What we in the trade call 'quartz' is actually

Now, Granite is hard to beat, that is for sure. It has a deep glowing shine to it, and the bits of mica and feldspar that fleck it, the organic unrepeating pattern that flows over your worktop. Well we do granite too, but I just thought I'd extoll the virtue of a Quartz worktop as 10x as many people do online searches for granite worktops as opposed to quartz ... so let's look at the underdog!

Firstly, price. Of course there are huge differences in prices of material for your kitchen based on its origin and quality, but roughly speaking quartz the same price as granite. So, does Quartz have any advantages over it's more snobby cousin, granite? Sure it does! plenty of them too, so let's go through some of the reasons that may make you really think of considering Quartz for your kitchen.

Quartz is every bit as strong as granite, and because of the addition of the resin it has slightly more elasticity - making it much less liable to crack or splinter under heavy impacts.

Quartz is available in hundreds of colours too, because as it is manufactured inks and pigment is applied to the resin. Want toffee-apple red? Quartz is the choice for you! Not only does this give you more choice, it means that a sheet of quartz has greater colour fidelity from batch to batch ... so if you need a section replacing or want an extension, a much better colour match can be made for you.

Quartz is more hygienic, and is effectively non-porous, so will not absorb any water where bacteria can live. Add that to the inclusion of anti-bacterial chemicals in the material itself (as used by Silestone using microban technology).

Quartz is intrinsically stain resistant, unlike granite which needs a coating that you have to reapply every few years. This is because, as mentioned above, the material is non-porous so will not soak up stains.

This is not to say that granite is an inferior material, just that quartz has some unique properties that I am sure you'll agree are hard to ignore. Durable, hygienic, modern and attractive, it's time to take a fresh look at quartz!