A brief rundown of quartz and granite

Granite countertops are quarried naturally from the earth as enormous chunks of stone.

Click image for a closer look.

After they leave the quarry they are cut and polished into the familiar countertop shape.

Quartz countertops contain crushed quartz mixed with resin in a ratio of 93% quartz to 7% resin. They are manufactured in a variety of different patterns and colors.

An in-depth look at the pros and cons of quartz

As with granite, quartz countertops also have their own sets of drawbacks and benefits that go along with them.

1. Quartz countertops are just as strong as granite but have the added benefit of being more flexible. This makes them easier to work with during the installation process.
2. Quartz is non-porous and does not require any sealing – ever. These stones offer a virtually no-maintenance material solution for countertops.
3. These counters are also very durable but they cannot be considered indestructible either. They are stain-resistant as well so dropping a glass of wine on them simply requires a quick cleanup.
4. One drawback that you should definitely take note of is these counters can discolor over time when exposed to direct sunlight. If you have a part of your counter that receives some of the UV rays from the sun while another part doesn’t, over time you may see a color difference.
5. These countertops need to be professionally installed and quartz is even heavier than granite.
6. You can expect to see seams with a quartz counter but they will be less visible if you choose a slab that’s darker in color. As well, the seams are easier to hide when you choose quartz because the counter has been colored and manufactured. If you buy a quartz countertop in a solid color, it’s much easier to hide the seam to a certain extent.

With granite, the natural veins and colors in the stone will never allow the seams to appear less visible.