macksenmom I hear quartz is the better of the two. Apparantly it doesn't stain and needs no upkeep the way granite does. We are in the market for new countertops as well and we'll probably go with quartz.
Urbana ~ Designer Ellen Crystal both are excellent durable materials. It all depends on the look you wish.
Granite has a wider variety of dynamic colours & patterns although Cambria is catching up.
Granite does not have the almost plain, solid colour more common to quartz like a plain white, cream or grey.
both are machined in a similar fashion. Granite has a sealer to protect the surface. if water beads on the surface it is still working. if not, will need refreshing (like waxing your car) with a special stone cleaner & sealer.
both can Undermount sinks. Both are sensitive to extreme heat.
Go to a stone fabricator with your door sample & see which harmonizes. You;ll either gravitate toward the smaller plain patterns or the more dynamic ones. Then it comes down to colour palettes. Which you find more harmonious with your overall colour scheem.
Alicia Paley Home Interiors Both are excellent choices and are well suited to many different styles. Both can be fabricated with the same edging, and quartz countertops have come a long way in the last few years. There are beautiful choices out these days, and Cambria provides some of the best choices. The best thing that consumers like about quartz countertops is that they do not need to be sealed like granite or marble do, but they still provide a beautiful, natural look. - Good luck with your project!
Marlene Oliphant Designs LLC Granite is one of a kind in terms of patterns, and prices have dropped. Check out whole slabs in a granite yard to get the full effect of the pattern. I find quartz patterns boring, they still cannot do better than Mother nature!
Dezign Studio Inc Depends what features you are looking for in your c.top. If budget is no concern than quartz is the best choice . It is the strongest c.top, is mold and mildew resistant . Microban® antimicrobial protection is infused into 100% of Silestone natural quartz countertops to help prevent the growth of stain causing bacteria. check
http://www.microban.com/partners/partners/detail.aspx?id=7af42ef6-e110-44fd-b2ff-0bdbd6ce5b1c
William Roy Designer Kitchens You will get good performance out of both in most situations. As a designer I really can't answer the question as I'm all about the form / look in which case I'm going to pick what looks the best. You have other options as well such as recycled glass, paper, poly product, etc. that give good performance and offer great colors / tectures, etc. Cheers. William Roy
DIAspoton they're both wonderful. granite can now be sealed with a 15 yr warranted product so that issue is gone. i just don't think you can beat the beauty and depth of color of an exceptional slab of high end granite.
having quartz on the counters and granite on the island is a stunning mix.
Poggenpohl Atlanta As my predecessors mentioned, granite versus quartz can be a style and lifestyle choice. If you want flow in your countertop, go with granite. If you want a solid color or a controlled "pattern", go with a quartz composite. If you have no time or inclination to seal your countertop periodically, go with the quartz composite. Both are extremely strong and durable; the main mineral component of granite is quartz so there you go. The price point is going to be similar, not counting exotic granites. I tend to favor Silestone.
The properties of quartz and granite are similar. Both are stain-, scratch-, and heat resistant; however, care should still be exercised with either material. As others have mentioned, granite does have to be sealed periodically--approximately every year or so depending on your color. It only takes about 15-20 minutes depending on the size of your kitchen. Simply wipe the sealer on with a rag, let it sit overnight, then clean it off with your stone cleaner in the morning.
Quartz tends to be more expensive than granite overall, unless if you love some of the more exotic stone colors. If you prefer less pattern and movement, quartz may be better for you. If you like the movement found in natural stone, then I would go for granite. Look into both options.
Terri Williams Consider the environment. Granite is not a renewable resource. Silestone uses pieces of quartz combined with polymers. And quartz is the most widely available stone. Plus, Silestone is really durable and low maintenance.
William Roy Designer Kitchens Don't worry about the Quartz Brand as much as the color. It's about the look. As for granite, you can not replicate Gods work with Faux finishes. Me? I have both in my kitchen.
Norm Walters Construction Inc. Here are links to two charts showing the porosity of different types of granite. The water absorption number is the one you want to look at, the lower the number the less porous it is. Also notice that some stones referred to as granites are actually not granite but other geological formations.
Holly Glaser Hi Terry,
Granite is renewable, it is being made all the time as magma cools deep below the surface. As a geologist I feel compelled to point this out,
Perhaps you mean that a unique granite source can be mined out?
There are recycled glass counters - modern - that use recycled glass and are a plus for sustainability; the surface is hard and the counter is translucent. The only problem is that recycled glass counters are wickedly expensive.
MHA Home Services Consider the environment ? Sillestone and other composite materials are primarily made of chemical polymers such as PVC or PVC type chemicals of various types. The by products of their production along with the enormous amount of petroleum products required to produce the chemicals and then the process to produce the end product is anything but environmentally friendly. Natural stone is in the continual state of natural production...no man made fuels required to produce it only to harvest it.
cherimitchell I have granite but, except for the cost, prefer quartz! I have black granite with gold flakes. It shows smears from damp dishcloths. Never buy marble for a surface that may get wet. It permanently spots.
Note: PVC is not a component of Quartz. The material from most manufactures is ~93% quartz crystal, ground & sourced from the mining industry. The material would likely end up in land fills. The remaining components are resin and dyes. Either acrylic or polyester and similar in composition to the resins used in filling our teeth so quite inert. The quartz, resin & dyes are mixed together in proportion to create the various patterns and colourways. Some would be formulated, ground again & then re-suspended to create the complex colours. The mixture has the consistency of cookie dough. It is then subjected to high pressure presses/tables. Once hardened, the surfaces are ground & polished or etched depending upon the pattern. As a result there are unusual colours and textures available that are not naturally occuring.
Granite is a combination of feldspar, quartz, mica. Formed metaphorically, is subject to high heat & pressures from geologic activity on our earth. Due to the minerals and action of a particular area, a stone can be so unique its not found anywhere else on the planet. Once a quarry has been mined, it is closed & unless a similar formation is found, may never be repeated. Due to its nature, a piece of stone could be similar to others from its "block", much like a loaf of bread. It is always important to buy the stone necessary all at the same time from the same block, or it can be very difficult to match.
Both are fabricated in a similar fashion with stone cutting tools & CNC equipment. Because granite and marble are conglomerates, they sometime require mesh reinforcing to hold the divergent stones together. These are typically the more dramatic stones. This factor can limit the overhangs possible for bars etc without necessary support corbels.
other than that.. it pretty much comes down to the look.
onthefence Not quite accurate reef. According to all sites I've seen on granite, they generally say "in some instances, extreme temperature change can cause a crack of fissure". Certainly I haven't seen ALL websites on the material but this seems to be the generally accepted disclaimer.
onthefence reefpender, I have no doubt that you do. If you still have any kind of warranty or informational paperwork on your granite though, take a look. I'm betting you won't see 'heat proof' anywhere in the warranty.
Urbana ~ Designer Ellen Crystal exactly "onthefence" heat can crack either one or pop a nodule of quartz or other occlusion. Common sense dictates day to day maintenance & use
Norm Walters Construction Inc. urbana, quartz will actually burn, not crack, as far as popping a nodule, definately an interesting description of something I haven't heard of before. When quartz first came on the market it was basically handed to granite fabricators to fabricate. They were unfamiliar with the material, most of them didn't like it at first because they would burn it with their saws and other equipment. Once they realized they had to run their tools at a lower speeds as not to "burn" the resin in the quartz it was fine. Believe it or not there are still some die hard granite fabricators that refuse to fabricate quartz, (old dog, new tricks)
Granite has a wider variety of dynamic colours & patterns although Cambria is catching up.
Granite does not have the almost plain, solid colour more common to quartz like a plain white, cream or grey.
both are machined in a similar fashion. Granite has a sealer to protect the surface. if water beads on the surface it is still working. if not, will need refreshing (like waxing your car) with a special stone cleaner & sealer.
both can Undermount sinks. Both are sensitive to extreme heat.
Go to a stone fabricator with your door sample & see which harmonizes. You;ll either gravitate toward the smaller plain patterns or the more dynamic ones. Then it comes down to colour palettes. Which you find more harmonious with your overall colour scheem.
http://www.microban.com/partners/partners/detail.aspx?id=7af42ef6-e110-44fd-b2ff-0bdbd6ce5b1c
having quartz on the counters and granite on the island is a stunning mix.
The properties of quartz and granite are similar. Both are stain-, scratch-, and heat resistant; however, care should still be exercised with either material. As others have mentioned, granite does have to be sealed periodically--approximately every year or so depending on your color. It only takes about 15-20 minutes depending on the size of your kitchen. Simply wipe the sealer on with a rag, let it sit overnight, then clean it off with your stone cleaner in the morning.
Quartz tends to be more expensive than granite overall, unless if you love some of the more exotic stone colors. If you prefer less pattern and movement, quartz may be better for you. If you like the movement found in natural stone, then I would go for granite. Look into both options.
Plus, Silestone is really durable and low maintenance.
Zodiaq by Dupont
Silestone by Consentino
Cambria
Hanstone by Hanwasurfaces
Viatera by LG surfaces
Radianz by Samsung
Ceasarstone
http://www.findstone.com/daniel2.htm
http://www.findstone.com/daniel3.htm
Granite is renewable, it is being made all the time as magma cools deep below the surface. As a geologist I feel compelled to point this out,
Perhaps you mean that a unique granite source can be mined out?
There are recycled glass counters - modern - that use recycled glass and are a plus for sustainability; the surface is hard and the counter is translucent. The only problem is that recycled glass counters are wickedly expensive.
Note: PVC is not a component of Quartz. The material from most manufactures is ~93% quartz crystal, ground & sourced from the mining industry. The material would likely end up in land fills. The remaining components are resin and dyes. Either acrylic or polyester and similar in composition to the resins used in filling our teeth so quite inert. The quartz, resin & dyes are mixed together in proportion to create the various patterns and colourways. Some would be formulated, ground again & then re-suspended to create the complex colours. The mixture has the consistency of cookie dough. It is then subjected to high pressure presses/tables. Once hardened, the surfaces are ground & polished or etched depending upon the pattern. As a result there are unusual colours and textures available that are not naturally occuring.
Granite is a combination of feldspar, quartz, mica. Formed metaphorically, is subject to high heat & pressures from geologic activity on our earth. Due to the minerals and action of a particular area, a stone can be so unique its not found anywhere else on the planet. Once a quarry has been mined, it is closed & unless a similar formation is found, may never be repeated. Due to its nature, a piece of stone could be similar to others from its "block", much like a loaf of bread. It is always important to buy the stone necessary all at the same time from the same block, or it can be very difficult to match.
Both are fabricated in a similar fashion with stone cutting tools & CNC equipment. Because granite and marble are conglomerates, they sometime require mesh reinforcing to hold the divergent stones together. These are typically the more dramatic stones. This factor can limit the overhangs possible for bars etc without necessary support corbels.
other than that.. it pretty much comes down to the look.
There really is no one perfect material.