Quartz worktops

Welcome to quartz worktops HQ, your online resource for all things relating to granite and quartz worktops. We hope to answer any questions your may have. Building this site around the things you are actually looking for. When you have finished please let us know if this site has been useful and what other things you’re looking you want to know. The ecommerce site will be coming shortly and we want to build it around what our customers want.

A word about quartz

Quartz is one of the most abundant minerals on the planet and also has a reputation for being one of the toughest, if you take a look at the mohs scale used to judge the hardness of minerals, it rates 7/10, diamonds are 10/10. This alone should give you confidence in the practicalities such a hard wearing surface can bring.

About quartz worktops

You may or may not have heard of quartz worktops before, traditionally giving way to the more popular granite worktops. As customers become savvier the tides are turning and there has been a massive surge in popularity for the product.

What is a quartz worktop?

A quartz worktop is a man-made alternative to graphite, composed of approximately 93% quartz mixed with polymer resins that give unparalleled strength and durability. This type of engineered quartz can have 4 times the flexibility strength of granite, also achieving much more versatility.

What are the main benefits of quartz worktops?

The benefits are many, for one, because it’s man-made the process can be changed to allow for many different styles and colours, this can be of the upmost importance to a customer when designing a new kitchen. There are literally 100`s of colours and styles to choose from depending on the effect your trying to achieve.

What has to be the main selling points of a quartz worktop is its durability; the kitchen can be quite a destructive place for many a kitchen worktop, quartz worktops on the other hand are made from one of the hardest materials on earth, this combined with the way the quartz is processed produces a worktop that is scratch resistant, heat resistant and stain resistant, and one of the most non-porous worktops on the market, which means you will never have to worry about any spills being absorbed in to the worktop and creating bacteria, unlike granite. Some manufacturers even add their own additional antibacterial properties while manufacturing. The main things you need to be aware of are.

• Massively heat resistant when compared to other surfaces, although it’s not advisable to place hot pans directly on the surface.
• Scratch resistant, designed to withstand almost anything thing that may cause a scratch in the kitchen.
• Stain resistant, because the surface is designed to be non porous any stains or spillages will not absorb in to the surface thereby potentially creating a mark and bacteria.
• Low maintenance, doesn’t need sealing and doesn’t need to be maintained frequently.
• Stunning appearance, the great thing about quartz worktops is that you can have a variety of colours and styles, such as mirrored flecks (that will give you’re a sort of 3d appearance) without losing that natural materials feel.
• Easy to mold and shape, it’s quite likely that your worktop won’t be an exact rectangle. Using quartz you can custom shape the work surface in your designs and have it produced with minimal effort by the manufacturer.
• The price, when compared to granite it is usually slightly cheaper although it’s always recommended you go for value for money rather than the cheapest, there are only a few manufacturers with truly great reputations in the field.

 

 

What is are the main difference between quartz and granite?

Quartz and granite countertops are currently the 2 most popular types of worktops available today, when put head to head with quartz, granite has a more natural feel, granite is often called natures artwork and no 2 pieces will look the same adding to its uniqueness and beauty.

The downside to granite

If your basing the whole kitchen look on one granite sample you have acquired you may be disappointed. As its hard to predict exactly what the finished product will look like due to granite veins etc. It’s also porous which means in theory it could absorb stains and create bacteria You will need to periodically seal the work surface to combat this. On average  granite is also more expensive than quartz.

If you are looking for the most natural look in your work surface then granite will give you a beautiful, natural work of art. If however you’re looking for a contemporary, hardworking, low maintenance work surface that you can engineer to your particular colour and shape requirements, then quartz worktops are by far the best option.

So what is the price of a quartz work surface?

The price of the surface is usually worked out per square ft x the thickness; usually about 20mm to 30mm. Prices can range from £50 to £100 per sq ft.

The price will also depend on a few different variables such as the style, some quartz tops are made to look similar to granite for example and cost extra. The style of the edge can also affect price.

It is very important you do your homework on the type of product you are getting when you start costing things up, double check any figures you get and if something seems too cheap dig a little further just to make sure. The most popular brands are Silstone, Cambria and Caesarstone most reputable dealers should stock these brands.

Making sure you get a quality product

Unfortunately the market in general isn’t the most regulated and many customers can end up with a sub-standard product if they aren’t careful. That said there are some things you can do you to help stop such an incident happening to you.

• 1. Get a sample, most reputable dealers will be happy to give you a sample if they are confident in the product.
• Find out if they have their own production facility, if this is the case the company is more than likely the real deal.
• If it sounds too cheap it’s usually for a reason, make sure you dig deeper as to why it’s so cheap.

As long as you are vigilant when choosing your supplier then quartz worktops are likely to last you a lifetime, such is the durability of the product.