Granite or Quartz? Here’s What You Should Know
In kitchen design, the hero of any space is most often kitchen benchtops. Choosing the right benchtop material for your Sydney kitchen that looks beautiful, feels durable and fits within your budget can be tricky. Especially given current trends of stunning, natural Carrara marble.
Getting the look and feel of a stone kitchen benchtop has never been easier and more cost-effective than now, thanks to the seemingly endless budget-friendly options that include granite and quartz to elevate your kitchen design.
When renovating or building your home, a common question that probably occurred to you was ‘what is the most suitable type of stone for kitchen benchtops?’. Price is an important factor when choosing, but you also need to consider the characteristics of the place when choosing between granite and quartz.
They’re naturally hardy
Granite is cut in its natural state and then polished for use in homes. Naturally resilient, granite is a strong material that is scratch and heatproof. Reddish and darker shades are more resistant and durable, while the lighter ones are less resistant and more porous. Granite’s durability, strength and impermeability make it ideal for outdoor use.
Quartz benchtops are also fabricated out of their naturally occurring state. Quartz is one of the hardest minerals, and is non-porous, making it a suitable choice for kitchen benchtops.
They’re easy to maintain
Quartz is non-porous, giving it antibacterial qualities, which helps to keep the kitchen in perfect condition. Quartz is very easy to clean and maintain. The maintenance of the stone must be done daily using only water and neutral detergent. This also means quartz benchtops do not require sealing.
Granite requires slightly more maintenance than quartz to prevent staining due to the nature of the material. Maintenance and care involve wiping it down with warm soapy water. Beware of oil stains, soft drinks and other liquids on granite, because, unlike water that evaporates over time, these substances penetrate the pores of the material unless it has been properly sealed.
They’re naturally beautiful
Granite forms in a number of beautiful, natural shades. You can design your kitchen around your benchtop, or you can choose one to complement the kitchen design choices you’ve made. Depending on their mineral composition, granites usually come in pink, white and grey tones.
Quartz colour options are seemingly endless, with natural white, black and brown tones available, or for those with different tastes, there are also stunning gold and blue options.
Quartz benchtops can make a stunning statement in your kitchen, and can also be the quiet achiever of the overall design, depending on which hue you choose. One of the main features of the quartz benchtop is its lack of porosity, resulting in a completely smooth installation with a uniform and homogeneous finish.
Now that you know a little more about the differences and similarities between granite and quartz, you can make a safe choice and leave your home even more beautiful and stylish using granite or quartz. It is important to keep those two options as they are great solutions when thinking of the best materials for a germ-free kitchen.
We have a team of kitchen experts that can help you in your decision. Contact us today to speak with one of our consultants.
