Granite Vs Quartz

18 August, 2016

Cedric Mattock

Owner & Managing Director

Quartz

and granite are two of the toughest natural materials on the planet making them the most practical and widely used materials for work surfaces. In fact, granite often contains quartz. So what are the differences between granite and quartz? Are granite kitchen worktops better than quartz? Do quartz tiles do better in wet environments? Which should you choose for your home?

Natural Vs Engineered Stone

When it comes to interior design, particularly worktops, tiles and floors, the main difference between granite and quartz is the origin story of the stone.

Granite

is a 100% natural stone formed over thousands of years. While quartz itself is found in nature, quartz worktops are man-made typically containing about 93% quartz with the rest containing polymer resins and colour pigments for binding.

Materials such as Silestone and Quarella are known as engineered or processed stones. Particles of quartz are bound together with small amounts of resin, creating a tough yet beautiful stone.

Granite

and

Quartz

Comparions

Key differences between

Granite

and

Quartz

include:

	Granite	Quartz
Natural stone	100.00%	90-97%
Sealed	X	√
Heat resistant	√	√
Stain resistant	Sealing recommended	√
Waterproof	Sealing recommended	√
Scratch and cut resistant	√	√
Food safe	Sealing recommended	√
Available in tiles	√	√
Suitable for kitchen worktops	√	√
Suitable for bathrooms	√	√
Suitable for outdoors	Sealing suggested	√
Looks like	Distinctive visible grains common	Wide range of patterns available from marble-like veining to star-speckled to glass-like
Easy to match?	Natural variation across slabs even from the same quarry	Texture and colours are consistent through multiple batches
Most common colour	Grey	White
Colours available	Black, blue, brown, green, grey, pink, red, white, yellow	Almost every colour imaginable from pillar box red through delicate cream to night black.
Unusual features	One of the toughest natural substances	Doesn’t need sealing

Why quartz is often more affordable than granite

To create a granite worktop, a slab must be hewn out intact and then cut to fit the exact shapes. There’s a significant amount of wastage in the process, particularly as granite can vary in colour and texture within a quarry, so if you need multiple slabs you want them to be adjacent. In addition, granite is enormously heavy and difficult to transport, so the trip from quarry to stone worker to home adds a cost.

Quartz

worktop manufacturers, such as Quarella or Samsung, create slabs of the right size without wastage. Transportation is typically more affordable as well, and matching isn’t a problem as each colourway is consistent. That said, some quartz worktops are complex and expensive to create, while some granite is very affordable. If you’ve got your heart set on one or the other, visit our showroom and we’ll show you all the options so you can make an informed decision yourself.

Choosing

Quartz

or

Granite

For practicality there is little to separate the two materials either. Many believe that quartz is more durable but it is by no means invincible. Like granite it is only resistant to heat and scratches and care must be taken when using chemicals and certain food products.

Granite

can be used outside whereas quartz cannot as exposure to the sun damages the polymer resins.

Both quartz and granite are non-porous and therefore resistant to bacteria. They do both however need cleaning to keep them completely safe. Some types of engineered quartz have anti-bacterial coating as standard to provide additional protection. It is down to preference whether this is viewed as a benefit or a risk to health depending on individual opinions of pesticides.