New build Granite counter tops

[vkesava1]

Hi Everyone,

i am building a new home just wondering what should i go with on the counter tops , whether granite or quartz ?

I heard like granite absorbs water and you will see water marks after certain period of time or so.

i am not sure about quartz. i am building with homes by AVI. anybody selected any model recently, that is good ?

[JustinMCS]

Quartz is bits of stone in a resin and is virtually impermeable and never needs to be resealed.

Granite now a days can either needs to be resealed every year or some brands say never for 25 years.

I personally would go with quartz ( I did in my bathroom and will in my kitchen next)

its maintenance free. i also like the more modern look with the fact it is very uniform and there no veins or patterns I don't like.

either look nice though.

[Asian_defender]

My Granite has been in for 5 years and I don't have any stains
Its a personal choice. I personally like the busyness of granite so I went with that.

Will be resealing for the first time in 5 years. Pretty maintenance free if you ask me

[Kloubek]

Granite does need to be resealed, and usually in less than 5 years.

Personally, I far prefer the look of granite. Quartz looks "synthetic" to me.

[avishal26]

Its a personal choice - some people like the uniformity of quartz.. I personally prefer the random patterns of granite. You can usually get more striking countertops when going with Granite.

I have had mine in my new build for 2 years - no stains. You get a cleaner from the granite place that makes it shine just like brand new ... depending on the pattern, it is easier to hide a messy countertop with Granite... Quartz (especially the lighter stuff) can show dirt / spills easier.

Not sure if I remember correctly but I thought white quartz countertops sometimes can get damaged when you spill red wine and don't wipe up right away?? Can someone confirm?

[Sugarphreak]

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[flipstah]

Quartz is maintenance-free and typically cheaper than granite.

Granite has awesome random patterns that gives your kitchen a personal touch.

Depends on what's important to you. :)

[killramos]

Granite is also not food safe. Quarts is just a santize away. Also because granite has so many variations it has a tendency to chip on edges along weak spots.

It is higher end finishing and at least right now it will help resale.

That being said, my place is granite everywhere.

[Rocket1k78]

Originally posted by flipstah
Quartz is maintenance-free and typically cheaper than granite.

Granite has awesome random patterns that gives your kitchen a personal touch.

Depends on what's important to you. :)

If you're comparing standard granite to standard quartz the quartz will always be more.



Quartz isn't all its cracked up to be imo. A buddy has some white quartz and it marks up pretty easily and it has stained.

[blairtruck]

i have a white quartz no stains. no marks. i often cut the small things im cutting right on the counter.

[Sugarphreak]

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[avishal26]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
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What is beautiful to one person will look like a Zebra threw up on the counter to a dozen others.

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:rofl: very true

[Neil4Speed]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
Here is my take on the whole quartz VS granite debate;

It really isn’t about maintenance, or staining, or even hardness like a lot of people tend to think it is. These things are just a talking point for justification of one over the other.

What it really comes down to is that the more expensive Granite slabs tend to be really wild and artistic in nature which is great if you find a piece you fall in love with. The downside of course is they can really throw people off and disinterest them in the entire property. What is beautiful to one person will look like a Zebra threw up on the counter to a dozen others. Quartz is a safe bet for resale, while it doesn’t spark a lot of emotion in people, it is usually clean and simple which will appeal more broadly. The heavy traditional look of homes is not as popular as it once was, these days you see a lot of glass and metals in the designs and quartz tends to accent that nicely.

Where quartz also really stands out over granite is in sanitary environments like bathrooms, it looks clean… and granite looks dirty because of the patterns. That impression of cleanliness in places like your bathroom is really important IMO.

I don’t think that builder grade granites have much to offer, they are simplistic in nature and don’t have the flare of the more expensive slabs. There are however some really amazing granite options out there, but starting from 10K usually. One the flip side, the opposite is true for quartz. The upper end quartz isn’t really dazzling for the price, and frankly offers very little over builder grade. The only exception is the metallic fleck you find can really set it off as something special, although I even got that in a builder grade.

I agree with what your saying. I'm looking at doing both of these as an update in my condo soon. In terms of optimizing look, value and relsaleability I'm going to go with a higher end, "beauty" granite in the bathroom something like Blanco Antico, Where I can get a remnant slab at a good price. The Kitchen I plan to go with a builder grade quartz with a metallic fleck (if I can find it), but with a pretty low thickness (~2cm)

[vkesava1]

Originally posted by Asian_defender
My Granite has been in for 5 years and I don't have any stains
Its a personal choice. I personally like the busyness of granite so I went with that.

Will be resealing for the first time in 5 years. Pretty maintenance free if you ask me


In my home, that i am living right now, i see the granite top absorbs water and it gets darker when u place wet containers on the counter top after washing ?

isn't same on all granite counter tops ?

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by vkesava1



In my home, that i am living right now, i see the granite top absorbs water and it gets darker when u place wet containers on the counter top after washing ?

isn't same on all granite counter tops ?

That means it needs re-sealing. Water should just sit on top, like a freshly waxed car.

[mazdavirgin]

So um question are you guys talking about proper quartz slabs or the engineered glued together crushed quartz?

[msommers]

I would imagine it's the engineered version since that seems to be the common word for it, just like granite is used for tons of stuff that actually isn't granite at all. While quartz tops are sort of "in" right now, it's far too sterile and boring to look at for my taste (probably because I like unique looks and am a geo). Different strokes, I appreciate why many prefer quartz.

Lots of builder grade granite tops are pretty boring to look at, so given the minute differences in aesthetics quartz just makes sense. But some granite tops are quite frankly art pieces and as such are going to be open to debate on their appeal. So many incredible pieces from Antolini (http://www.antolini.com/en/home) for example, just beautiful stuff. Take this one (http://www.antolini.com/en/collection/pietre-naturali/category/pietre-naturali/product/cipollino-ondulato-rosso) and check out the slab sizing. That's nature creating something amazing! Would it look good in a kitchen...maybe, maybe not.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by msommers
But some granite tops are quite frankly art pieces and as such are going to be open to debate on their appeal. So many incredible pieces from

Tell me about it. We went through 3 or 4 warehouses looking for our granite, and some pieces were just mindblowing. There was one piece that was a "leftover" that was only about 4'x5' and I seriously wanted to buy and hang on the wall in the living room.