The only way to add value to your purchase and to your investment is by being knowledgeable about the product. Whether it is for buying the best quartz stone benchtops or any other product, you cannot simply go and invest without knowing the pros and cons, features and benefits of it.
Quartz countertops are comparatively new, but it has grown in popularity in the past few decades. It is due to its unique qualities. Durability is among the key reasons for its popularity apart from attractiveness. They are also devoid of the common weaknesses that are usually associated with natural stone. They are also known as engineered stone countertops and are certainly here to stay.
Considering Your Budget
Your budget will determine whether you want to stick to quartz stone benchtops or go for those lavish materials for extravagance. However, if you are on a shoestring budget, there is no reason to think that your choice is limited. There are plenty of options here as well.
- Just make sure that you choose the right color and quality as both can make or break the look and style of your kitchen.
- The work surface of your kitchen is an important space as that account for the visual area of the kitchen occupying about 20 to 30 per cent of the entire area. Therefore, to provide the right value to your time and investment in choosing the right material and color is essential.
- Considering your budget, visit a reputable and reliable kitchen showroom that offers quality quartz stone benchtops and others at an affordable price. Talk to the professional in the showroom if you have any doubt about the material and color to choose from. It will narrow down your options significantly.
Consider materials that will provide the best value for money. Also consider the cleaning and maintenance factor so that you do not have to invest much time, labor and cost in it. Look for materials that are cheap but do not lack in resilience.
Reasons for Opting for Quartz Stone Benchtops
There are several reasons why modern homeowners are opting for quartz stone benchtops instead of other natural stone counterparts.
- Quartz is manufactured in a much wider range of colors as compared to natural stones such as granite and marble.
- The appearance of the finished product is luxurious and gives a rich look to your kitchen with its depth in finish.
- Quartz has the same durability as granite and concrete but is more forgiving than these. It will not crack or chip easily and is not very hard in the feeling that most people find unpleasant.
- Just like other hard materials used to make countertops, quartz stone benchtops are non-porous and can resist stain even better than granite, marble or concrete.
- Quartz countertops are made of 90% quartz and 10% binding polymers. Colored pigments are also used in this high content of quartz making is much more durable, stronger and tough to withstand bangs, knife cuts and other abuses.
- Quartz is resistant to scratches, stains and chips therefore, will take away such worries for a long, long time. It is due to the nonporous property of quartz that does not allow anything to seep into making it more sanitary.
- Easy to maintain feature eliminates the chances of any formation of bacteria, germs and other viruses. It is because quartz surfaces do not have any protective sealant or wax coated on it which also ensures less maintenance.
- These are available in a wide variety of styles, color and aesthetics as this is man-made. This makes it easy for you to match quartz stone benchtops with the existing color and decor of the kitchen.
- It will provide a uniform look and feel as there will be no variation in texture or color as it is seen in natural stone.
It is a good long-term investment due to its durability, low maintenance and other features.
Facts and Fiction
The quartz stone benchtops were not known much for its effectiveness, but it is for the last 50 years that it has developed a reputation as a high-end material. However, the process has been slow and even today it must fight for its place and recognition among its other counterparts such as natural stone.
However, the bottom line is that quartz is a fine material for kitchens and bathrooms. The agglomerate of different materials bound with resins and pressed into sheets does not need any sealing. It excels over the natural material as the resins act as sealant requiring no extra coating of wax on its top.
As the manufacturing is controlled there are few imperfections in this prosaic engineered stone counters. Just as the name suggests, quartz stone benchtops are lustrous, translucent and hard. The term being sexy and appealing it is easy to market this material as compared to others.
The elements found in it include quartz, polymeric or cement-based binders, natural stone, crushed waste stone, and recycled industrial wastes resulting in hardness and lack of porosity. Few manufacturers even include antibacterial substances.