What material to select for my Kitchen countertop: Granite or Quartz?

Once we embraced in a kitchen remodeling project, one of the main questions to ask ourselves is: What material select to my kitchen or bathrooms countertops?
History has proven that both materials are a great option for your project. We know that Granite has been forever in the market, and in the last 15 years or so here in the South Florida market, the introduction of the quartz to the market has been a successful one.
Initially, the public receive the quartz product with questions and doubts because of the “man-made” effect and not aware of the benefits and characteristics.
Granite has been a wonderful choice for many, many years. One of the great aspects of the granite is the uniqueness of any color and the variety of selection all over the world. Just to mention we can get granite materials to name a few options from USA, Canada, Brazil, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Iran, South Africa, India and many more. In a specific bundle and color, no two slabs are totally identical. In granite, there are colors very standard like for example Black Absolute or Peacock Green, that are standard in patterns and visual. However, it will be not recommended to mix two or more slabs from different bundles. It is a high chance that you will note the difference.
On the contrary, Quartz colors are elaborated with high standard manufacture procedures, so they can provide the same colors and collections repeatedly and on a regular basis.
There are many factors so you can compare between the two. Just to mention some of them we can list as price, composition, Eco-friendly, Variety of Colors, maintenance, real estate impact, versatility, stain resistance and others.
In my experience, granite provide an ample range of PRICES to suit every budget. Not counting cost of fabrication, prices for granite start in about $7 per sq.ft up to $100/sq.ft. In South Florida, we use a lot the 2cm thickness granite (¾”) and build a lamination of the edges. On the quartz side, we can positioned their prices in a close range of $12/sq.ft up to the ranges of $60/sq.ft
SIZES on every slab of granite varies a lot, depending of the color, the bundle, the source of origin, the thickness. For Quartz, we find standard measures due to the man-made fabrication process. Quartz allows the granite fabricator to build bigger pieces than granite. Due to the flexibility of the quartz material, many times you can do your project minimizing the number of joints and seams, compared to granite
COLOR wise, granite may have a more variety for your selection and many options. Some colors come vein cut, other crosscut and others in solid colors. Quartz has evolved for plain colors and patterns to a more variety of veins and combinations, trying to mimic granite and marble selection
In general, MAINTENANCE for countertops has been easy to do. Why? because you can use warm water and soap to clean the surface. However, in the long term, Granite require the uses of Sealers to avoid STAINS on your final product. Quartz has the beauty of sealer free care, giving that a powerful advantage over the granite. It is important to advise, that regardless of the spill (for example red wine) you must clean that one immediately. On a Quartz surface you may have more time to do it compared to granite. Remember that Granite is a porous material and Quartz has this unique characteristic (non-porous)
Both materials are HARD enough, so you can cut, chop, and prepare your foods with confident. Many tests have determined that Quartz is harder than Granite. On the other hand, Granite is more resistance to HEAT compared to Quartz. I can put a big recipient of an extremely hot food, like lasagna coming from the oven for example, directly on top of the Granite countertop. It is my recommendation that if you need to do the same experiment with quartz, is better to use a trivet to protect it.
On the REAL ESTATE aspect, I will say that either granite or quartz kitchen or bathroom countertops will enhance the value of your property. You need to understand what you want to accomplish with your project and depends of the use of a particular property. On a principal residence you may want to go with a more personal taste and color selection, specially if you want to stay a longer period on that property. If it is an investment project or a second home, you will have plenty of beautiful options to select from without breaking your budget.
There are many other factors to compare, like type of edges, waterfalls, if is an island, peninsula, type of backsplash selection or thickness to determine what is more suitable for you.
I am pleased to help you to determine what is your best alternative for your kitchen or bathroom countertops. Having in mind the benefits provided, I am sure you will make a wonderful selection to accomplish your objectives. Remember I am your kitchen advisor, I will accompany you from start to finish your project including the selection of your cabinets and granite or quartz countertops. I will explain in detail the process to tackle your project the best way possible even if you live in your property or if is a total renovation and the unit is empty.