Quartz or Granite

[ipsaray]

I feel the more I read, the more confused I get!! We are about to change our kitchen worktop. Which one is better- Quartz or Granite. I read somewhere that Quartz is stronger but will fade in sunlight and can't withstand heat. And that granite won't fade but is more susceptible to bacterial growth and cracks. Our kitchen is south facing so it gets a lot of sunlight and we are going for a black colour worktop. Any recommendations?

Granite doesn’t crack or get bacteria. That’s utter rubbish. Granite is the harder material. It’s not porous. It’s more expensive than quartz. It’s better than quartz. I have both. Granite is best. Quartz is certainly ok. I don’t put really hot casseroles etc on either. Always use a stand. I clean the surfaces and I don’t chop on them. Granite lasts a life time. You might prefer the colour of quartz. Neither have bacteria or cracking problems.

I wouldn’t go for black. We have a very sunny kitchen. Speckled grey is better for keeping clean. Black might need a lot of polishing!

Black in a hard water area is a bad idea - especially with granite - you can't use acid based cleaners. I've had both - I wouldn't recommend either as a perfect solution.

Granite is most definitely porous. It's sealed to make it less so.

I have white quartz in a very sunny south facing kitchen. No problems at all with it but like PP I don’t chop on it or put hot pans directly on it.

My granite has been very hard wearing, I can put hot pans from the oven straight onto it, no stains from lemon juice etc. Ours is speckled which is almost too good for hiding marks and crumbs, you have to wipe carefully or look sideways!

It has absorbed water around our sink and discoloured slightly though.

We have black granite which looks like new after 5 years, I would definitely reccomend it. It’s great being able to put hot pans and trays on it. I really don’t know how you would manage to crack it. It’s also super easy to wipe down. If there’s anything stubborn stuck to it I just scrape it off with one of those scrapers for ceramic hobs.

Ours is a speckled black / dark grey and doesn’t shown up much dirt or water marks and our water is rock hard!

Quartz has a lot more colour choice (particularly in paler shades) and because its man made has little variation between slabs.

Granite because it's natural can sometimes vary hugely in colour between slabs - so ideally it might be best to see "your" slab in person.

Granite can withstand direct heat better, but there's some debate over which is "tougher" for dirt/marks/stains - and Granite does need to be sealed well initially unlike Quartz .

But yes, I've heard darker quartz can fade slightly over the years in direct sunlight, so if you definitely want black I'd chose Granite (but beware black surfaces can make rooms look darker and may show dust and water streaks more easily than a lighter colour).

When granite is sealed for kitchen use, and polished, it’s not porous. It’s a very strong product and certainly doesn’t absorb water.

Quartz is more durable.

We have white quartz and it still looks like new

I don’t think we would be that careful with granite as I think we would have definitely stained it by now

We have sparkly black quartz and a south facing garden. To be honest it has been a nightmare to clean. Even after polishing, buffing, wiping down, the sun shines down on it making it look grey so it constantly looks unclean, like it has a film of dust over it.

My friend has black granite countertops and hers still looks new. She also puts hot pans down on the granite. How I envy her!

If I could choose again, I’d go for granite and less of a gloss finish in black as that highlights every speck of dirt.

@PresentingPercy

When granite is sealed for kitchen use, and polished, it’s not porous. It’s a very strong product and certainly doesn’t absorb water.

Have to say my granite is polished and sealed. And has discoloured around the sink in terms of going a bit darker/grey (in two kitchens with two different granite suppliers).

I do try to wipe up any excess water but inevitably I'm fighting a losing battle by a sink area. It's not terrible but I'd feel untruthful saying I hadn't had any issues with our granite. I still love it though.

I have Emerald Pearl granite that I abuse on a daily basis. I've never been careful with hot pans or acids etc. I've no idea if It's been sealed or not, but it always polishes up beautifully. I wouldn't change it. It's about six years old now and no staining or discoloration. Crumbs are well hidden too.