[Debfrommaine]

Thinking about granite for the kitchen counters and bath - I like quartz, hubby likes granite. Realize one is a natural product and other is man-made, have had both but........can't decide. Your opinion please.......and thanks.

[Cynbod]

Originally Posted by Debfrommaine

Thinking about granite for the kitchen counters and bath - I like quartz, hubby likes granite. Realize one is a natural product and other is man-made, have had both but........can't decide. Your opinion please.......and thanks.

May I inquire why you like quartz over granite. I have granite in my home in Brooklyn and I love it, however, for the house in TV I have been considering quartz. I have seen some beautiful guartz counters, but I am not sure.

[hdh1470]

Quartz,only surface approved for food industry.But will cost more.

[jimbo2012]

A few facts
One complicating factor is that we are not comparing just two materials. We are comparing three: quartz vs. engineered granite vs. slab granite. Due to the manufacturing process, quartz countertops and engineered granite counters are closely akin. Slab granite stands alone as the one material quarried directly from the ground.

Quartz vs. Granite: Radon
Radon in granite and quartz countertops is a contentious issue, and like pricing, one with shifting parameters. Radon is a radioactive gas that has been linked to lung cancer. Radon can be found in granite and quartz.

Consumer Reports indicates that a scientist found "almost no radon" in the engineered stones, and very little coming from the granite.

Quartz vs. Granite: Stone or Not?
If your only concern is whether or not your counters are 100% stone, this is pretty much a tie. Granite can come in the engineered stone version, but quartz is always engineered. What does "engineered" mean?

Prominent quartz countertop maker CaesarStone notes that 93% natural quartz aggregates are mixed with the remaining 7% of color pigments and polymer resins. The resins are there to bind the particles together. Engineered granite is made in much the same way. However, since a 100% version of granite (slab granite) is available, the balance shifts to granite.

[Debfrommaine]

Originally Posted by Cynbod

May I inquire why you like quartz over granite. I have granite in my home in Brooklyn and I love it, however, for the house in TV I have been considering quartz. I have seen some beautiful guartz counters, but I am not sure.

I had quartz in one house and felt it was easier to care for and clean. The granite I had a few years ago would tend to streak - then I heard food stains can occur more with granite, but not sure how true that is. Both are beautiful, as you mentioned.

[keithwand]

Had Zodiac quartz in our new Orlando spec built home in 2004 and while we liked it we would have preferred granite which we now have throughout in TV.

[getdul981]

We have had both. Quartz in our home in VA and now we have granite here in TV. We would have preferred to have granite here, but it was a spec home and we had no choice at the time. The quartz needs minimal maintenance and is very hard to chip or break. Granite on the other hand is very easy to chip and break and needs to be sealed periodocially. I have heard of granite having radon, but have never heard of quartz having radon before this thread. Also, the reason granite needs to be sealed is that it is pourous and the reason quartz doesn't is that it is not pourous.

[l2ridehd]

One is a natural material, one is man made. I personally like the beauty that is inherent in the natural stone with granite. No two slabs are ever the same. Something that is not possible with any man made mass produced product. Both are great products and it is more a personal choice then anything else.To me quartz is pretty, nice to look at, granite is beautiful. Might be slightly more care, however with the granite wipes out today, still very easy to care for.

And the radon issue is not an issue. Radon problem occur where you have huge 100's of feet thick granite ledges under ground and the radio active content in them seeps out and up as a gas. Takes 1000's of years and has only been known as an issue for about 50 years. Does a 1 inch thick slab of granite have radon? Probably yes. Can you measure it? No. If a home has a radon problem it occurs because of where the home sits, not because you have granite in your kitchen.

[BmoreGal]

I vote for Silestone.

I have it my current home, as well as my past home.

Looked at granite, but decided on Silestone. Same coloring as granit, same cost, but IMHO a better choice for me.

Silestone is as hard as granite, but does not need to be sealed, Will not stain, and wipes up easily. I use anti-bacterial wipes to clean.

No fuss, no mess

[jane032657]

I chose granite because I wanted intense color so I got exotic granite Verde Fucoco/Fire Red. Not too much other deep thinking went into it.

[Sleeper]

We just had our design meeting 2 weeks ago....chose quartz because we liked the black with grey/green color mix...we were told only granite choice was whole slab. They schedule you for a granite shop visit to pick out your exact piece. Think quartz was a little cheaper.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by jane032657

I chose granite because I wanted intense color so I got exotic granite Verde Fucoco/Fire Red. Not too much other deep thinking went into it.

Jane, can you post a picture?

[terrieb]

We installed Quartz in our home in Ohio. It was a toss up between Quartz and Granite. Whereas it is a little more expensive, you do not have to seal it like you do Granite, it is not prone to bacteria, and the colors are awesome. You clean it with a wet rag. I love it. I would highly recommend the Quartz. It is more durable against chips than Granite....so we were told.

[jane032657]

Originally Posted by Barefoot

Jane, can you post a picture?

\

Sure here it is. We did wide backsplash, Kitchen Island top and all three sides, as well as side near dishwasher, along with both bathrooms and kitchen counter. There are three pictures attached, please let me know if you cannot open them, thanks.

[JC and John]

Originally Posted by Debfrommaine

Thinking about granite for the kitchen counters and bath - I like quartz, hubby likes granite. Realize one is a natural product and other is man-made, have had both but........can't decide. Your opinion please.......and thanks.

We chose Zodiac during the design process as I did not see any granite that I liked. Had granite back in VA and was nice but needed extra care and over time areas of the countertop where I did most of my work got darker despite my cleaning and sealing efforts. Loving the Zodiac. It is easier to care for and streak free unlike the black granite in our rental CYV. Put HD Wilsonart laminant in the baths and clean up is a dream and looks great.