Granite Countertop vs Quartz Countertop – You’re looking for a kitchen remodeling job and wish to renew the countertops. After some research, you want to get either a quartz or granite countertop. But, it seems difficult to select one. Which one should it be?
Let’s compare both of these and decide the right one for you!
Quartz countertops have been used in different places for a long and they’re a mixture of man-made resins and quartz. These are highly susceptible to heat-related damage compared to granite but they’re quite less likely to get stained.
Granite is a natural stone that requires having a sealer applied once a year but it doesn’t cost more than quartz. Let’s look at the benefits and drawbacks of both these styles and decide the ideal one:
Quartz Countertops Pros and Cons
Quartz Countertops Pros
Similar to the granite ones you get many advantages and drawbacks as well with the quartz countertop varieties. Let’s discuss them in brief!
- It’s easy to find many colors and patterns for quartz countertops. This offers you the availability of a variety of options for colors and monotone textures.
- Most homeowners get inspired to purchase quartz after knowing the fact that they don’t need to get into maintenance works. Among the best benefits of quartz, it doesn’t require sealing and it is completely stainless.
- Quartz countertops are known to easily handle coffee, wine, tomato, juice, and other types of stains from products. Also, quartz countertops don’t hold bacteria and viruses for long so you’re assured that cleaning the countertop is simple.
- People don’t easily believe the fact that quartz is heftier compared to granite. While looking at the one that easily chips, quartz is available as the flexible one. Also, it is stronger among the two.
Cons of Quartz Countertops
- Similar to granite, quartz seams are quite obvious. When selecting the dark quartz for the countertops it is likely that the seam doesn’t show. This provides you with a clean and contemporary appearance. When the selected quartz has colors or patterns, hiding seams can be trickier.
- Compared to the granite countertop quartz is a little bit more on the artificial side. Currently, Cambria is the most natural-looking option for quartz countertops.
Pros and Cons of Granite Countertops
Pros of Granite
- Granite slabs are distinctive in appearance as they are mind as single, slabs with 100% natural stones. All sheets are different with granite.
- Many granite colors are available in jumbo slab sizes for use on large island cabinetry. It is a business as you don’t have to put any unsightly seam in the kitchen center. Anyone having a spacious kitchen or large island should have granite for avoiding seams.
- A variety of color/shade options is available for granite slabs. Most of these are striking and magnificent. Imperfections in granite are considered to be the reason behind its beauty
- Granite countertops are known to blend well with the walls, cabinets, and floors of your kitchen.
- It is possible to use granite outdoors. Being natural mineral granite can easily withstand environmental elements.
- With professional sealing, granite countertops don’t soak liquids and they are resistant to stains.
Cons of Granite
- When you’re replacing large countertops, you would require different slabs for finishing the job and it wouldn’t be possible to make join seams invisible. With the help of a professional, you can make inconspicuous cuts while making seam color corresponding with the granite.
- Granite material is absorbent. If the granite countertop doesn’t get sealed properly, it can result in oil, win, and juice absorption which forms a stain that you can’t easily get rid of. Additionally, wrongly sealed granite can also host bacteria.
- Chipping or cracking is possible with a large force from heavy kitchen equipment.
- With too many variations and tones, some people wouldn’t like the available variations. Recently monotone countertop colors have gained popularity which can limit granite used for contemporary kitchens.
Comparing Granite and Quartz countertop prices
Granite countertops are the cheaper option compared to quartz. The entry-level granite costs around $40 for a square foot, but the quartz is available at only $70. The higher-end granite costs around $200 for each square foot. On the other hand, the quartz countertop variant costs around $175.
It isn’t a matter of doubt, that with any of these products, you’ll need to spend a lot. For one 28 sq. ft. counter made through quartz, you’ll need a budget of around $2000 – $3000. We’ve got a little bit more details to provide you a much better estimate.
In a lot of these cases, you might end up paying lesser for the granite. The prices might vary depending on where it is available and also how rare is the stone. However, since quartz competes directly with granite countertops for more than a decade, granite price has significantly declined and quartz manufacturers spiked the process.
Granite Countertop vs Quartz Countertop – Conclusion
As most people are looking for remodeling the house interiors only once, doing it in the right way is essential. Also, people don’t want to spend much time and money on maintenance. Homeowners wish to make a long-lasting impression on everyone who visits the kitchen.
When going for the purchase decision, there really isn’t any right or wrong choice. What you want is just a matter of personal preferences. To sum it up you’ll need to pay more for quartz, but most likely the cost difference wouldn’t be much for average kitchens.
The most important thing is to select a budget and try to get the most suitable option out of it.