Granite vs Quartz Countertops

Granite countertops and Quartz countertops are two the biggest names in the kitchen countertop world as they are both extremely famous and widespread materials that are especially popular in contemporary times due to their high-quality looks and notable durability. So, it is not hard to imagine that you may end up in a pickle being forced to choose between these two. After all each one has its own unique advantages and disadvantages, and choosing the wrong material for your countertop could result in a very unpleasant experience given the sheer cost and amount of effort taken to install a countertop of either variety. If you happen to find yourself in a position where you’re unable to decide which of these two countertops is the right one for you, our ultimate guide on Granite vs Quartz will help you out as we have taken note of all the major characteristics of both materials and compiled a guide to help you make your decision.  

 

What is Granite? 

Granite is a very hard natural igneous rock that’s found in quarries all over the world, and it has been for construction purposes for a very long period of time. Granite used to be considered a high-end luxury material for the much of the twentieth century, but ever since the past decades, due to new deposits being discovered as well as improved extraction and technology, granite has become a much more abundant material. It is so popular in fact that around 29% of all homeowners in the United States have opted for it as their choice of material for their kitchen countertop which makes it one of the most widely used of all kitchen countertop materials. Granite has become this popular due to a number of its qualities including its appearance and durability which are two of the most important reasons for its fame. Granite is a very good choice of material for use in a kitchen countertop since it is extremely durable in addition to being very beautiful. 

 

What is Quartz?  

 

 Quartz is a largely engineered mineral that consists of a mixture of a small amount of natural quartz that’s intermixed with a number of other materials. Quartz is a relatively new construction material if you compare it with marble and granite, but it is by far the single most popular choice for kitchen countertops due to its numerous strengths such as its natural durability, temperature resistance, and the fact that it’s available in a nearly infinite variety of colors. In the U.S quartz occupies around 51% of the market for kitchen countertops which makes it the single most popular choice amongst U.S homeowners. Therefore, quartz can be an absolutely brilliant choice for you to make since it is very durable, very resistant to damage, non-porous, available in a wide diversity of colors and styles.  

Granite vs Quartz: Which Looks Better? 

 

Granite 

Granite, being a natural mineral can be available in a number of different colors and textures with several different varieties and appearances. Since Granite is a composition of several different materials rather than being a single homogenous mineral the exact proportions of mica, quartz, and potassium found within it are responsible for determining its appearances. The most famous types of granite are found in shades of white, black, pink, and blue with Alaska White Granite and Black Peal Leather Granite being the most famous out of all the varieties used for kitchen countertops. Overall, though, granite is a very beautiful looking stone that has been recognized since early antiquity for its wide diversity of appearance and unique practicality for use as a construction material. You can be very sure that your granite countertop will look extremely stunning in any kitchen.   

 

Quartz 

Quartz is an engineered product unlike granite and is made to mimic many natural stones like marble or granite. While you can’t really request your own custom formulation, quartz can be engineered and manufactured to suit any kind of appearance or texture that’s desired by individual consumers. Hence, quartz can functionally have an unlimited degree of variation and diversity which makes it very different from natural minerals such as granite whose color and texture are shaped and determined by natural processes.  

 

Quartz is also available from several major brands and each of those brands has their own grading system that correspond to their individual costs. 

 

Granite vs Quartz: Which One is Harder?  

Hardness is one of the most important qualities in a kitchen countertop material since you will want your countertop to be strong enough that it is not easily damaged from having heavy objects placed on top of it. So, you should definitely consider and compare the hardness of the materials you want to choose from.  

 

As for quartz and granite, they have a moh scale of mineral hardness rankings of 7 and 6 respectively (a 1 in the moh scale of mineral hardness is an extremely soft material while a 10 is an extremely hard material). At 6 and 7 respectively, quartz and granite are two of the hardest of all materials used to produce kitchen countertops with quartz being the comparatively harder of the two. However, the difference in hardness between the two is relatively negligible as they are extremely close in the ranking.  

 

Having either quartz or a granite countertop means that it’s very unlikely that your countertop will be easily damaged, chipped, or scratched. However, if you are fully convinced that need to obtain the hardest possible material, quartz is clearly the winner when it comes to hardness.  

 

Granite vs Quartz: What do they cost?  

 

Kitchen countertops are not cheap, and for many homeowners nowadays cost is one of the biggest concerns understandably, so it is very important to look at the relative cost of different materials that you’re choosing from.  

 

When it comes to cost, both granite and quartz are considered to be competitive as neither one costs as much as some materials like onyx. The exact variety and grade of quartz or granite that you purchase will dictate the exact cost of the material with wide differences in cost in both materials.  

 

Generally speaking, however, in the Orlando, Florida you can expect to purchase a common variety of granite for between $40 and $85 per square foot with the more expensive varieties reaching upwards of between $60 and $100. Exotic granites do exist and those can cost several tens of thousands per slab. 

  

The price of quartz in Orlando, Florida can range between $28 to $100 per square foot depending on the grade of quartz chosen with First choice Quartz costing between $70 and $100 per square foot.  

 

We aren’t taking into consideration the exotic varieties of granite which can cost tens of thousands per slab, but generally speaking the cost of granite countertops is going to be lower than quartz.  

 

So, if your overall goal is to reduce costs by as much as possible, opting for a cheaper grade of quartz is probably the better option for you, but the overall difference between the two materials is extremely minimal in terms of cost.  

 

Granite vs Quartz: Which is More Heat Resistant? 

 

Heat Resistant is a very important concern because the kitchen is an area of the house that experiences very hot temperatures due to various cooking methods. So, one of the most important concerns for homeowners is to adopt a material that is heat resistant enough to meet their specific kitchen needs.  

 

Both quartz and granite are very heat-resistant materials in general but when it comes to kitchen countertops made of either material, both quartz and granite can be very easily damaged if exposed to high temperatures. The reason for this is that quartz contains binding agents such as resin that can be damaged by heat whereas granite can experience heat damage in the form of its sealant being burned or damaged since it is not typically heat resistant.  

 

You cannot place a hot pot or pan on either material without the use of a trivet since both surfaces will be damaged through direct exposure to hot pots and pans. Overall, both materials perform the same with respect to heat resistance and neither one really has an advantage over the other.  

 

If heat resistance is a very major concern for you, you can be sure that both granite and quartz perform relatively well when it comes to mitigating heat damage, but neither one has a competitive advantage above the other with respect to heat resistance.  

 

Granite vs Quartz: Weaknesses 

 

Both Quartz and Granite are very durable materials that are known for being long-lasting and difficult to damage. Nevertheless, neither material is fully indestructible so each one has its own weaknesses. 

 

Granite and Quartz can both be damaged by exposure to high temperatures since some of the elements contained within each one is susceptible to being damaged by intense heat.  

Granite is porous while quartz is not, so granite can suffer from spills and stains while quartz is more stain resistant. Both are, however, vulnerable to abrasive cleaners such as ammonia, Windex, vinegar, and bleach.  

 

Quartz has the advantage of not being nearly as susceptible to being stained as granite is, but for the most part, the weaknesses of both materials are extremely similar, add both have a similar degree of durability. So overall, the differences between quartz and granite in terms of their weaknesses are insignificant enough to not be a major factor in impacting your decision.  

 

Granite vs Quartz: Maintenance  

 

Maintenance cost and effort is another absolutely vital concern for any homeowner since you will naturally want your countertop to look as good twenty years from now how it looks today. In that quartz has a clear advantage over granite since the former virtually has no maintenance costs while the latter does.  

 

Both materials are vulnerable to common household abrasive cleaners, so neither can be cleaned using bleach, ammonia, Windex, or vinegar. As such, both materials can be cleaned using only a damp cloth and some warm water. The cleaning process is, therefore, the same for both of these materials.  

 

Granite needs to be re-sealed annually which incurs a maintenance cost, while quartz does not require any maintenance at all since it is a non-porous material and does not require re-sealing or any other maintenance costs.  

 

It can therefore be seen that with respect to maintenance, quartz has an absolute advantage over granite as in almost no circumstances will you need to actually have to invest any money in maintaining your quartz countertop.  

 

If reducing maintenance costs is a major concern for you, as it is for many homeowners, then you would be best served by opting for a quartz countertop since they virtually require no maintenance whatsoever, but you should also know that compared to materials other than quartz, such as marble, granite is considered a relatively low maintenance option, so it is not as if granite requires a very high maintenance expense.  

 

Quartz vs Granite: The Verdict  

Both Quartz and Granite have their advantages, with quartz seeming to outperform granite by a number of metrics. Cost is always a major concern and granite is the clear victor there. Both materials rank extremely close on hardness and are very similar in terms of their weaknesses and cleaning needs. The greatest advantage that quartz has though is its lack of need for maintenance and its non porous nature.