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Original poster

Worktops - Granite or Quartz?

30 replies

pinkgin85 · 17/12/2021 14:15

I'm leaning towards Quartz but wanted other perspectives. What have you got and are you happy?

Also, how do I find a local supplier? I'm on the border of London/Essex!

OP posts:
Twizbe · 17/12/2021 14:28

I have quartz and love it. Very easy to look after. You get what you pay for though so try and get Italian rather than Chinese.

ToExtendOrNotToExtend · 17/12/2021 16:12

I have just been through this, chose quartz in the end. I used www.alpianastone.co.uk/, they are not bad.

Fleur405 · 17/12/2021 16:16

I have quartz and think it’s great. Think granite looks lovely but I use loads of fruit, lemon juice, vinegar and would constantly be stressed about that damaging the granite.

TreeLawney · 18/12/2021 12:18

I love our quartz. Very hard wearing and just a look I preferred to the granite.

jellyxat · 18/12/2021 12:59

Sorry to jump on, but we just got a quartz worktop for the first time (have always had oak before) and the installer had lots of instructions about stains and cleaning. What's everyone's cleaning routine?

Ozanj · 18/12/2021 13:33

What colour countertops do you want & how will u treat hot pans? If you want darker worktops then you won’t need to worry about staining - in which case Granite is better because you can put hot pans directly on it (Quartz has a resin that eventually gets ruined if you do this). If you want lighter or even white tops them Quartz is better but make sure you go for the brand that suits your style of working. My Indian kitchen designer recommended a specifc manufacturer from Turkey (I have forgotten the name) for ours because I work with Indian and Middle Eastern spices but wanted a light worktop so a you do need a slightly more resin for it to not stain. Even the cheaper ‘made in China’ stuff that is referenced is actually brilliant if you work with fat or spice & use trivets.

TreeLawney · 18/12/2021 14:39

@jellyxat

Sorry to jump on, but we just got a quartz worktop for the first time (have always had oak before) and the installer had lots of instructions about stains and cleaning. What's everyone's cleaning routine?
It is very easy to keep clean.

I just use a normal spray cleaner (I like method), wipe down with a wet cloth then wipe over with a microfibre cloth to keep it shiny.

Use barkeepers friend (the powder) for any staining.

Puffthemagicdragongoestobed · 18/12/2021 15:31

We have white quartz with some grey marbling. Whilst it looks great it's an absolute pain for stains. In the nine months we have had it installed we have already had so many stains! Not sure I would choose it again. We usually treat with baking soda but it's a bit of a faff. Probably not helped that we are in a very hard water area so get a lot of lime scale.

SallyLockheart · 18/12/2021 16:37

@treelawney. do you use the special granite/marble method cleaner or a more generic method cleaner? thanks

TreeLawney · 18/12/2021 17:00

[quote SallyLockheart]@treelawney. do you use the special granite/marble method cleaner or a more generic method cleaner? thanks[/quote]
Bit of both. Mostly just the general kitchen cleaner.

I really don’t recognise the post above about it staining etc. Find it so easy to care for…absolutely love it and would never want anything different now! (We’ve had it for over 4 years.)

TreeLawney · 18/12/2021 17:02

Also in a hard water area - white quartz with a slight fleck.

Barkeeper’s friend is fab stuff for the odd stain, shifts them straight away. Flash bleach does the same.

Twizbe · 18/12/2021 17:45

We clean with normal wipes each day and I use method granite and marble cleaner every so often.

Ours is white with an iridescent vein. The stone mason we got it from told us that staining is a problem with quartz that has a higher resin content, usually that from China. Ours is Italian and I think much higher quality that we'd have been able to afford normally. It was leftovers from a huge corporate job they had so we're selling it off cheap. We're also round the corner so they didn't charge any delivery.

IseeScottishhills · 18/12/2021 17:53

The house we bought has quartz its brilliant mines white with flecks, it does mark e.g. red wine but its seems pretty easy to get it out, the worse case scenario Ive left the cleaner on for a few hours and then the mark comes out. I use method stone cleaner.

Qc16 · 19/12/2021 01:14

Have you considered a quartzite en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartzite - we have Bianco Eclipsia and are very happy with it. No stains - we have coated it with a special protector. If you like a more natural look it’s perfect - you can feel the natural grain in it.

Sonex · 19/12/2021 01:34

I've also decided quartz, any recommendations of supplier, Surrey/London.

Twizbe · 19/12/2021 07:50

@Sonex

I've also decided quartz, any recommendations of supplier, Surrey/London.
Geology are in Sydenham (London) not sure if they do Surrey but we love our work tops
Tatapie · 19/12/2021 08:22

Love my white quartz, for stains I just use a bit of cif- leave on for a good few minutes then wipe off - works on coffee, wine, curry!

twoofusburningmatches · 19/12/2021 08:32

Quartz Worktops Direct near Enfield were great when we dealt with them. Online supplier, but have a showroom you can visit. Their installers were good and the quartz is beautiful. I find quartz easy to deal with really - normally just wipe with water etc. Or use barkeeper’s friend for any stains, but it hasn’t been a problem despite being white. We have a white composite sink and that’s s nightmare though - very easily stained.

Macmickmoo · 19/12/2021 13:45

We had black granite in a hard water area - the acidic cleaners we used took the shine off it and it was an absolute bugger. Now have Silestone, sure it gets stained but as others have said bit of bleach, astonish barkeeper's friend and it's fine, would not touch granite again.

Original poster
pinkgin85 · 19/12/2021 22:25

@twoofusburningmatches

Quartz Worktops Direct near Enfield were great when we dealt with them. Online supplier, but have a showroom you can visit. Their installers were good and the quartz is beautiful. I find quartz easy to deal with really - normally just wipe with water etc. Or use barkeeper’s friend for any stains, but it hasn’t been a problem despite being white. We have a white composite sink and that’s s nightmare though - very easily stained.
I'm not far from Enfield so I'll check them out thank you!
OP posts:
Original poster
pinkgin85 · 19/12/2021 22:26

Sounds like Quartz is pretty much unanimous! I'm happy to get a better quality one as long as it lasts, good shout on avoiding the made in China ones.

DH is very particular about using coasters even for pots and pans, and we don't really drink coffee or drink red wine so the staining shouldn't be a major issue!

Thanks all!

OP posts:
KatesC · 30/12/2021 09:45

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wonkylegs · 30/12/2021 10:29

We have pale Cream silestone (quartz), it's been in 8yrs this Christmas and is brilliant.
No staining despite blackcurrant gin explosions, DHs forays into Indian cooking (nice but lots of mess), Rusty pans being left to drain (thanks mil) and various other difficult cooking incidents.
It's still immaculate and I would say we don't treat it with particular care.
I always use mats/trivet for hot pans (not convinced DH & kids do though)
I clean it with method kitchen spray.
We had a brown granite (was much nicer than it sounds) in our old house which was pretty good but did get marked from lemon juice when DH was making cocktails and didn't wipe up the spill.
It wasn't a terrible mark but it bugged me.

MissusArmitage · 30/12/2021 11:57

New to quartz here and I agree with the poster above that it's harder to keep than anticipated, although everything comes out with barkeepers friend. I've found myself missing the old composite worktop at times! I do need to invest in trivets. Not being able to put pots/oven trays down is a bit of a nuisance. My mum has granite, which is definitely tougher.

Gingertail · 30/12/2021 12:04

We have black quartz with sparkly bits and I wouldn’t have it again - it constantly looks like there are crumbs and bits on the surface.

We often use window cleaner to get it looking shiny (two cloths - one to clean and one to buff).