after in a kitchen worktop. A granite worktop offers heat resistance, scratch resistance, and when correctly sealed – stain resistance. The smooth, dense structure provides a hygienic environment that is easy to wipe clean with little or no areas for bacteria to thrive.
What do granite kitchen worktops look like?
Being a naturally occurring stone, no two pieces of granite are identical. The different minerals within the granite give rise to the different colour ways, with many colours featuring such as whites, pinks, greys, greens or yellows. You can check out lots of worktop images here
Quartz kitchen worktops
What is quartz?
Quartz is a hard crystal found within the Earth’s crust in abundance, which is crushed and combined with resin form kitchen worktops. Combined in a typical ratio of 93% quartz to 7% resin, a host of different textures can be achieved by varying the size of the crushed quartz from fine sand like grains to coarse gravel like particles, and different colour ways can be achieved with the addition of colouring agents.
What are the properties of quartz kitchen worktops?
Quartz is non-porous. Quartz kitchen worktops are both heat and scratch resistant. These are extremely easily maintained and exceptionally difficult to damage.
What do quartz kitchen worktops look like?
In contrast to the individuality of granite worktops, it is possible to create perfectly uniform quartz worktops in almost any colour of your choosing, including pure white. Whilst smooth grained quartz results in a very uniform worktop, coarser grained crystal result in its sought after sparkle.
Which is better – quartz or granite kitchen worktops?
There really is very little in it.
To stay in first-class condition, a granite worktop will require a little maintenance periodically to ensure it remains sealed, whilst a quartz worktop – if cared for of course – should require no maintenance whatsoever.
It’s all in the aesthetics.
It really does all come down to aesthetics and personal style. If you favour natural beauty, adore the variations found only in a naturally occurring stone then a granite kitchen worktop is definitely the choice for you. If you crave uniformity of tone and texture, or are creating a modernistic space with vibrant-coloured, sparkling worktops, then it has to be quartz all the way.
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This is a great article on kitchen counter-top surfaces. You might want to include Marble as a choice since it falls in-between Granite and Quartz. Marble is a more delicate stone as compared to granite and quartz but it’s poor stain resistance makes it less popular among home owners.
I’d definitely want my worktops to look clean and I don’t want it to be too much of a hassle to maintain it. Going by the comments, I think Quartz is the one I should go in for. Thanks Anne, the post did help me decide.
Great! I’m glad you found something helpful from the post, Linda.
Hi Anne, I’d like to add to what Jack says about the sealing wearing off. The thing is the sealing wears off only and only if the worktop is not maintained well. If it is well cared for, no such problem occurs. It is the same thing with Quartz. If it is well cared for, it is easy to maintain. So it all comes down to your taste and your commitment to maintain your worktop.
Peter, thanks for your comment. It definitely puts a balance to the discussion. I suppose, like everything else in the home, worktops also last longer if you maintain them properly.
I would vote for the Quartz worktop as I have a first hand experience in dealing with it. It is very much true that the quartz worktop is easy to maintain and lasts long as well. I am using it for quite some time now and I don’t remember when was the last time It bothered me for maintenance. So for me Quartz will be the ultimate choice.
I agree with Jack about the sealing wearing off. Although you can get the sealing done again, it does involve a lot of hard work. I’d prefer the Quartz worktops because of its easy maintenance.
Hi Joseph, we had a later comment (see Peter above) which said that the sealing only wears off if you don’t maintain it well. Hope this helps?
Things are very difficult to decide when it comes to decorating your house. After reading your article Anne I was quite sure that I will go for a granite rooftop for my new house, and I want to give my house a natural look. But I read Jack’s comment and I am in a fix now. I am pretty sure I don’t want to go for Quartz, please help.
I know you meant ‘worktop’ not ‘rooftop’ 🙂 At the end of the day, Peter, you have to go with what’s best for you and your family. It’s vital to get all the information so you’re working off an educated choice.
When it comes down to the actual purchase, you alone can decide – based on your lifestyle, use and family needs (+ your likes) – what you want.
I would have loved for any type of renovation as my counter top is so very old, but financially I’m unable right now to do anything..
Yes, kitchen repairs can be very expensive. It’s the last place in our old house we’re going to makeover. Ikea does inexpensive work-tops. Do you have one near you?
My house has a Quartz kitchen worktop. I love it when I come home and see gleaming kitchen worktops. It is so easy to clean and maintain. There hasn’t been any trouble in maintaining it as well. I haven’t used Granite for the simple reason that I have heard from friends that the sealing does wear off after a while. But thanks for sharing this Anne and Duncan.
I didn’t know that about Granite. I moved into a house which had a large granite fireplace. I managed to paint it (which kept surprisingly well) and it looks a lot better than the original. 🙂 I suppose the sealing DOES wear off. I wouldn’t have been able to paint it otherwise.
Hey Anne you really helped me out making a choice. I was thinking of renovating my kitchen since last month but was unable to decide what to buy for the rooftop. I thank you heartily for explaining the difference between granite and quartz as now I am clear of my liking. I would definitely go for the granite roof top as I want to keep my kitchen looking natural.
James, you should probably read what a subsequent commenter said about granite before making that choice.