Quartz or Granite? For island with cooktop.

[CHRISTY-DANIELLE]

I can't find a definitive answer of one over the other. I'm replacing my island counter top. Thought I wanted quartz, but found a granite I love. Any experience or thoughts in either option would be great. I'm worried quartz won't do well with an occasional hot pan on it, but worry granite might stain with cooking grease....

 

[Rfisher]

If my kitchen granite absorbed grease, I’d drive off of a cliff.
thankfully what I have never has needed to be sealed.
bathroom is a different story

id prefer a cute trivet for heat than dealing with sealing, if that were the case.

 

[Taylorbug!]

My kitchen island and bar are leathered granite. I love it!

 

[Diamond Girl 21]

I have granite, and haven't had any issues. I'm very happy with it.

 

[CHRISTY-DANIELLE]

You know you guys are enabling my getting the granite, right? Lol.
I was surprised it's actually the cheapest of the contenders too.
So no worry about grease stains? The cooktop sees a lot of action- my oldest son is always cooking greasy asian dishes. Delish but messy.

 

[bludiva]

i have granite and quartzite in my kitchen, the granite has chipped, the quartzite has not. i'm afraid to put hot pans on either though so can't tell you if that would damage it.

re the stains the granite is amazing. i don't clean/seal it as often as you are supposed to and no issues in 5 years.

 

[Diamond Girl 21]

You know you guys are enabling my getting the granite, right? Lol.
I was surprised it's actually the cheapest of the contenders too.
So no worry about grease stains? The cooktop sees a lot of action- my oldest son is always cooking greasy asian dishes. Delish but messy.

I think it depends on the type of granite you choose. I would definitely check with the sales associate at the granite yard.

 

[Rfisher]

I think it depends on the type of granite you choose. I would definitely check with the sales associate at the granite yard.

Yes. Even within same types.
I wouldnt assume.

 

[Diamond Girl 21]

Yes. Even within same types.
I wouldnt assume.

Yes, I think so. I picked a white and blue granite for our bar outside, and the SA advised against it. I think some may be more porous than others.

 

[Rfisher]

If the granite was cheaper than the quartz, I’d really question the amount you’d need to seal it to make it spill proof.
My experience is not super super extensive though.

 

[dk168]

No help here as I like them both, and believe one cannot go wrong with either.

DK

 

[missy]

We have both. Granite in NYC and Quartz at the beach house. I love both. I don't have a preference.

I just asked Greg and he prefers Quartz because it is consistent throughout whereas in the granite there can weaknesses since it is a natural stone. He also prefers the look of quartz. Our black granite in NYC however is consistent throughout and gorgeous and 17 years later still looking perfect. Choose your granite slabs carefully and go to a reputable place. Overall though Quartz will be more consistent throughout the slab.

Our advice is choose the one you love more appearance wise. I wouldn't choose it on the basis of specifications because there isn't that much difference. Just choose which you like better. Depending on the rest of your kitchen etc.

 

[dk168]

Found this on a vendor of quartz worktops in UK, comparing quartz and granite, which may be slightly bias towards quartz:

https://www.silestone.co.uk/quartz-vs-granite-worktops/

DK

 

[Slickk]

I prefer natural stone for my countertops/backsplash (am I correct that quartz is man made? Haven’t looked in a while). I just love my granite tops!!

 

[dk168]

I prefer natural stone for my countertops/backsplash (am I correct that quartz is man made? Haven’t looked in a while). I just love my granite tops!!

From what I can gather, I believe quartz worktops are composites of ground up quartz particles.

I too like my granite worktop, and am glad I opted for a pattern that does not show up watermarks (Nero Impala) as easily as Nero Absolute which was a nightmare to keep clean and shiny!

DK

 

[ringbling17]

I have had both granite and quartz and to me they are very similar in quality except that I noticed edge chips more when I had granite.
If I had to pick my favorite I would pick the quartz that I currently have. I like the consistent look to it and I prefer the lighter color.

 

[MMtwo]

I have granite and have had no issues. I have not had quartz, so cannot offer any first-hand thoughts there. I do wish you luck on renovations.

 

[yssie]

I have both as well. I LOVE the quartz and that’s what we’ll go with if we buy another house. We chose a darker colour with some yellow, and I go directly from stove to countertop (have been doing this for five years) no issues. The granite - it chips, it needs resealing, we worry about creating hotspots so we always use trivets or silicone pads.

Both granite and quartz are better than marble though!! More for bathrooms than kitchens of course. Marble is a porous chippy stainey sensitive PITA

 

[luckygreen317]

As an interior designer as my day-job, I can offer some feedback based on project experience. Both stones are very durable. Hot pots truly should not be put directly on any surface material, especially quartzite (man-made solid surface like Silestone, Ceasarstone, etc.).

I chose polished quartz for my large kitchen island and it is the showpiece of the kitchen. I looked at granite, but fell in love with Sea Pearl. I also needed an extra large slab which limited my choices.

You can’t go wrong with either granite or quartz. What may help you decide is visiting a stone yard or showroom. Funny, it reminds me of shopping for a diamond. You will know “the one” when you see it. Leathered finish has become popular and is really beautiful, although a personal preference.

 

[whitewave]

I have the black uba tuba granite— 21 years old now. It has a few chips and a hairline fracture by the kitchen sink but other than that has worn very well. I seal it about once every 5 years lol.... I don’t think about it much.

 

[whitewave]

I have both as well. I LOVE the quartz and that’s what we’ll go with if we buy another house. We chose a darker colour with some yellow, and I go directly from stove to countertop (have been doing this for five years) no issues. The granite - it chips, it needs resealing, we worry about creating hotspots so we always use trivets or silicone pads.

Both granite and quartz are better than marble though!! More for bathrooms than kitchens of course. Marble is a porous chippy stainey sensitive PITA

WORD!!! I absolutely DESPISE my white marble in my bathrooms. Despise it.

 

[CHRISTY-DANIELLE]

Thank you all for the feedback. Ultimately I guess esthetic wins. DH strongly prefers the granite! We updated our kitchen a few years ago and I've always had laminate and liked it so the perimeter counters are all "granite" look laminate. The island is our hub...cook top and breakfast bar..so wanted drama and beauty and durability. But not a clash with the other counters. For us the granite is the winner. Our new floors are coming in under budget so I am jumping at the chance to update our island!
Here's a glimpse of the top contenders. "Peppercorn" quartz vs " Venice Cream" granite. (I photoshopped in the upcoming floor)

 

[LilAlex]

You know you guys are enabling my getting the granite, right? Lol.
I was surprised it's actually the cheapest of the contenders too.
So no worry about grease stains?

We have dark-ish granite and there is some subtle staining around the sink and cooktop after 25+ years. We cook a lot but not a lot of super-hot frying, etc. Edges are sharp, not bull-nosed and they are badly chipped in the high-use areas (above the dishwasher and around the sink). The chips are invisible unless you run your finger along the edge. I would definitely go with some type of radiused edge, if possible.

The "Q" in your example looks more like terrazzo than quartz to me -- it is not a "granite look," imo. Appearance-wise, it may be better; it may be worse -- depends on your taste.

We need to re-do our whole kitchen and I think we will have your same dilemma. Trying to defer all home reno until demand and material costs drop back to baseline -- but that could be a few years.

It all looks lovely together in your composite.

 

[lulu_ma]

Thank you all for the feedback. Ultimately I guess esthetic wins. DH strongly prefers the granite! We updated our kitchen a few years ago and I've always had laminate and liked it so the perimeter counters are all "granite" look laminate. The island is our hub...cook top and breakfast bar..so wanted drama and beauty and durability. But not a clash with the other counters. For us the granite is the winner. Our new floors are coming in under budget so I am jumping at the chance to update our island!
Here's a glimpse of the top contenders. "Peppercorn" quartz vs " Venice Cream" granite. (I photoshopped in the upcoming floor)

Just popping in to say I love the look of the granite.

I have seen beautiful granite and quartz counters. Personally, I have granite for 13 years. I have never resealed it but my granite is much darker than yours.

 

[cflutist]

I have had granite in my kitchen since 1993 and have not had any issues with it.
Looked at all of the solid surface materials recently (building a new home in AZ) and still prefer granite for the island, countertops, and the backsplash.
I know the current trend is subway tile but I don't want to be cleaning splattered pasta sauce off of it (very simple with a razor blade with granite backsplashes).

 

[susiegrneyes]

Another person here to reassure you about granite...I love our granite. We have had it for 10 years in our kitchen and other than one very small chip that you only notice by feel it looks as good as the day it was installed.

 

[CHRISTY-DANIELLE]

Thank you for the votes of confidence! They are coming tomorrow to make the template and I'm going to look at slabs to choose ours! Can't wait!