The Natural Choice: Quartz vs. Granite Worktops for your London Kitchen

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Meeting Granite Worktops London

Granite is a massive magmatic rock, formed at great depth in the earth. Granite is made of very small crystals of quartz, feldspar, mica, and other black tones minerals. For this reason, it can be found in a large variety of colors. Granite is mined from the rock in slabs, so each of them is unique, in colors and patterns. It can be gray, brown, or some earth tones, as well as other colors like peach red, light blue, pink, or green. In terms of finishings, they can be matte, glossy, natural, polished or unpolished, glazed, or antiqued. Its usability varies a lot, from kitchen granite worktops London to paving stones, basins, stairs, the exterior of buildings, and other monuments.

Meeting Quartz Worktops London

Quartz is a byproduct stone made of natural quartz crystals and other minerals, pigments, bound together by an epoxydic resin. This is the reason why it is also called “engineered stone”. Because of that, quartz slabs can be controlled in appearance, in color and the models are more uniform. It is a reason why some people find it more elegant and sophisticated. But this is a matter of taste, both quartz and granite are high premium rocks. The colors can vary a lot from light to dark tones. Being a byproduct, it is UV sensitive, so quartz is recommended to be used in the interior, for kitchen quartz worktops, and washbasins. It is also thermosensitive, after 150°C, it can suffer some damage.

Maintenance: Having Happy Granite or Quartz Worktops in London

Maintaining your kitchen worktop is not necessary a complicated operation, but you should consider some indications. First of all, granite worktops and quartz worktops London have different necessities, because of their composition. Granite is a more porous material, so it has special needs in respect of sealing, impermeabilization, and cleaning. It is indicated to use only professional products for its maintenance. You should also pay attention to the stone’s finishing because some products are recommended for matte finishing and some others for glossy finishing. Because of its porous consistency, it can be susceptible to the infiltration of bacteria, so this is a more reason to protect it regularly with professional products.

What it concerns quartz, there are no special treatments for it. The resin it contains is sealing it strongly and this represents an advantage in its maintenance because it is easier to clean and it does not imply other treatment. It can be cleaned with a medium acid cleaning substance, but not with high abrasive ones.

Durability: A Long-Lasting Friendship

Talking about the durability of these two stones, granite and quartz, quartz is the winner here. It is much stronger, and not disposed to cracking. Thanks to the resin from its composition, quartz is less susceptible to the infiltrations of bacteria and its durability is higher than granite. It is also resistant to scratches and spots. Its sensitivity refers to the sun rays and sudden temperature changes, as well as at very high temperatures.

Granite, even it is as well considered among the hard stones, again its porous consistency makes it predisposed to cracks or scratches. But its UV resistance is a big point, so it can be used in exteriors or on direct sun rays’ action. Also, high temperature is not a factor to be concerned about because granite is very resistant.

Both stones are guaranteed for more than 30 years, and with the usage of professional maintenance, they can reach even 50 years of life.

 Costs and Value

The value of an apartment where granite or quartz are used has been proven to be greater than those apartments where some other materials are used, like wood or ceramics. They are considered premium materials, not only for the initial costs but installation and maintenance costs. Comparing costs per square meter, in granite and quartz, doesn’t seem to observe a big difference, prices are between 80 $ and 140 $ for quartz and between 80 $ to 175 $ for granite. This big range is due to multiple factors, the first of them is the transportation (it may come overseas). The finishings are also a factor for the price to vary a lot.

Myths and Stories: True or False

Some myths about why not to use granite worktops London are related to some random emissions. But the most recent studies have proved that this is a myth, there’s no random emission from granite or it is in a neglected quantity. There’s been also some rumors about the toxicity of resins, but these were also informed by the scientific field.

Ecofriendly: Go Green

It is always important to take into consideration protecting nature, and to do that, is recommended to choose a material that comes not very far from your home, so the emissions from the fuel are little. You can also come up with new ideas for recycling stones, in order not to end up throwing them. Granite requires the usage of mining machines, and no other procedure, quartz, instead, requires a making process using quartz crystals, pigments, and resins. It involves energy consumption for this kind of machine.

Conclusion

In terms of high-quality materials, granite and quartz are both a good choice and will give your London kitchen worktop a very elegant aspect. If you prefer a more natural and unique look, you can choose granite, but if you are into a modernist style, quartz is a very good choice. The discussion about durability is also a factor to take into consideration, granite being a porous material is more likely to crack but more resistant to high temperatures, while quartz is more resistant but sensitive to high temperatures and the sun rays exposure.

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