Still undecided which worktop material to go for? Here are some essential factors to help you determine whether you should get granite or quartz worktop for your home:
Colour
Granite worktops possess a natural beauty and a mixture of hues that give it a stunning colour palette. Replicating its natural look has been almost impossible to do during the past years, but the advanced natural quartz worktops now offer elegant designs with an outstanding visual appeal.
With an extensive range of colours, high-quality quartz worktops come in all shades of the rainbow which allows you to find the perfect colour that will suit your design scheme.
Scratches
Quartz is one of the earth’s strongest minerals so it’s almost completely resistant to scratch. However, granite isn’t much different. Try chopping on a granite or quartz worktop and you’re more likely to blunt your kitchen knife than scratch the surface.
Breaks
Neither granite nor quartz is invulnerable to certain damages, no matter how durable they may be. If you drop heavy objects on the worktop, like a hammer, for example; it will most likely chip or break.
Burns
While both granite and quartz are heroes in the kitchen, quartz surfaces have resin added into its mixture. This means extreme heat can cause certain damages to quartz.
On the other hand, granite worktops are heat-resistant and do not burn easily, but placing a hot pot or pan may leave a mark on its surface. Not to worry though, those burn marks can be easily treated with water and some mild soap.
Stains
Unlike granite stones, quartz worktops are non-porous which makes them almost impossible to stain. Nevertheless, we highly advise that you clean up spills straight away so you would not have to deal with any caked on stains.
Granite surfaces are more vulnerable to staining and can absorb liquids if the seal has begun to wear off. However, the more polished the surface is, the more stain resistant it will be. Granite worktops with matte finish are not ideal for kitchens especially if they are very light in colour, as they can easily absorb liquids. Although stain removers are widely available, some of them may not be able to remove stains that have been absorbed into the stone.
Hygiene
Since highly-polished worktop surfaces are stain resistant, moulds and bacteria don’t have a chance to get settled in. This makes quartz worktop a remarkably hygienic surface. In fact, quartz is considered to be as hygienic as stainless steel.
Maintenance
To clean both granite and quartz, all you need is a mixture of warm water and a small amount of non-abrasive cleaner, or even a simple water and vinegar solution. Remember that bleaches and strong chemicals will definitely damage your worktop, whether its granite or quartz, so better keep these things away from the worktop.
To keep looking its best, a granite worktop will need to be cleaned off and wiped dry after each use. Meanwhile, a good quality quartz surface is almost maintenance-free.
Whichever worktop surface you may choose, both quartz and granite will grant you a lifetime of service in the kitchen as long as you give them the care they deserve.
