Kitchen and bathroom remodeling is an exciting and tiring task for most homeowners and remodelers. Aside from budgeting and planning, choosing the best countertop material is one of the most nerve-cracking decisions you have to make.
To make it easier on your part, we have done a comprehensive comparison between quartz and granite countertop installation for your kitchen and bath renovations. Read the benefits and setbacks for each mineral to have a more sound decision.
Mineral Composition
The durability and beauty of granite and quartz stones can be strongly linked to its composition. Let us know the basic composition of these two minerals for better understanding.
Igneous Nature of Granite Countertops
Granite countertops are made from 100% natural igneous rocks or hardened magma. The specks of colors you see in the slabs are due to the presence of other mineral contents such as feldspar, iron oxide, quartz, and more.
Engineered Quartz Countertops
Quartz countertops are also referred to as engineered stones. These are mostly made up of 90% to 95% crushed quartz minerals while the remaining content 5% to 10% are polymer resin binders.
Aesthetics
Aside from the cost, the next priority for choosing which countertop is the beauty it adds to your kitchen and bathroom remodeling. Both minerals have various designs, colors, and textures to choose from which suits your layout and theme.
Innate Pristine Beauty of Granite Countertops
The natural veinings and color transition of granite countertops provides its pristine beauty which lasts a lifetime. The veinings are finer compared to marble and specks of other colors are present.
White granite countertops are the best choice for small kitchen and bathroom remodeling. It creates a vibrant atmosphere while making the room look bigger and airy.
Meanwhile, black granite countertops create a dramatic feeling because of its deep rich black color. Some of its designs have random specks of white hues which mimics the beauty of the universe. Likewise, more households are even switching to black granite countertops for their modern remodeling projects.
Further, some of the best granite countertop colors include white, black, gray, beige, blue, red, dark brown, and blue. Nevertheless, you can freely call our stone specialists for a free estimate and advice for remodeling.
High-Consistency of Quartz Countertops
The color transition and veining patterns of quartz countertops are more consistent compared to granite countertops. Because it is man-made, you have more options from our wide quartz countertop collections that match the theme of your renovation.
When used on smaller surface areas, the seams of quartz countertops are more visible compared to granite. Nevertheless, its elegance and pristine appearance are never lowered with these visible seams.
Similarly, white quartz countertops are a great choice for creating an oasis for your small bathroom and kitchen space. Its stark white beauty is breathless and highly modern. It pairs well with wooden cabinets and chrome-plated finishes.
Durability and Hardness
The durability of countertop material is one of the basic features you need to consider for choosing the right one. For kitchen countertops, the material must be hard enough to resist scratches, cuts, and dents.
The kitchen has harsher conditions compared to your bathroom. So durability won’t be much of a determining factor for bathroom vanity tops.
Impervious Strength of Granite Countertops
This mineral has excellent durability to resist scratches and cuts from sharp objects. Choosing granite kitchen countertops is a great choice considering it has an impervious strength and tolerance against heat.
Despite its hardness, we still recommend that you use chopping boards and hot pads to protect the sealant film on your granite countertops.
Meanwhile, granite bathroom countertops is also an excellent choice for your cost-efficient bathroom remodeling. With proper sealing, it can greatly resist staining, chemicals, and moisture.
Reinforced Strength of Engineered Quartz Countertops
This material is more durable compared to granite because of its mineral content and polymer resin binders. This makes quartz good material for kitchen and bathroom countertops.
The main setback of quartz is that its cracks or chips are not easy to repair. Once you glued back the chipped off piece, there will be visible seams.
Low Care and Maintenance
Upon choosing the best countertop material, it is also smart to consider a material that requires less hassle for cleaning and maintenance. Proper cleaning and maintenance is needed to extend the beauty and life of your granite and quartz countertops.
Porous and Low-Cleaning Granite Countertops
Granite countertops are naturally porous so you need to have annual sealing maintenance to enhance its anti-stain and anti-bacterial properties. There are tons of impregnating sealants available in the market for you to buy and apply.
For its finish, you can have a honed or polished finish for your granite countertop installation. A honed finish is good when you want those scratches to be invisible. Meanwhile, a polished surface saves you from exerting too much to keep a glossy appearance.
Stain-proof and Low-Maintenance Quartz Countertops
Unlike granite, quartz is innately non-porous because of its polymer resin binders which seal off the pores from its slab. Consequently, there will be no sealing process required for quartz countertops.
Cost
Generally, quartz countertops are more expensive than granite. The typical price of quartz range between $80 to $140 per square foot while granite is between $75 to $135. However, price varies depending on other factors like market price, state, size, thickness, quality, color, and supplier.
If you need any assistance in choosing your best countertop material, contact us anytime. Call to get a free quote or booking appointments. Visit us on Linkedin!