Kitchen Worktops: granite or quartz?

Kitchen Worktops: granite or quartz? A common question with different answers.

In recent years, the variety of state-of-the-art materials for kitchen worktops has increased immensely. Alongside the most classic worktop materials like marble and granite, the choice is enormous. As a result, it is increasingly challenging to choose the most appropriate worktop surface according to different needs.

Here are the main characteristics of two of the most classic materials for any kitchen: granite and quartz.

Granite Worktops: the natural look of stone

Firstly, granite is an igneous rock with incredible looks. Second, its elemental composition is quartz, feldspar, and mica, providing superior hardness and abrasion resistance. Third, it is also fully recyclable, ecological, and easy to maintain. That is why it is an excellent option as a kitchen work surface, offering high performance daily as a critical companion for food preparation. 

In addition, hot pots and pans won’t harm your granite kitchen worktops, although they may damage the sealant applied to them. Whilst granite is harder than quartz, it isn’t as heat-resistant. Silestone, the leading quartz stone manufacturer globally, advises against placing hot objects on its engineered stone products.

Impact Resistance

It is harder than granite, and quartz has a higher breaking point, but if you drop a heavy pot on the work surface or hit a corner with a heavy ceramic bowl, it is more likely to chip. However, granite tends to break more easily than quartz, which is likely to chip. When it happens, granite’s natural patterns can disguise repairs more than with certain quartz colours, making it easier to repair.

Granite provides an environmentally friendlier kitchen worktop.

At first sight, quartz may look as if it may be more environmentally friendly than granite. We know that quartz worktops can be locally sourced and manufactured in the same area that demands them. As a matter of fact, many quartz manufacturers are inclined to boast about their use of recycled materials and their dedication to conserving water resources. But regardless of whether it is a quartz or granite worktop, we know both must be quarried somewhere. Therefore, both make an impact when it comes to using energy and resources for similar procedures. But in contrast with granite, quartz requires more energy and resources because the stone is crushed, and resins are added to glue the crushed pieces together.

But granite also has limitations, especially when it comes to aesthetics. Some granite colours and shades in the marketplace don’t always suit modern kitchens and avant-garde designs.

---

Kitchen worktops made from Quartz

Hence, a big part of the success of quartz worktops lies in the wide variety of colours and finishes that granite can’t offer. 

Kitchen worktops made from quartz. Its main drawback.

One of the main drawbacks of quartz worktops is that they are affected by continuous UV ray exposure. Therefore, not suitable for outdoor worktops. But in 2021, some leading quartz manufacturers started producing outdoor quartz worktops. For example, Caesarstone White colours from its Outdoor Collection illustrate what’s to come from the quartz surface world.

You can also get free quartz and granite samples to compare both materials from the comfort of your home.

However, although this engineered stone from a mixture of pure quartz, pigments, and resins has similar or even superior characteristics to natural granite, it has some flaws. The weak point of quartz countertops is their lower resistance to direct heat. You can quickly get around it by using a chopping board or trivet. Therefore, the dilemma comes when deciding on granite when it suits the design. Quartz kitchen worktops provide more functionality if you are willing to sacrifice a little comfort in favour of appearance.

Of course, other kitchen worktop materials exist, such as porcelain, ceramic, terrazzo, and other novel high-performance composites. These are getting increasingly popular due to technological advances that allow them to create designs that aren’t possible with either granite or quartz worktops. But we’ll talk about those another time.

If you have any queries about whether granite or quartz worktops are best for your kitchen, you can contact our team anytime.