Three reasons to choose quartz for your worktops

Quartz is fast becoming as popular as granite when it comes to kitchen and bathroom worktops and countertops. Both have their own particular strengths, ensuring whatever stone the consumer opts for delivers a sturdy worktop, but quartz has a wealth of qualities that ensures it can stand side-by-side with the ever-popular granite tops.

Strength

While granite is used in its natural form from the quarry, quartz is engineered and developed with other materials to be used for worktop purposes. By combining over 90 per cent quartz (the amount depends on the manufacturer) with various resins and pigments, manufacturers can create a material resembling natural quartz but create a level of strength needed for application in the bathroom and kitchen.

The result is a strong, durable worktop that registers at 7 on the Mohs hardness scale; only diamond, topaz and sapphire are harder than quartz. Due to the stone’s strength, it is also unlikely the top will receive damage during installation or transportation. In addition, scratches are a common problem on natural stone worktops but the hardness of quartz ensures scratches are a thing of the past.

Non-porous

As part of the engineering process, quartz is bound together with stain-resistant polymers. Consequently, quartz worktops are classed as non-porous, ensuring they are not permeable to water, air or other fluids. This is especially helpful in the kitchen where oils, acids and all kinds of fluids have the potential to cause some serious stains.

Quartz’s non-porous nature means maintenance – as well as hygiene – is a non-issue. The stone’s resistance to moisture and liquids ensures buyers will get a hassle-free worktop and a product that boasts antibacterial properties, making it the perfect fit for a bathroom or kitchen.

Colour

Matching décor is an essential part of any bathroom or kitchen. Opting for a rustic, old-style kitchen but placing a sizeable slab of black granite in the centre as a countertop can disrupt the room’s feel and aura.

As a result, it pays to opt for a stone that comes in a variety of colours and shades. Enter quartz: one of the most consistent stones in terms of colour and appearance. Pure quartz is colours and transparent but other varieties like amethyst, citrine, rose quartz and smoky quartz exhibit bright and bold colours on the spectrum. Furthermore thanks to engineering, quartz worktops can be manufactured in a variety of colours, matching any décor a homeowner desires.

These are just three out of a wealth of reasons why quartz is an ideal worktop material. That’s not to say granite is a poor choice; granite boasts advantages that quartz cannot deliver. However for strength and maintenance, quartz is unparalleled; perhaps that is why it is becoming the worktop stone of choice for many consumers.