Quartz Countertops: Pros and Cons
Quartz agglomerate has taken a strong position among the materials that are used in the design of home and office interiors, so we propose in this article to evaluate all the pros and cons of quartz countertops, because it is used most often for their manufacture.
The material consists of approximately 95% natural stone, the remaining 5% is polyester resins and a coloring pigment (usually 2%), which makes it possible to achieve strength and an attractive appearance. This artificial stone is in fact natural, in no way inferior to natural samples, and sometimes significantly surpassing them in terms of performance.
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When choosing, you should pay attention to the manufacturer of quartz plates. The most famous of them (Caesarstone, Limestone, Silestone, Cambria) strictly follow the production technology, the percentage of quartz (up to 96–97%), which allows to achieve the highest strength.
To date, the catalogs contain slabs with glossy and matte surfaces, with a rough structure. The drawing can imitate natural stone, wood, monophonic options of various colors are popular.
Sheets of quartz are produced mainly with a thickness of 12, 13, 15, 20, 30 mm. Slabs 12, 13, 15 mm are suitable for wall panels, facing steps and fireplaces. For work surfaces, it is most often recommended to purchase products from slabs with a thickness of 20–30 mm, since a smaller thickness will not provide sufficient strength to a countertop that does not lie on a solid base. In addition, the visible thickness of the table top of 20 mm or more allows you to decorate the table top with a curly edge.
If it is necessary to increase the visible thickness of the product, it can be increased by gluing another layer of stone. When designing a kitchen, the weight of the stone must be taken into account. A square meter 20 mm thick weighs 52 kg, 30 mm thick — already 78 kg (the weight of different manufacturers may vary, but slightly).
Quartz countertops are suitable for kitchen and bathroom, bedroom and living room. However, seemingly universal material has not only advantages, but also disadvantages. And since the material is not the cheapest, it is worth considering everything when choosing. Let’s start with the advantages of quartz countertops.
Pros of Quartz Countertops
Mostly quartz is used in kitchens and bathrooms countertops, where the countertop is constantly involved, it is exploited very actively. The kitchen is one of the most problematic rooms in the house, as it is hot in it, often the humidity rises significantly, chemically active substances are used, therefore, increased requirements are placed on the materials used for it. The same can be said about the bathroom. Surfaces made of quartz agglomerate solve many problems.
Quartz is hard, which is achieved primarily by the use of Breton technology, which allows you to combine hard quartz crumbs back into stone, giving even more exceptional performance. Therefore, countertops made of artificial stone — unlike natural ones — are practically not afraid of mechanical damage, chips and scratches rarely appear on them — unless you hit it with a sledgehammer on purpose. Also, quartz countertops are not prone to cracking, they cannot dry out or swell from moisture, and are not subject to deformation processes. Thanks to these properties, the products retain their original appearance for decades.
Now let’s pay attention to what is important for kitchens. Quartz countertops for the kitchen are good for a number of parameters:
Thermal resistance. They are not afraid of high temperatures and temperature changes, withstand exposure up to 280 ° C. A pot or kettle removed from the fire, even if they are immediately placed on a quartz countertop, will not harm it: it will not leave stains or deform. However, this applies only to homogeneous work surfaces: if there are decorative inclusions from other materials, it is impossible to put hot dishes categorically.
Moisture resistance. Quartz countertop does not absorb moisture and dirt, it does not leave stains from water, wine, tea and coffee, juices. This is due to the absence of pores and microcracks inside the material. In terms of moisture resistance, quartz surpasses even granite.
Resistance to mechanical damage allows you to cut products directly on the countertop, while the appearance will not suffer, and the kitchen will remain as elegant as it was.
The quartz worktop allows you to install an undermount sink (as well as any other configuration) or order a sink from the same material, achieving unity of design.
It is easy to increase the work surface — you can order a window sill from the same material, making it flush with the countertop. This is a practical and stylish solution for the kitchen. Aprons for kitchen sets are also made from agglomerate, it is beautiful and allows you to further simplify cleaning. At the same time with the countertop, you can order a quartz plinth, which, unlike plastic, will not melt when the hob is close.
Ease of maintenance. For light soiling, a soft cloth dampened with soapy water is sufficient. You can also use any non-abrasive detergents if necessary to remove old stains or grease.
Quartz countertops for the bathroom are no less suitable than for the kitchen. Moisture resistance, ease of maintenance and resistance to aggressive chemicals are also important here. In addition, due to the dense structure, mold and fungus do not live on quartz, which is especially important in rooms with high humidity, it does not absorb or retain odors. Products made of quartz agglomerate do not cause allergies, they do not emit anything into the atmosphere even when heated, and they cannot harm people and pets. Unlike natural granite, quartz does not create a radiation background.
An important advantage of countertops is the variety of quartz color palette. Pigment and other decorative inclusions allow you to achieve a complete resemblance to natural stone — marble, granite, and create a bright modern color scheme. The pattern and texture of the countertop depends not only on the color, but also on the size of the quartz chips; larger inclusions create a unique pattern. Please note: the simpler the drawing, the cheaper the product, the more complex the texture, the more expensive. At the same time, the production of quartz agglomerate is very stable: if the product consists of several sheets — slabs, they do not need to be matched to each other when purchasing material from one batch, they will be exactly the same. Inside the agglomerate has the same pattern as on the surface, it is completely homogeneous. This is important, because on the ends of the tabletop there is a pattern, or lack of it, are very clearly visible. The patterned edge creates the full feeling of natural stone.
Cons of Quartz Countertops
Speaking about the pros and cons of quartz countertops for kitchens and bathrooms, do not forget that agglomerate:
Cold to the touch, which is sometimes unpleasant.
It is difficult to process, the manufacture of products is impossible in a handicraft way, since the process requires special stone-cutting and grinding equipment and professional training of craftsmen. With a complex configuration of the product, for example, the presence of a figured edge, the price of the finished worktop immediately increases.
Seams may be visible on the countertop, depending on the design. As a rule, the larger the drawing, the more noticeable the inconsistency of the drawing. The least noticeable seam is in colorful designs with a small pattern.
Quartz is practically not amenable to restoration, therefore, in case of large damage, for example, large chips, cracks, which sometimes appear during prolonged exposure to high temperatures, a complete or partial replacement of the countertop will be required.
With direct exposure to sunlight for a long time, the surface may burn out, this usually does not happen, but such a property of the agglomerate as the fear of ultraviolet radiation should be taken into account when planning a kitchen on the sunny side of the apartment.
Installation of a quartz countertop must be carried out by specialists. It can also be considered a disadvantage that you can order a quartz countertop only after installing the kitchen, since even the slightest error in size must be avoided.
The disadvantages of quartz countertops include the high cost of agglomerate and its processing compared to chipboard, wood or acrylic stone. If the advantage of a countertop made of quartz agglomerate is the ability to choose the type of edge (from simple to complex curly), then the disadvantage is the complete impossibility of ordering a bent product. Not all design solutions can be implemented using quartz. The problem also arises for those who love matte surfaces. They are quite possible for quartz, but the choice is less than, for example, porcelain stoneware.
After analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of the material, we can safely say that the positive qualities of quartz agglomerate clearly outweigh it, since neither natural stone (beautiful, but far from always practical and very expensive) can compare with it in terms of strength, durability, beauty and practicality at the same time (beautiful, but not always practical and very expensive) , no acrylic. The tabletop will delight the whole family for many years.