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Anyone have Quartz kitchen worktops - are they practical?

Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
in The potting shed
I'm having a new kitchen and am rather taken with quartz for the worktops.
I just wondered if any of the folk here have quartz worktops and what they think of them.
Any views much appreciated
Thanks

Billericay - Essex

Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
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Posts

  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    We went for Silestone which looks and feels like proper polished granite or quartz - but without any of the flaws or unexpected veining which can occur in a natural stone.

    For years I was going to have a proper granite worktop. Then I went to see a friend who had just had a granite worktop fitted. There was a vein running from the corner of the sink which looked for all the world like a big crack. The company wouldn’t replace the worktop because it was a natural feature in the stone - it was just unfortunately placed for her kitchen worktop layout.
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    I have a granite worktop. It has a join in it because it is over 3m. It screams at me every time I look at it. I tend to disguise it by sticking a big bowl of fruit over it.  My brother has corian with a right angle in it. The join is practically invisible. My friend has quartz. You have to be careful with certain cleaners  if they are acidic.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    fidgetbones said:
    .... My friend has quartz. You have to be careful with certain cleaners  if they are acidic.
    Even lemon juice can cause a problem ... apparently. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Quartz worktops are manufactured from ground quartz with added bonding and colouring materials, so you shouldn’t have problems with wayward veins and colour matching lengths at corners, but no matter how skilfully its joined with colour matched grout, there will always be a line at a join.

    Quartz is slightly more heat sensitive than granite, so don’t bang down a hot pan straight from the stove and put a heat diffuser pad under any appliances like coffee machines.

    Topgirl, it sounds as if your friend was sold a duff piece, the kitchen planner should have viewed the stone in advance and made sure it worked for the layout and your friend should have refused to have it fitted and withheld payment until it was rectified. I always go to the stone supplier and choose my own, usually on an industrial estate in the middle of nowhere! If thats not feasible ask to see a photo of the piece before its cut. 

    Mine is polished black granite with sparkly bits in that looks a bit quartzy. It is a b*gger to keep clean and needs regular buffing with a soft cloth, but any shiny surface is, so a glossy quartz would need the same. 

    Both quartz and granite are less sensitive to food or acid stains than marble or wood. 

    Hope that helps, Pete.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    edited March 2019
    I always fancied granite but in our old house we had free standing kitchen units which I would occasionally re-shuffle so granite would have been an expensive mistake.   For this house we needed a new kitchen and we looked at quartz but then decided to order the whole thing, bespoke form a local kitchen company and they said no, ceramic is better.

    Hard wearing, doesn't scratch, no "grain", just needs a wipe with a soapy cloth to clean it, various colours available so it suits many looks and styles.  Very pleased with it.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    edited March 2019
    Thank you all for your comments and views.
    I've had a look at the worktop in the showroom of the company I'm going to buy/install from. The join seam is barely visible, but it is there none the less, there will be 2 joins in my configuration - not much I can do about it though. The style is cambria carrick, there's no veining as such and it has a 'matte' finish. It's a bit like looking at concrete through swirling fog - it looks better than it sounds :)
    From what I've read quartz is good option - harder wearing than granite, never needs to be sealed and has 0% porosity.
    It's the only one I really like out of all the worktops I've been looking through with them, so I'll probably go for it.
    Any further pros and cons appreciated

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    That a good point about cleaning, fidget/dove, quartz itself is as tough as granite, but harsh cleaners, including alkalines like bleach and acids like vinegar, lemon juice and even tea react with the resins and additives and can cause permanent marks. A gentle, non-abrasive PH neutral cleaner is best.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Thanks Nollie/fb and Dove - that's useful info.
    I have done more research and it seems that quartz being non-porous will resist stains.
    As far as I can see, staining occurs on quartz if something is left on it that may react with the bonding agents in the quartz. So if red wine is spilled and wiped off  - no harm done, leave it for 24 hours and there will be a residual mark due to the acid reacting with the bonding agents. If spills are wiped off quickly they have no effect.
    Quartz is a ceramic worktop  - like Obelixx has.

    I didn't think choosing a new kitchen would be so stressful!

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Hampshire_HogHampshire_Hog Posts: 1,089
    @Pete.8 Quartz is great, we had these tops made to fit in our new kitchen they are easy to maintain and because they are man-made you can have seamless work surfaces even corners and right angles.

    Image result for quartz worktops

    "You don't stop gardening because you get old, you get old because you stop gardening." - The Hampshire Hog
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    That looks amazing HH, a very beautiful kitchen - I think my house would fit in your kitchen:)
    I think I'm sold on quartz - I'll just try an remember to be very careful with the turmeric!

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
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