Quartz worktops are made from a combination of

By mixing in synthetic polymers with the stone, all manner of advantages can be attained. The polymer is a kind of hard plastic (snobs and salemen would call it resin!) that binds the quartz crystals together, much reducing it's brittleness without compromising its hardness. The mixture is approximately 93% stone and 7% man-made stuff, although this does vary slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Of course, as it is man-made, the additives can be any colour or texture giving rise to a welcome variety of shades, colours and patterns for your kitchen worktop.

The manufacturing process behind worktop quartz is highly automated, relying on the most modern of machinery to achieve results.

First, the raw materials are fed into the mixers and blended. It is at this stage that the dyes and pigments are added that give your worktop such a beautiful lustre. The crushed rock and additives mix is kept to a strict recipe, and only when the ratio is even and exact is it poured into a mould which is a standard slab size as used by kitchen worktop fitters.

And now the cool bit the slab is then subjected to over 100 tons of pressure under vacuum (in a vacuum to prevent air bubbles forming in the granite). It is also vibrated which prevents any layering or polarisation which could have a negative effect on the strength of the material.

The quartz slabs are then taken to a kiln and cured by heating to 90c for between 30 mins and an hours. This fully binds the stone and the polymers to create a remarkably strong and resilient surface for your worktop.

The next stage is polishing, where the beauty of the material is made to shine, and from there is sent to the kitchen worktop fitters to be made into your worktop.