6 Fantastic Reasons to Choose Quartz for Your New Countertops
Just 20 years ago, granite countertops ruled high-end kitchen remodels. Just about everyone wanted granite for their kitchen. They loved its beauty, durability and longevity. The enduring quality of granite gave it romance and value. Nothing could beat granite – until quartz came along.
Now, quartz is easily the most popular countertop material. If it’s been several decades since your last kitchen remodel, or if you’ve never remodeled before, we recommend exploring this remarkable material for your upcoming home improvement.
1. Natural Appearance
A typical slab of quartz consists of crushed stone powder and resin. The ingredients are combined and cured into a slab shape. Because it’s made from stone powder, quartz naturally looks and feels just like natural stone. It can be manufactured to mimic a variety of stone types, like granite or marble.
Once installed, it has the polished appearance and texture of any other stone countertop. Most people can’t tell the difference between quartz made to look like granite, and granite itself.
2. Durability
Durability is an important feature in any kitchen countertop, where food is cut and prepped. One of the reasons quartz is such a desirable material is because it’s incredibly hard and scratch-resistant. In fact, it’s more scratch-resistant than any other countertop material.
Although you should always make an effort to protect your counters from scratches by using cutting boards and by placing pads under your pots and pans, you’ll find your quartz counters are exceptionally durable. Quartz is significantly more scratch-resistant than soft sculpting stones like marble.
3. Longevity
Quartz lasts decades. A typical warranty for quartz countertops will cover the counter for 10 or 15 years. You can expect your quartz countertops to last at least 20 years with proper care – and probably a lot longer.
Because it’s such a long-lasting product, we recommend selecting styles with timeless, classic beauty. Look for countertops in neutral colors you’ll love for a long time, like white, gray, brown, beige or cream.
4. Low Maintenance
Most natural stones need to be sealed periodically. If they’re not sealed, they’ll absorb liquids from spills, causing stains. Stone that absorbs cooking oil will develop a clear, wet-looking stain. Countertops that absorb a dark liquid like wine will bear a dark red stain that won’t go away. To prevent this from happening, sealant is applied to fill the stone’s pores.
Quartz never needs this kind of treatment. It never needs to be sealed, because it’s not a porous material like natural stone. It won’t absorb cooking oil, wine, or any other liquid that you spill on its surface. It’s naturally stain-resistant.
In fact, the only type of maintenance that quartz countertops require is regular cleaning, to keep your cooking station sanitary and safe. Spritz your quartz countertops with stone cleaner or water mixed with a small quantity of dishwashing liquid, then wipe the countertops clean with a soft cloth.
5. Stylish
Quartz is stylish! It looks like many other types of desirable stone, which means it has the look that homeowners love. And, because quartz is manufactured instead of quarried, it’s easy to make quartz in colors that match modern kitchens. It can be made in colors like gray, cream, black, white, beige – and unusual colors, like blue, green and so on.
If you’re seeking a specific color or style of quartz for your kitchen, speak to your countertop dealer and installer to find out which options are available to you. You might be surprised by the variety, colors and styles that you can find.
6. High Value
Everyone loves quartz, including home buyers. If you’re remodeling your kitchen because you’re hoping to sell your home sometime soon, quartz is a highly desirable material that home buyers look for when they’re evaluating a home.
Quartz countertops may not be a good reason to buy a house, but they are a plus for home buyers! Quartz helps sweeten the deal for a home buyer seeking a house with a newly remodeled, fully-equipped kitchen. It’s the kind of feature that you’ll want to point out to your real estate agent as they craft the listing.
Ready to Install Quartz In Your Home? Contact Seacoast Stone
At Seacoast Stone, we sell five different lines of quartz including Cambria, QSTONE, Silestone, and Wilson Art. We carry this many choices so our customers always have options and can find the kind of stone that will look best in their kitchen.