We are not crazy at all about the look of granite. What they have with quartz these days gives us the look we wanted. We are happy with it and would do it again.
Countertops - Quartz vs Granite
- Thread starter mr_boring
- Start date
I will not install something I can't sit a hot pan on.....everything I have ever said after 150 degrees you risk damage. Any hot pan off the stove is more than that.
All good I personally try to avoid personal tastes and preferences as those are personal choices. Maybe I misunderstood the purpose of this thread to be about the materials only.
I agree with @CKN above on the subject.
That’s why I brought up the subject of Corian that was the latest material to have at the time. Well, granite is still here even though at the time the other was the thing to have. But I want to stress not everybody wanted it.
I am a firm believer at least so far in history that natural products such as stone and wood still stands the test of time, but it’s pointless to discuss what the future may bring as mentioned in CKN
Well, said it’s what makes the purchaser happy whether it’s granite or a manufactured product such as quartz
Each product has appealing characteristics and what’s most important is which product makes the customer happy
GON
$100 Site Donor 2024
You are right, the key theme of the thread was material centered.
Supplementally, a percentage of affluent (and non-affluent like my wife and me) home buyers may deem granite as a dated material for kitchen countertops. I think one might want to be aware of this if they plan on selling in a nearby window of time. When I look at a home, when I see granite in the kitchen, accurate or not, I think of "dated".
Some things are lifelong standards. I did a count last week and spent the over 110 nights in hotels so far this year. From five star international standard hotels to two-star hotels. I find a hotel bathroom with quality nuetral flooring, and all white shower/tub tile ALWAYS seems current and modern. The white is not the flashiest, but it seems to always be in style. If I ever build a house, the bathroom tub/shower tiles will always be in just white, and the finest porcelain material available. I built a bathroom 20 years ago in 100 percent stone to include limestone, very expensive materials. I learned quickly that 100 percent stone looks good, but for daily use it is very labor intensive to maintain and has lots of risks if the wrong cleaner is used.
There is one of the consideration people should be aware of when it comes to a manufactured product, such as quartz.
Even proponents of quartz will warn you if the price is too good to be true chances are it was made with an inferior manufacturing process versus the industry standard of proper pressing of the materials.
The video goes on to state while not a huge problem. The products are out there, and he posts about two dozen reputable companies around the world that are reputable and not a concern.
He also states your mainstream retail is such as Home Depot and Lowe’s. You probably would not have an issue with any of their products they sell.
I should’ve bookmarked the video because this guy clearly likes quartz. i’ll try to find it.
So unlike granite, which is stone from the Earth, there will be variables in the manufacturing and quality of quartz countertops, just like any manufactured product.
So once again, as we compare the two products, we cannot give a blanket statement of durability if one purchases a lesser quality quartz product, where durability of granite is what it is and will be much the same product to product around the world.
I want to stress my post is not intended for anything else than what I just stated which makes perfect sense with any manufactured product coming from dozens and dozens of different sources. It's only right in that case when comparing the two - Quartz vs Granite to know the manufacturer of the Quartz product. Granite is made by Mother Earth. At this point I bet dozens or hundreds of companies produce quartz and they can use different chemicals and different contents to mix in and different methods to make the product yet only one method is known to be the best.
and that new home you just bought, did the builder tell you who made the quartz countertop? Of course not and with builders, sometimes cost of materials are a consideration, like ALL the time.
Even proponents of quartz will warn you if the price is too good to be true chances are it was made with an inferior manufacturing process versus the industry standard of proper pressing of the materials.
The video goes on to state while not a huge problem. The products are out there, and he posts about two dozen reputable companies around the world that are reputable and not a concern.
He also states your mainstream retail is such as Home Depot and Lowe’s. You probably would not have an issue with any of their products they sell.
I should’ve bookmarked the video because this guy clearly likes quartz. i’ll try to find it.
So unlike granite, which is stone from the Earth, there will be variables in the manufacturing and quality of quartz countertops, just like any manufactured product.
So once again, as we compare the two products, we cannot give a blanket statement of durability if one purchases a lesser quality quartz product, where durability of granite is what it is and will be much the same product to product around the world.
I want to stress my post is not intended for anything else than what I just stated which makes perfect sense with any manufactured product coming from dozens and dozens of different sources. It's only right in that case when comparing the two - Quartz vs Granite to know the manufacturer of the Quartz product. Granite is made by Mother Earth. At this point I bet dozens or hundreds of companies produce quartz and they can use different chemicals and different contents to mix in and different methods to make the product yet only one method is known to be the best.
and that new home you just bought, did the builder tell you who made the quartz countertop? Of course not and with builders, sometimes cost of materials are a consideration, like ALL the time.
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GON
$100 Site Donor 2024
I remodeled two kitchens over the past twenty years, using granite both times. First time Uba Tuba, second time absolute black.
I learned that absolute black, which is typically mined from India, is near indestructible. Super strong. But other types of granite do not have anywhere near the hardness of absolute black. So added that to a new lesson learned, not all granite is of the same strength or durability.
Currently we are in a temporary rental home as I am looking nationwide for a new job, and a new home. This home has granite kitchen countertops, and they are nice and "work well". Of note, the rental home is in a 55 and older community.
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We like white too but that doesnt mean it's right for everyone and income doesnt matter, not sure why the reference. Anything can look dated including fixtures and cabinets over time.
Time over the decades has proven manufactured products like Quartz is not immune from that and might be less reliable since literally hundreds of different styles can be manufactured that will appeal to any one buyer at that point in time. Almost like what year did you choose that color paint on your wall. Well why is quartz given a free ride when it comes to style without mentioning out of the hundreds of styles which one we are talking about?
Some like the idea of genuine products as natural. True, we do not have true hardwood floors but the cost is not the same between real hardwood and laminate as it is with quartz and granite.
You can bet I am saying this because there is no mention of which companies making the Quartz here in the forum AND not even in the videos products are being compared as all quartz products are not the same. Granite is rock Quartz can vary among manufacturers, but should all be reliable if using the one industry standard process but cheaper ones do not.
We feel white is timeless, our last kitchen was Cherrywood stained. It was great 16 years ago and white was out, thing is over the decades Cherrywood comes and goes just as white comes and goes. At that time white kitchen cabinets ABSOLUTELY looked outdated to us, now 16 years later we love them.
Current home, just took the photo, the bathroom tile is more white than the photo shows and it's a manufactured builder countertop. I left it out of the photo because it's morning and doesnt look like a show piece. Kitchen not to neat as wife just finished breakfast so. limited what is seen too... *LOL*
I am sure god willing, in 16 years this kitchen will look dated too... for the next big thing, dont think that quartz will be any more different than what color people painted their walls 16 years later, there will be good choices of quartz colors and bad choices that buyers may or may not like, just like granite. . (good conversation is all this is meant to be Ill look for that video)
Some might hate it and it possible it can all look out dated in 10 years, that goes for any product. Doesnt matter, my wife and I absolutely love it today.
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This is pretty balanced and interesting ... just high lights there can be a difference. I would suggest the public has no clue what their production builder is putting into your production home or the production home you are buying.
Another balanced video, this one is a comparison test of the two, and yes, quartz can stain, burn and quartz can break just as an example. Both surfaces score great on scratching. It will surprise some to know that Granite was stronger then Quartz when a sledgehammer was dropped on it. Both products can chip, quartz is not superior to granite.
Another balanced video, this one is a comparison test of the two, and yes, quartz can stain, burn and quartz can break just as an example. Both surfaces score great on scratching. It will surprise some to know that Granite was stronger then Quartz when a sledgehammer was dropped on it. Both products can chip, quartz is not superior to granite.
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If you're worried about granite porosity, don't. I applied a sealer as soon as they were installed, and I reapply it about once a year, and I've never had a stain from anything. I may be wasting my time, as I never actually tested to see if it would stain, but some neighbors of ours have some similar granite in their house, and if you sit a wet glass or can down on it, when you lift it up, there's a dark ring. I didn't want to ever see that, so I just sealed it immediately. Both materials will serve just about the same purposes. I'd say they're interchangeable if quartz can tolerate kitchen knives and hot saucepans as well as granite. I love defrosting things on mine. 
Yes, when wet an unsealed granite will get dark until it dries again, left unsealed after repeated times you can bet it will stain if it's something other than water with color in it I would think.If you're worried about granite porosity, don't. I applied a sealer as soon as they were installed, and I reapply it about once a year, and I've never had a stain from anything. I may be wasting my time, as I never actually tested to see if it would stain, but some neighbors of ours have some similar granite in their house, and if you sit a wet glass or can down on it, when you lift it up, there's a dark ring. I didn't want to ever see that, so I just sealed it immediately. Both materials will serve just about the same purposes. I'd say they're interchangeable if quartz can tolerate kitchen knives and hot saucepans as well as granite. I love defrosting things on mine.
If you're sealing every year you may want to look into this. Based on the recommendation of our construction manager we used an oil based sealer. We will see, but claims of 20 year seal, I figure I will do it maybe 5 to 10 years. Anyway, it's easy to tell once a sealer is finished working
The product I used after researching for days on the internet is posted below. Keep in mind why this may not apply to some people is being its oil based, the process takes about 48 hours to dry and it smells as you would expect oil based to smell. Yet the product says 20 years, I say I would do it 5 to 8 years for the heck of it and hopefully enough of my life left to age to do it a few times (gulp)
One other thing that many do not know (for those reading not you) Is granite is available pre-sealed with a lifetime guarantee against staining as mentioned in the videos I posted above. I personally dont care. Just like some car makers say you dont need to wax your car, I would anyway I suppose but the bottom line is no production builder is going to use this stuff anyway and we buy production homes.
I posted this product before but realize it's impossible to read through all these posts. I REALLY enjoyed doing this so much, I did my tiles in my bathrooms too. It's really just wipe on, wait 3 to 5 minutes, wipe off excess. Let dry up to 48 hours, really that simple. This product highly rated by a granite place online and also some others forgot which ones.
BTW- Quartz can stain too but definitely less so and this company does sell a spray on sealer for quartz.
Miracle Sealants 32 oz. 511 Impregnator Penetrating Sealer 511QT6D - The Home Depot
Miracle Sealants 32 oz. 511 Impregnator Penetrating Sealer is designed to seal and protect medium to dense porous surfaces, including natural stone, tile, slate, ceramic, quartz and grout. Premium surface
www.homedepot.com
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It's all personal tastes we all understand that. For me-while looking "clean" white looks "too institutional "for me.
I went with white cabinets and a warm white quartz countertop when I remodeled a couple of years ago. White can definitely be too cold, I used brushed gold hardware, fixtures, and the floor is a light oak hardwood so that balances out the cold white with some warmth while still feeling clean.
GON
$100 Site Donor 2024
Consider a deep cleaning first. Even better, consider hiring a professional granite guy to rejuvenate the granite, then seal. Depending on the condition of the granite, you might be azed at the possible new life the granite may have.
Anyone ready for a laugh?
My parents- say no more- in their 90 in California did a complete house rebuild a little while back
They chose Formica.
Nice home otherwise in an exclusive hill neighborhood
It was NOT a cost saving issue
SMH!
My parents- say no more- in their 90 in California did a complete house rebuild a little while back
They chose Formica.
Nice home otherwise in an exclusive hill neighborhood
It was NOT a cost saving issue
SMH!
