The Differences Between Quartz and Granite Countertops

If you’re redesigning your kitchen one of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make is the material of your countertops. The two top choices are quartz and granite – but homeowners are equally divided when it comes to choosing one over the other. We’ve broken down the differences between quartz and granite so you can make the right pick for your kitchen remodel.

What is Quartz?

Quartz countertops are manufactured by using 95 percent of natural ground quartz combined with 5 percent of polymer resins. This process creates a durable slab of rock without any cracks or pores. Pigments are then added to provide unique coloration to each piece.

What is Granite?

100 percent natural, granite is a hard stone that’s mined from different quarries throughout the world. Made up of quartz, micas, and feldspar, the slabs of stone are cut down into manageable pieces which are then polished so they have a fine finish.

Difference in Appearance

One of the reasons quartz is popular is because of its appearance. Quartz looks like stone but gives homeowners the ability to customize its style and design. Selecting the right piece of quartz to match your color scheme is easier than finding granite that matches your kitchen design.

Granite also comes in different colors and patterns simply because of the way its naturally formed. It’s this natural look that makes granite a good choice when you want countertops that add a subtle and unique complement to your kitchen.

Durability 

Consider durability when choosing between quartz and granite. Quartz is a harder material than granite and is very impact resistant because it contains resin. This means it’s easy to keep your countertops free of bacteria. One of the disadvantages to quartz is that it can be damaged by heat, so you’ll need to avoid placing hot pans and pots directly onto the countertop. Cleaning quartz is easy – just wipe down with a warm cloth or wash with mild soap.

Granite is also a durable material and unlike quartz, it’s heat-resistant. The disadvantage to granite is that the majority of granite needs to be seal. Clean granite countertops daily with warm water and soap or a mild kitchen cleaner. If you choose granite, you’ll also want to reseal your countertops at least once a year to protect your investment. Repairs on Granite will be nicer than repair on quartz.

Price

In general, there are cheap and expensive quartz and granite. Prices will vary depending on colors from 60-120$ per square feet. There can be difference in price between quartz and granite, so your final decision may come down to your renovation budget. Quartz can be more affordable and more expensive, and price will depend on quality and the style of countertop edging you choose. Because of the heavy weight of quartz, you’ll want to hire a professional when it comes to installation.

Granite can be cheaper and more expensive than quartz, but you can save on some of the installation costs by doing some of the basic preliminary work yourself and leaving the main installation to a pro. It depends on the color.

Still can’t decide between quartz or granite for your kitchen countertops? Talk to the experts at Granite au Sommet for their advice and answers to all your questions about buying and installing quartz or granite in your kitchen.

Tips For Choosing Granite Countertops For Your Outdoor Kitchen

Tips For Choosing Granite Countertops For Your Outdoor Kitchen

 

An outdoor kitchen and BBQ area is a great way to make even more use of your home in the spring, summer, and fall and spend more time outside. And an outdoor area for cooking also increases the value of your home.

Building your outdoor kitchen will take some planning. You’ll need to outline the setup, including room for a BBQ, refrigerator and sink, cabinets for storage, and of course outdoor furniture. You’ll also need to decide how much countertop space you want and what type of countertop material is going to work best in an outdoor kitchen.

Selecting Your Outdoor Countertops

When choosing outdoor countertops, consider two things – durability against the outdoor elements and resistance to heat from the sun and BBQ. Opt for countertops that are easy to maintain and that look good even after a few seasons outside. 

By far the best choice for your outdoor area is granite. Other options such as tile, concrete, and natural stone just won’t stand up to outdoor use. Granite is both strong and durable and won’t fade from the sun beating down on it. It’s also much more stylish than concrete, which for years was the go-to standard for outdoor surfaces. Dekton and Laminam are also great choices but are more expensive.

Granite also won’t lose it’s shine or become etched over time, making it more cost effective than other countertop materials. After properly sealing granite, it’s also resistant to mildew, mold, and stains. 

Choosing Your Granite Countertops

Once you’ve decided that granite is the right choice for your outdoor kitchen and BBQ area, it’s time to decide on design. Granite slabs come in a variety of natural patterns and colors. Slabs come both honed and polished, with honed granite giving a softer and less glossy sheen.

Each slab of granite is unique, which can make it hard to narrow down your choice to just one. Select one that complements your outdoor kitchen and BBQ area. Good color choices for outdoors include golden browns, greens, and pale pinks. For patterns, granite with a pebbled or flecked appearance adds style and elegance to outdoor countertops.

How To Maintain Your Granite Countertops

Once installed, your granite countertops will not only be functional, they’ll also look great. The best way to clean granite is with a natural stone cleaning product or gentle dish soap, warm water, and a soft microfiber cloth.

If your outdoor kitchen area isn’t covered by an awning or roof, consider keeping countertops covered with a loose or fitted tarp when not in use. This will help to keep off dirt, leaves, and other outdoor grime so you don’t have to clean your countertops before each use. 

During the winter, if you live in a colder climate, granite will be able to withstand the winter elements. Just cover after your last use until warmer weather arrives. In the spring, when you’re ready to start cooking outdoors again, just wipe the countertops clean with warm water and mild soap.

Never use an abrasive cleaner or bleach when cleaning granite. Both can damage and dull granite and also weaken the sealant.

Contact Granite au Sommet and their knowledgeable and trained staff to answer all your questions about granite countertops for the outdoors. 

New solution to prevent stains on Marble and Quartzite

Azerocare By Antollini: Innovative New Technology for Marble and Quartzite

Marble and quartzite are beautiful to use as countertops in the kitchen, bathroom, and in outdoor cooking areas. They add an elegance and charm to any room and convey a feeling of warmth. Both are available in a variety of different colors and styles, with the natural pattern of veins throughout the stone adding uniqueness and design to any room. Marble and quartzite are also heat resistant, which makes them a good choice for the indoor or outdoor kitchen.

But there are drawbacks to using these soft, natural stones in the kitchen and bathroom – their porous softness makes them easy to damage, turning many people away from using these materials in their home. The surface is fragile and subject to stains and etching when exposed to some elements.

Now there’s an innovative and new technology that protects marble and quartzite, making them much more durable and able to withstand the wear and tear that happens to countertops. The Azerocare treatment lets homeowners use these beautiful and natural stones in kitchens and bathrooms without fear of damaging them or having to replace them in just a few years. 

Here’s what Azerocare does for marble and quartzite:

1. Stain Protection

Porous stone, such as marble and quartzite, can soak up food, drinks, and other liquids that can cause stains. This means that the beautiful marble counters in your kitchen are at risk from spills such as wine, coffee, and cooking oil and grease. With Azerocare technology, the surface becomes non-porous so it’s oil and water repellent. Food, liquids, and oils will easily wipe off, leaving no trace behind.

2. Protection From Etching

Just like some elements can cause staining in marble and quartzite, acidic foods and liquids can also be damaging to natural stone. Vinegar, lemon juice, and other acid foods can damage the surface by creating etching marks as the acid burns away at the stone. Azerocare treats the stone and protects it from etching. 

3. Protection From UV Rays

Natural stone looks great outdoors. If you’re using marble or quartzite in your outdoor kitchen, the natural stone can fade and be damaged by UV rays, causing the stone to lose it’s natural sheen. Treatment with Azerocare keeps these natural stones protected under the bright sun.

4. Maintains the beauty of natural stone

Azerocare treatments don’t change the way natural stone feels and looks. After treatment, Azerocare is undetectable on marble and quartzite without any visible difference.

5. Easy Care and Maintenance

In order to keep them looking their best, marble, quartzite, and other natural stones require special polishes and cleaners. Azerocare seals the surface with bacteriostatic properties that prevent bacteria from developing. After treatment, all that’s required for care and maintenance is mild soap and warm water.

Looking for more information about Azerocare by Antollini? Talk to the experts, such as Granite au Sommet, to learn all about Azerocare and how it’s revolutionizing the use of marble and quartzite, allowing these natural stones to be used safely throughout your home.

Quartz Or Granite For Your Kitchen Countertops?

Quartz Or Granite For Your Kitchen Countertops?

Designing your dream kitchen comes down to a lot of decisions but perhaps the biggest choice you’ll have to make is deciding between quartz or granite for your kitchen countertops. You want your kitchen to be warm, bright, and inviting. Which countertop material is going to be best when it some to design and functionality?

Here’s everything you need to know about quartz versus granite for your kitchen counters.

Quartz Countertops

Quartz is man-made and engineered from stone by-products to be used in kitchen and bathroom countertops. Quartz is just as strong and durable as granite but it’s also a little more flexible, making it less prone to cracking or chipping.

When it comes to design and colors, there is no limit. Quartz is colored using pigments so it’s available not only in natural white and gray tones but also in bright blues and greens, rose and amber, and even with a natural look of marble. This means that you’ll be able to find a quartz countertop that matches the cabinets, tiles, and walls of your kitchen.

Another reason that quartz countertop is a good choice for the kitchen is that because the slabs are manufactured, they have an even and consistent pattern throughout, making seams much less noticeable than granite countertops. 

High-quality Quartz stone is also non-porous and highly resistant to scratches and stains, so it stands up well as a work surface in your kitchen. However, keep in mind that foods or liquids that are acidic or that have a heavy dye, such as red wine, may still stain the quartz surface if not quickly wiped. Stain can be cleaned by using the right cleaning recipe.

Granite Kitchen Counters

Granite countertops are made from natural stone found in stone quarries. The stone is cut and sized into thin slabs which are then polished to a smooth finish and fabricated to be used as countertops. Granite is more porous than quartz and will require sealing when it’s installed and then periodically every year or two after that to keep it resistant to stains.  

Aesthetically, granite has a much more natural appearance than quartz. The color palate for granite will range from the neutral tones of off-white to the deeper richness of greens and blacks. Granite is ideal as a work surface in the kitchen as it resists heat, cuts, and scratches from sharp knives.

When granite countertops are installed, the seams are more noticeable than with quartz counters. If you have a large countertop area, the imperfections in granite will be more noticeable. Some homeowners like the unique and interesting look this gives to their kitchen, with the granite countertop becoming a focal point in the room. 

Budgeting for Quartz or Granite

If you still can’t decide on quartz or granite based on design and functionality, consider your budget. In some case, Granite can be slightly cheaper than quartz. But in reality, both have cheap and expensive options. If you’re choosing unusual granite colors such as quartzite, it might cost you more.

Need help deciding whether quartz or granite is the right choice for your kitchen countertops? Get in touch with Granite au Sommet – they’ll be able to give you the pros and cons of both quartz and granite and talk to you about professional installation. 

Choosing Between Marble Or Quartz For Your Bathroom Countertops

Choosing Between Marble Or Quartz For Your Bathroom Counters

You’ve finally found the time to renovate your bathroom. Now it’s time to choose the right countertop that’s going to match the rest of your bathroom décor.

There are a few things you should be looking for in a bathroom countertop – cost, design, functionality, and maintenance. Two good options are marble and quartz. Both of these countertop materials work well in bathrooms of any size.

When comparing marble and quartz, many homeowners like the classic and elegant look of marble. However, quartz is now becoming just as popular because of its beauty and long-lasting durability. Let’s take a look at some of the differences between these two countertop materials.

Marble Bathroom Counters

Marble is still a classic choice for countertops, making any bathroom look stylish and elegant. Made from natural stone, the marbling veins are unique to each slab of marble and can add an interesting look to your bathroom. Marble can be found in neutral tones all the way to shades of blue, gold, gray, green, and rose.  

Marble counters require a bit more care and maintenance than quartz countertops. Because marble is a porous material it needs to be treated with a high quality sealant in order to reduce staining. Even with a sealer, you’ll need to wipe up spills quickly, reducing the risk of stains. Be even more cautious with any acidic liquids, which can leave an etch mark on the marble if not wiped up as soon as possible. 

When cleaning marble vanities you’ll need to avoid cleaners that contain harsh chemicals. These chemicals can easily damage the surface of marble, leaving it with a dull and cloudy finish. 

Quartz Bathroom Countertops 

Made from engineered material, quartz will have the same color and pattern running throughout the countertop. It comes in a wide variety of color choices so it’s easy to match with the design of your bathroom tiling, floors, and walls. You’ll be able to find pure white quartz all the way to vivid blues and greens, as well as quartz that looks just like marble.

Quartz is durable and tough, making it ideal for the bathroom. The surface of quartz is non-porous which means that it’s resistant to heat, stains, and scratches. It’s also resistant to bacteria, mold, and mildew, making it an ideal choice for the dampness and humidity of bathrooms. Keeping quartz clean and well maintained is easy – all it requires is a mild cleaner to keep it looking new. 

How to Choose the Right Look

Making the choice between marble and quartz isn’t easy – both are good options for vanity counters in the bathroom. To help you make up your mind, take home small samples of marble and quartz to see how each looks under the bathroom lighting and against the bathroom cabinets and walls. Choose a color and design that complements the décor and fits into your budget.

When you’re ready to choose the right countertop for your bathroom, be sure to contact Granite au Sommet. They have the professional experience you need in making the right choice.   

Color Suggestions for Quartz Kitchen Countertops

Color Suggestions for Quartz Kitchen Countertops

Quartz is the number one choice for kitchen countertops – and here’s why: the nonporous surface of quartz makes it resistant to stains and it’s easy to keep clean and maintain. Because it’s carefully manufactured and engineered, quartz is available in a huge variety of styles and colors. What you see when choosing quartz for your countertops is exactly the pattern that your countertop is going to be. 

With so many options, finding the right quartz for your kitchen can be overwhelming. The versatility of so many different colors and patterns lets you create a unique look for your kitchen that’s really one of a kind. Here are some of the top color suggestions for quartz kitchen countertops:

Soft Veined Off-White Quartz

Always one of the leading choices for countertop finishes is off-white quartz that’s softly veined or flecked. This color option is good for smaller kitchens and has a natural liveliness and richness that works well when you’re looking for a fresh and contemporary style. The flecks and veins in off-white quartz are a better option than a true white countertop that can sometimes be too harsh and severe in a room that should be warm and inviting. Off-white always gives a room that feeling of sophistication, blending well with both light and dark cabinetry. Other benefits for choosing soft white quartz is that it doesn’t show every mote of dirt and dust.  

Dark Quartz

Dark and black quartz countertops are ideal if you have dark floors, dark cabinetry, and other finishes that are rich and dark. A dark countertop needs a lot of lighting to give it a sophisticated look – either natural lighting from windows or ample lighting from fixtures. If you’re looking for a softer look, choose a dark gray or medium charcoal over a pure black.

The deep richness of a dark quartz countertop brings out the subtle and warm colors of wooden kitchen cupboards, allowing you to choose other understated colors for tile backsplash or kitchen flooring. Another reason to choose dark quartz for countertops is if you have other dark or black elements in the kitchen and you want to connect the entire look together, such as if you have black appliances. 

One thing to keep in mind when choosing dark quartz for countertops is that the dark and homogenous color of very dark grey and pure black are more difficult to maintain. These deep colors can show oil marks and fingerprints that are hard to get rid of. A dark granite will always look cleaner than dark quartz because of this deepness in color.

Bold Veined Quartz

A new trend for 2019 is to choose quartz that has big, bold veins. In this case your countertop is usually the focal point of your kitchen, so there will be fewer daring colors used elsewhere. 

Choose quartz that has unique veins and pair them with dark, vibrant cabinets. For example, a light gray quartz with bold charcoal veins looks exceptional with dark brown or black cabinets, adding a lot of lively atmosphere to the kitchen.

Blue-Gray Veined Quartz

Don’t forget white quartz that has the striking addition of blue-gray veins. The final finish is much like an elegant marble, turning your kitchen into a bright, cozy room. Blue-gray quartz goes well with warm brown or cream colored cabinets. 

Are you still feeling overwhelmed about choosing the right color of quartz countertop for your kitchen? Consult with professionals such as Granite Au Sommet who know what quartz is all about and who can advise you on the best choices for your renovation or new kitchen.