rock onshould you spec granite in your next kitchen or counter with quartz?

Source: residential architect Magazine

Publication date: 2005-09-01

Granite is one of the most prized counter-top materials, the ultimate status and style symbol in the kitchen. And with good reason—it's water-, heat-, and scratch-resistant; durable; and virtually maintenance free. It's a rich, lustrous natural material that upgrades the look of the whole kitchen. But manufacturers claim their latest foray into man-made stone, quartz surfacing, tops even granite in both aesthetics and function.

A relatively young category, quartz surfacing is a manufactured product that contains 93 percent natural quartz and 7 percent resins and pigments. By comparison, granite contains about 50 percent quartz, which is one of the reasons makers say quartz surfacing is more durable and scratch-resistant. “Only three other natural minerals—diamond, sapphire, and topaz—are harder than quartz,” touts the Web site of Stafford, Texas–based Cosentino USA, which produces Silestone quartz.

Just how scratch-resistant is the stuff? A favorite marketing quip is that a slip of the knife will hurt your Henckels but not your countertop.

star performer

Companies say quartz aggregate improves upon granite in a number of ways. For one thing, unlike granite, the product has no fissures. This consistent surface makes it non-porous and less likely to harbor bacteria. Sealing granite guards against absorption, but the material requires periodic resealing to keep it food-safe. Quartz surfacing, in contrast, requires no sealers. Quartz's impenetrable surface also makes it highly resistant to stains and the etching effect of acidic liquids such as wine, lemon juice, and vinegar.

In addition to quartz's performance benefits, the manufacturing process enables companies to mimic other, even more troublesome natural countertop materials, such as limestone, which is very soft and prone to scratching, and concrete, which is porous.

For those consumers who are not fans of the shiny look, quartz manufacturers offer a limited number of honed finishes. Quartz is also available in vibrant hues that Mother Nature has neglected to provide, including bold and iridescent reds, yellows, and blues.

Kieran Liebl, principal of Royal Oaks Design in Shoreview, Minn., first encountered quartz a few years ago but was less than moved by manufacturer performance claims. He is now a convert. “I am really impressed with it,” the architectural designer says. According to Liebl, the product has proved durable, waterproof, and highly resistant to staining. “The maintenance is no different from granite,” Liebl says.

Apparently, the rest of the world is catching on too. “Quartz is now the fastest-growing segment of the countertop surfacing category,” says Valerie A. Aunet, marketing manager for the residential builder division of Wilmington, Del.–based DuPont, whose quartz surface is called Zodiaq. Cambria, in Le Sueur, Minn., supports the claim as well. Between the years 2000 and 2002, the company says, quartz surfacing sales grew more than 2,000 percent, or from a 0.3 percent market share to a 9 percent share.

The material has several sources in addition to Cosentino, DuPont, and Cambria, including Cincinnati-based Formica; Caesar-Stone in Sun Valley, Calif.; Korean conglomerate LG; Italian manufacturer Seieffe Corp.; and Houston-based U.S. Stone. All manufacturers use virtually the same quartz–resin composition, and their fabrication processes are essentially the same. But color and pattern availability differs from company to company.

naturally controversial

So who's buying quartz and exactly why are they buying it? Chris Wicki, director of Select Design Studio in Plano, Texas, says her firm's clients usually want a product with the performance of granite and the color and consistency of a manufactured product. “Some people are searching for a specific look,” she says. “A countertop may look different from the granite sample once it's fabricated, so the consistent color of quartz works better with their overall scheme.”

While manufacturers play up the benefits of a consistent product, purists say this is the main reason they avoid quartz altogether. “Granite is just more natural-looking,” says Jeff Sheiner, co-owner of The Granite Shop in Smyrna, Ga., who has an obvious bias. “Quartz doesn't have the natural depth.”

Alexandria, Va., architect Charles Moore, AIA, concedes more positive attributes to quartz, but he, too, is turned off by its uniformity and lack of visual interest. Ultimately, the architect, who's known for his high-end remodels of old houses, finds stone-look quartz products unconvincing. “For us, the materials are seen as an imitation, so we prefer to use the real thing,” says the principal of Moore Architects. A material that tries to imitate another product draws more attention to itself, underlining the fact that the client couldn't afford the real thing, he concludes.

But manufacturers contend that the material's true strength is its ability to assume unique looks. “Quartz is competitive with the hard, shiny look of granite, but it offers more colors,” says Aunet. This gives consumers the option of choosing bold reds, concretelike grays, and bright yellows and blues. Moore agrees that the ability to take on a bold look is the product's main advantage. “Almost everybody will ask for [real] stone, but every now and then someone will ask for blue Silestone,” he says. “When someone asks for a funky color, then that's a better argument for quartz.”

As noted above, quartz colors, patterns, and finishes vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Formica produces 16 colors, Cambria sells 28, and DuPont offers 33. CaesarStone's 40 and Cosentino's 49 are the most in the industry. Caesar-Stone offers several outlandish hues, such as apple martini and tequila sunrise, plus six honed finishes. Cosentino also has bright colors, as well as products with Microban antimicrobial protection and a new finish that simulates the look and feel of leather (see “Solid Ground”).

Cosentino public relations manager Gina Covell says the company's 10 manufacturing lines allow for more colors and finishes. “We also offer vanity tops, integrated sinks, and backsplashes,” she says.

Contrary to popular assumption, quartz is not necessarily cheaper than stone. In fact, with the widespread availability of lower-priced granite from a number of different countries, including the United States, quartz is frequently more expensive. Prices range from $50 to $85 a square foot, compared with $39 for some of the budget granites. “Buyers always expect [quartz] to be cheaper, but it's not,” says Wicki.

The Granite Shop's Sheiner also counters companies' claims that quartz is substantially easier to maintain than his wares. Granite is not that susceptible to staining and only requires resealing every two years, he says. “Sealing is really simple: Spray on the sealer and wipe it down with a cloth.”

Still, the force of quartz's popularity and acceptance, and the options and benefits it offers your clients, cannot be ignored. The product, manufacturers say, is harder than granite, consistent from slab to slab, and never requires sealing. With these advantages, it's a solid alternative to stone.