Hey there and happy Monday! We’ve still been at it over the weekend trying to get that kitchen backsplash finished and it’s been way longer than expected, but we’re getting there and it’s looking beautiful. I’ll share it all just as soon as I can!
In the meantime, I thought that you’d be interested in a conversation about countertops. I’ve owned a house since the mid-80’s when there were such limitations on countertops and kitchen fixtures back then. It’s so much more advanced now, with so many choices in countertop materials, so today I’m talking about quartz and granite, which seem to be the main two in the forefront right now.
I’ve watched countertop choices move from laminate to the soaring popularity of granite back in the 90’s, to now quartz taking over as the highly sought after countertop material. I even remember when Corian was the hot new thing back in the 80’s and into the 90’s, but it sort of fell from grace when granite came along. That’s what I’ve observed anyway. I’ve seen soapstone, honed granite and leathered granite be popular choices over the years too. Concrete is another option that had some popularity, as well as real butcher block.
None of these were ever options I considered, nor was real marble. I know a lot of bloggers have real marble and it is absolutely gorgeous, but just not something I would put in my own house. I just wouldn’t want to have to be so careful with a countertop in the kitchen with staining and etching. Bathroom, yes, but not the kitchen. But I get why so many love it! It’s real stone and beautiful, as is granite.
My first house had laminate, it was the affordable choice and still not a bad choice for the budget. I ended up using granite tiles in that kitchen later, which was all that I could afford at the time. I wasn’t sure I could ever afford granite slabs, but it did happen eventually!
Laminate has come a long ways too. There is even a marble look laminate by Formica that looks very good for a more inexpensive option.
Here’s the one I used in my old laundry space. It even had an integrated sink. You can see all the details on this post.Â
So, let’s talk about the differences in quartz and granite. This is my very first time getting quartz in my own kitchen, so I’m learning along with you. I’ve had 2 kitchens with granite so can definitely speak to that too. I loved granite in both of my previous kitchens, but quartz is so pretty and durable now, so I’m thrilled that I was able to partner with HanStone on this kitchen renovation and get the quartz of my dreams. HanStone sponsored this project and I had two other sponsors as well, which I’ll share when I do my kitchen reveal post.
Some facts about quartz and granite:
Granite is a hard 100% natural stone mined from quarries all over the world. The colors come and go depending on which quarries are open at any given time. It’s very durable, but porous and needs to be sealed. Sometimes it can stain, but most of the time with sealing it stays very nice and clean. I never had a problem with my granites staining in the past. Granite can take a hot pot, while quartz cannot.
Quartz is not 100% natural, but is 95% ground natural quartz and 5% polymer resins to bind it together. It’s sealed and not porous which makes it extremely durable and more impervious to bacteria. It’s harder than granite, can scratch , but nearly indestructible. The only thing you can’t do with quartz is sit a hot pot directly on the surface. It can melt the resins and cause damage. But overall, quartz is extremely durable, scratch resistant, and stain resistant.
So never place a hot pot on quartz. I’ve also heard that some can be damaged from the heat of a crockpot, so I plan to put my crockpot on a cutting board when using, so not taking any chances of marring my beautiful new countertop.
Here’s an article from Consumer Reports on which one is best. Quartz, according to them, is getting more popular now in renovations than granite is and they note resale value might be better with quartz, since it’s the new darling of countertops.
Cost:
Granite is generally $40 – $50 per s.f. installed
Quartz is generally $50 – $75 per s.f. installed
Generally, quartz is 20 to 40% more expensive than granite. There are more expensive quartz companies and less expensive, so it pays to do your homework on those and shop around. I think HanStone is somewhere in the middle of price compared to some other quartz brands. There are some quartz brands that are definitely more expensive.
The great thing about quartz is that they are now offering marble looking quartz. That’s a fairly new thing that wasn’t available even 5 or so years ago, I don’t think. From what I’m reading the marble looking quartz is a fairly new invention. The first quartz countertops I saw that were out years ago were more speckled and more all one color and the veining of marble look that is so popular now (and which I went for as well) is fairly new and I think that’s a big reason why quartz has gained popularity too. I was reading that quartz countertops have been very popular in Italy for decades, but it was awhile before they caught on here in the U.S.
You can’t get a real white marble look with granite. Granite is going to have more of a swirly or patterned look to it than these new quartz patterns have. That’s another reason why I fell in love with this quartz.
HanStone Boutique collection.
You can see all the tones and patterns of all their marble looking quartz options, many to choose from. I got several samples and put them in my house before deciding on the Montauk option. I’m very happy with this one next to our white kitchen cabinets. It has a bit of gray undertone and our cabinets have a little gray undertone too.
My last kitchen renovation that I did with Ikea cabinets was a budget kitchen and these granite countertops came in at $1300 installed. I am still so proud of this kitchen that my dad and I did together. We put the cabinets together, but hired an installer to put them up.
The Kashmir White granite I had in my previous kitchen is no longer available now. I shopped around then looking for the lightest whitest granite I could find and Kashmir won me over. I still love it with flecks of gray and black. It was perfect for my old kitchen. You can see I used the same Blanco Silgranit sink in my old kitchen that I’m using in the new one. I love this sink!
My dad and I installed the tile backsplash ourselves.
It was quite a job, but we got it done and were so proud of what we had accomplished.
You can see the Kashmir granite counters here a little better.
When I helped my friend, Andrea with their kitchen renovation, I sent them to Legacy Granite too, who I used in my old kitchen and in this new one for installation. They sourced a pretty granite with mostly gray tones and it looks great in their kitchen. By the way, Andrea wants to do more in their home, so hopefully I’ll be helping them again in the future when the budget catches up to the projects. Some of you have asked about their progress.
They used white subway tile too and it looks fantastic. This granite is very pretty too and I don’t remember the name of it. When I bought granite for the house in Birmingham, granites were more gold/brown toned back then, but the white gray granites have become more popular now with white kitchens. I’ve seen those changes over the years since the mid-2000’s.
These tones are very nice to live with.
I pulled my information from a few online sources, such as HGTV and others, but it pays to do your research when you’re looking at new countertops. I’ve had granite and loved it and would definitely do it again, but I really wanted quartz this time around because I wanted something very white and it’s hard to find a granite that’s really white.
Quartzite is another type of granite that is harder than granite and sometimes more expensive than granite and it comes in some different color variations that is more similar to marble I’ve heard, but I don’t know a lot about that material, although I did see it in a house once that I featured here.
The swirly gray pattern was very pretty.
So, this is just a recap on granite vs. quartz and something I thought you all would enjoy reading. There is no right are wrong answer when it comes to choosing granite or quartz. I know that I’m completely happy with the choice I made with the HanStone quartz we had installed. It looks exactly like I hoped it would look and I can’t wait to share it all with you!
When it comes to kitchen renovations, what matters most is budget and taste and how to get the look you want within the budget you have to spend. So, it pays to get quotes and look around at all your options before you decide. I hope this helps in giving you a little more information about quartz and granite. I didn’t know as much about quartz as I did granite, but now I feel like I’m fully informed and very happy with the decision of quartz for us.
Feel free to comment on what you have in your kitchen and if you love it or want to change it. It’s fun to hear other opinions from real people who have used one or the other.
I am excited you are redoing your counters in the kitchen…. I just said to David yesterday, I love our kitchen and am so thankful for you!!!! And yes, we do want to get started again very soon….
Can’t wait to see the transformation in your kitchen!
I think you will be happy with your choice. I’ve had quartz for at least 5 years now and I love it. It looks great (mine looks like marble) and it is practically indestructible. I would be hard pressed to ever choose anything else.
Hi, Angie, so glad to hear you love your quartz. I’ve never heard anyone who has it that doesn’t love it too.
I love all the selections of quartz these days. When we remodeled our kitchen, my husband insisted on granite so we chose White Ice which is white with gray and creams. Now that we plan to remodel our master bath, I am thinking quartz again. I will have to see if I can convince him this time. Either way, I am putting that Montauk one on my list to take a look at! Thanks for the informative post!
Shelley
That sounds pretty too! I found one called Colonial White that is also very pretty and in gray/white tones with black flecks. Those are very good choices too.
Wonderful informative post, Rhoda. I’m considering new countertops in the future, so I appreciate the information. Definitely leaning toward the quartz! Can’t wait to see your finished kitchen.
We had quartz in our last home but now have granite. I much prefer quartz to granite, quartz is much easier to maintain!! My granite gets dull, granite will also get little nicks around the edges. We ‘re planning our down size home and I will be using quartz again, no more granite for me!!
So excited to see the big reveal! I’ve always loved your old kitchen and how your dad helped with it all. We have granite countertops and I love them. One thing we did not change out bc hubby pitched a fit that the huge island countertop was in perfect condition. It’s cobalt blue ceramic tile, still pretty but I long for a marble-look quartz. It is a place where I pull cake pans, muffin tins directly from the oven to cool so I’m really happy you emphasized the no heat rules. I started binge watching Lottery Dream Home and have a notebook of remodel ideas if I ever won! I think you actually have to buy a ticket to win though!!
Great post. TFS.
I have a question about your backsplashes. How do you seal your grout? You seem to gravitate toward lightly colored grouts, and I’m curious how you prevent staining. Of course, you don’t want any grout to stain, but light colors are especially susceptible.
HI, Jennifer, grout is easy to seal with a spray bottle of sealer, so I plan to seal my grout with that. I’ve never had a big problem with stains getting on the backsplash either.
We purchased our house 2 years ago and when we looked at it I wasn’t in love with the kitchen but I thought I would like the Corian countertops. When we moved it I started to notice all the scratches and marks on it. There was a cutting board that was on the counter that had a coffee pot sitting on it at the time we viewed the house. Well I never thought that under it was a large dinner plate size faded and scratched up spot. We knew we would have to replace it. The sink was also Corian and was marked up pretty bad. We had granite in 3 previous houses, all different. We liked it. It was great for my baking, I rolled dough on it and cookies. But I had to have it sealed once a year and I really had to be careful with it. When we looked at some quartz, I was very surprised when the salesman told me it was quartz. I was sold. We love it. It was cheaper than than granite at the place we purchased it from. I don’t remember the name of it but it’s mostly white with flecks of color and sparkle in it. It’s very nice and so easy to take care of. I do use a large cutting board, from Ikea, to keep the coffee pot on and the crockpot when I use them. I absolutely recommend quarts ahead of granite for the simple fact that you don’t have much upkeep. We got ours through East Coast Granite. They were great to work with and were very meticulous in the installation. We live in Charlotte now.
We chose quartz for our kitchen counter tops when we built 5 years ago and couldn’t be happier with our choice. I’ve never had an issue with crock pots on my counters, but I will definitely place the crock pot on something from now on. My only issue is the nail glue my daughter got on the counters that doesn’t come off. Grrr…
Have you tried using a razor blade to scrape it off?
Great and timely post, thank you! I am about to get new counter tops and hoping to get quartz. I have loved quartz for many years and wanted it. I love your choice and hope to find something similar. I know you and Mark are doing the backsplash yourselves, but I was wondering if your counter top installation was a separate company from Hanstone or did they offer installation as well?
Thanks!
Hi, Shar, I’ll be sharing all of that in my post, but HanStone does not offer installation. I paid for the fabrication and installation of my quartz and used the same company, Legacy Granite in Alpharetta that I used almost 7 years ago in my old kitchen. They are great and do a superb job with it all. Most granite companies offer quartz as well and they usually have many different brands that they represent. Legacy was a HanStone dealer too.
All the stone countertops are lovely, but when we moved into our new downsize home 8 years ago, we went with granite and I love it. It’s easy to take care of and [thus far anyway!] we’ve had no problems with staining, and when polished it gleams beautifully. Having said that, it’s the first time we’ve had stone of any kind so I have nothing to compare it to. I can’t wait to see your kitchen finished. And so glad that you’ll be doing more with Andrea.
We recently remodeled and put in quartz (I really liked the light color and the uniformity). I am very pleased with our choice. Everyone that visits comments on our counterops, I went with more beige tones, because that is what the rest of our home is, but I am able to blend in gray tones so easily and I love that it
is versatile. I am carefule to not put hot pots directly on the countertop. I did buy a few more wooden cutting board just for this (and leave them out as decor (it’s a win-win). You will be ahppy with your choice!
Sounds good, Jennifer, I’ve never heard anyone say they didn’t like their quartz.
Great post and answered my questions about granite vs quartz. Enjoyed your back splash posts and have a question for you…Did you have any trouble adjusting to the look at first? I have the exact same back splash. Note it is the first back splash I’ve ever had. I was so careful picking it out and because we don’t have a large space from counter to cupboard selected smaller rather than larger tiles. When it first went up I was horrified. Compared to my plain wall it seemed busy and reminded me of being in the hospital. I was literally sick and thought we’ve spent all this money and ruined our beautiful kitchen that just had gorgeous counters installed. Everyone told me it was perfect and to hold on I would get used to it. Eventually I did and am now very happy with it. Honestly my kitchen is beautiful, but I guess I wasn’t prepared for the drastic change from wall to tile. I didn’t understand tile and grout could look busy since it was such plain subway tile. Grout color makes a huge difference too! Has anyone else had this experience?
Hi, Lori, I didn’t have that problem with a backsplash at all. I’ve always loved tile backsplashes and was thrilled to have it in my old house and now this one with subway too. I never had to get used to it, so that’s funny. I’m glad it grew on you, that would be bad to not like it! Grout color does make a difference. I decided I didn’t want a lot of contrast on mine.
I remodeled my kitchen last year and used what you’re calling Quartzite for my countertops. It looks like granite, but it’s about 40% harder. My husband used to be a granite contractor and he fabricated the slabs. He said it was the hardest material he’s ever worked on. I wish I could show you a picture. We picked Perla Santana from Brazil and my slab was stunning. I’m so glad I picked it.
It looks similar to this, but without as much of the Carmel color, it has more grey tones.
https://www.google.com/search?q=perla+santana+image&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=uacU2HaW7kc0rM%253A%252CAPyvrdHRnLLjMM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kR1PYFKnyptQNJm6sRVsoCA6fBxtA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiEp-XUxaLgAhVJAqwKHax3AvIQ9QEwAHoECAMQBA#imgrc=lMuLwIQgDFGWeM:
I’ve heard good things about quartzite too. Never heard of it until a year or so ago.
Thanks for this blog post. We currently have cream formica and want to update. I want light and bright like you said and admit the heat issue is a bit of a concern for me personally. I love all your choices and have enjoyed seeing the process! You and Mark are a great team!
Hey I’m an installer . If u ever need any installs give me a call 2816627972 my name is uriel I’m with [quality surfaces (7133590856)] .
We do granite,marble,quartz,and porcelain counter tops .
And anything custom you’d like with the material .
Thank you 😊
Quartz is the way to go.