Made from one of the hardest minerals on earth, quartz countertops are arguably the most durable option for kitchens. They&#;re also some of the most eye-catching. They come in a wide variety of colors, including fire-engine red and apple green, as well as earthy browns, blacks, and creams, with sparkles and veining for the look of granite or marble. But unlike natural-stone slabs, which are mined, these slabs are engineered in a factory.
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Their primary ingredient is ground quartz (about 94 percent), combined with polyester resins to bind it and pigments to give it color. For some designs, small amounts of recycled glass or metallic flecks are added to the mix. The resins also help make these counters stain and scratch resistant&#;and nonporous, so they never need to be sealed. Compare that with granite, the reigning king of high-end countertops, which typically requires a new protective top coat at least once a year.
In the past, the biggest knock against quartz was that it lacked the patterns and color variations you get with natural stone. But that&#;s a moot point now, with all the manufacturers offering multihued slabs with enough flecks, swirls, and random patterning to make them almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
They were once available only with a polished finish; now you can get one with a honed, sandblasted, or embossed treatment. So if it&#;s the look of matte limestone, textured slate, or glossy granite that you want, there&#;s a quartz countertop for you. Read on for help picking one to match your budget, your cooking and cleaning needs, and your style. We&#;ll go over the pros and cons of quartz countertops so you can make the best choice.
Expect to pay about the same as you would for natural stone, around $60 to $90 per square foot, including installation.
Natural-quartz crystals are mined, then ground into a dust or an aggregate that&#;s fused with resin binders under intense heat and pressure to form a solid slab. Pigments added during the process impart color to the countertop.
DIY or hire a pro?
Like natural stone, quartz slabs are very heavy. And though the added resins make them more flexible, they, too, can crack if not properly handled. Work only with certified installers.
Where can you buy it?
Order through kitchen-design showrooms or from home centers and big-box stores, such as The Home Depot, IKEA, and Lowe&#;s.
How long do they last?
For as long as you have your kitchen. Quartz countertop manufacturers provide warranties ranging from 10 or 15 years to lifetime, depending on the company.
Here are the pros and cons to consider when deciding to go with quartz.
It&#;s low-maintenance.
Unlike natural stone or wood, it never needs to be sealed. Just wipe with soapy water for daily upkeep. Surface stains can be removed with a gentle cleansing scrub. Avoid scouring pads, which can dull the surface, and harsh chemicals that could break down the bonds between the quartz and resins.
It&#;s antimicrobial.
Resin binders make quartz counters nonporous, so stain- and odor-causing bacteria, mold, and mildew can&#;t penetrate the surface.
It&#;s design-friendly.
Some makers offer jumbo slabs for uninterrupted runs of countertop. But even with standard slabs, typically 60 by 120 inches, the seams can be almost imperceptible; added resins allow cleaner cuts without chipping as stone does. The resins also make quartz more flexible than natural stone, allowing fabricators to bend and shape it into sinks or the sides of a curved island. And it&#;s versatile enough to be used on floors and walls&#;fabricators can even cut the slabs into standard tile sizes.
It&#;s pricey.
Compared with DIY options, such as wood, laminate, and concrete, which can cost less than $10 per square foot, quartz, like granite, is expensive&#;about $60 to $90 per square foot, including installation. Acrylic solid surfacing, another competing option, costs about $40 to $80 per square foot installed.
It can&#;t take extreme heat.
Quartz counters are heat and scorch resistant, but only up to a point. Most manufacturers say their products can handle up to 400 degrees F, but a sudden change in temperature or sustained heat from a pan left on the counter may cause the surface to crack. To be safe, always use a trivet or a hot pad.
It can&#;t weather outdoor use.
Install it outdoors in an uncovered area, and you&#;ll void the warranty. Direct sun beating down on it day after day can cause colors to fade or the countertop to warp or split over time. Currently, none of the major manufacturers offers an outdoor-approved quartz counter.
iStockShop around to compare colors and prices. Some quartz makers sell exclusively through big-box stores; other slabs are available only through independent kitchen and bath showrooms.
Pick your brand and color, and set up a time for a fabricator to visit your home to take measurements and make a template of the tops of your base cabinets.
Unless you are keeping existing fixtures, you supply the dimensions for the sink and faucet cutouts as well as any drop-in appliances, such as a cooktop.
Get a price quote and place your order. Once the fabricator knows the complexity of the installation, including the edge profile, number of slabs, and cutout details, they can quote the actual cost of the entire job.
Wait, but not too long. Assuming your base cabinets are in and your kitchen is otherwise complete, the fabricator can get the slab from the distributor or direct from the manufacturer and shape it to your specs in about a week.
If you&#;re using multiple slabs, consider asking the fabricator to get them from the same manufacturing batch to ensure the best possible match.
Schedule the installation. The fabricator lays the slab directly on top of cabinets; in general, no plywood underlayment is required. It&#;s held in place with silicone-based construction adhesive, and any seams between slabs are filled with color-matched epoxy resin.
Undermount sinks are installed with clips (and sometimes wood braces) that attach to the underside of the countertop. Expect installation for a typical kitchen to take from a few hours to a day.
Brown veining against a sand background. Giallo Michelangelo, Zodiaq by Dupont, about $60-$100 per sq. ft.*
*All prices include installation.
Recycled-glass flecks glisten in a blue-gray base. Calm Springs, Zodiaq by Dupont, about $60-$100 per sq. ft.
Earthy recycled-glass particles add sparkle. Forest Snow, Eco by Cosentino, about $62-$78 per sq. ft.; ecobycosentino.com
Tan watermarks speckle a brown base. Vintage Limestone, Viatera by LG, about $67-$72 per sq. ft.; lgviaterausa.com
Vibrant blue highlighted with translucent particles. Celestial Blue, Zodiaq by Dupont, about $60-$100 per sq. ft.
Small iridescent blue and charcoal flecks. Waterford, Cambria, about $75-$80 per sq. ft.; cambriausa.com
Gray striations for the look of Carrara. Tranquility RU613, HanStone, $55-$95 per sq. ft.; hanwhasurfaces.com
Solid turquoise with a contemporary feel. Slice of Ice CW102, HanStone, about $55-$95 per sq. ft.; hanwhasurfaces.com
Reddish-brown lines mimic veining. Ivory Wave MV620, HanStone, about $55-$95 persq. ft.; hanwhasurfaces.com
Black and gray-blue streaks against taupe and cream. Praa Sands, Cambria, about $75-$80 per sq. ft.; cambriausa.com
A lively solid. Green Fun, Silestone by Cosentino, about $54-$74 per sq. ft.; silestoneusa.com
Subtle cream veins look nature-inspired. Piatra Grey, Caesarstone, about $65-$85 per sq. ft.; caesarstoneus.com
Granite-like veins and light-reflecting crystals. Canterbury, Cambria, about $75-$80 per sq. ft.; cambriausa.com
Metallic flecks impart shine. Chrome, Silestone by Cosentino, about $70-$89 per sq. ft.; silestoneusa.com
Gray-toned particles and swirls on white. Atlantic Salt, Caesarstone, about $65-$85 per sq. ft.; caesarstoneus.com
Thin white lines overlay a jet-black base. Black Knight , Caesarstone, about $65-$85 per sq. ft.; caesarstoneus.com
A matte-finish warm gray. Altair, Silestone by Cosentino, about $54-$74 per sq. ft.; silestoneusa.com
Copper-colored flecks add depth. Mariposa Buff MV410, Samsung, about $50-$60 per sq. ft.; staron.com
This sandy hue has faint color gradations. Sugar Storm, Viatera, about $67-$72 per sq. ft.; lgviaterausa.com
A granular texture imitates fossil and shell fragments. Natural Limestone, Viatera, about $67-$72 per sq. ft.; lgviaterausa.com
Like a slice of blue mineral chunks. Ocean Palace , Caesarstone, about $65-$85 per sq. ft.; caesarstoneus.com
It doesn&#;t get much more luxurious than a semiprecious-stone countertop formed from real slices of colorful quarried crystals, such as agate and amethyst. Added resins work like a glue to bind the gems together into a continuous countertop while also making it stain and scratch resistant. These opulent tops would add a dramatic look to a small kitchen island, a built-in bar, or a powder-room vanity.
Shown: Concetto Collection in Brown Agate, Rose Quartz, and Tiger Eye, about $400 per sq. ft.; caesarstoneus.com
Just about any edge profile that you can get with stone can be replicated with quartz. The standard eased edge, slightly rounded over so that there aren&#;t any sharp angles, and the more fanciful ogee, which resembles an S curve on its side, are two of the most popular treatments.
Your fabricator will help you select an edge that suits your kitchen&#;s style and the countertop&#;s thickness&#;typically ½, ¾, or 1¼ inches&#;and will shape the profile using a template provided by the manufacturer. Fabricators can also do custom designs, such as a chiseled, raw edge (shown) or a gently cascading three-level waterfall-style profile. Keep in mind that the more complex the edge, the higher the cost.
Shown: Desert Limestone with chiseled edge, about $65-$85 per sq. ft.; caesarstoneus.com
This slate-gray countertop has a muted, lived-in look to match the zinc stools and the weather-beaten-steel pendant light. Open shelves and painted cabinets with bin-pull drawer hardware add to the kitchen&#;s homey appeal.
Shown: Fieldstone, about $75-$80 per sq. ft.; cambriausa.com
A white countertop with subtle gray veining, a glossy finish, and a simple eased edge makes a crisp contrast with the green-painted cabinets and sleek stainless-steel fixtures and appliances.
Shown: Misty Carrera, about $65-$85 per sq. ft.; caesarstoneus.com
Two warm countertop colors complement the stained wood cabinets. A washstand-style curved backsplash behind the range adds a vintage note. On the island, a 5-inch mitered edge profile gives the work surface a chunky, furniture-like look.
Shown: Nottingham (perimeter), and Sussex (island), about $75-$80 per sq. ft.; cambriausa.com
A black-and-white color combination is always a classic. Here, the dark countertop pairs with the lighter perimeter cabinets. The contrasting scheme is reversed on the island, where an ogee edge profile adds an extra dose of sophistication.
Similar to shown: Zodiaq Galaxy Black and Cloud White, $60-$100 per sq. ft.
You won&#;t find ready-made slabs for kitchen counters, but home centers now offer smaller bathroom vanity tops with faucet drillings and undermount-sink cutouts. Expect to pay $350 to $900 for a vanity top, depending on the size and color.
Home-furnishings manufacturers are also catching on to the pluses of quartz. Room & Board offers dining, cocktail, accent, and counter-height tables with five different quartz-top options and a choice of bases.
Get a custom-look vanity for less by wedding a prefab counter (sink included) with a stock cabinet.
Shown: Solieque Bisque Baroque, from $640; homedepot.com
You aren&#;t just limited to using quartz in the kitchen, check out these smart and unique use-cases.
Mix and match quartz tops and wood bases for an updated farmhouse table.
Shown: Linden walnut table with white quartz top, from $1,700; roomandboard.com
Unlike marble, quartz won&#;t be marred by an errant splash of bath oil.
Shown: Blizzard, $65-$85 per sq. ft.; caesarstoneus.com
Quartz is antimicrobial, so it won&#;t harbor bacteria from soiled clothes. Just be sure to clean up bleach spills quickly to prevent damage.
Shown: Brentwood, $75-$80 per sq. ft.; cambriausa.com
In a fully tiled shower, a corner seat crafted from a quartz remnant means fewer grout lines to keep clean.
Similar to shown: Ultra White, $67-$72 per sq. ft.; lgviaterausa.com
You can stop worrying about red-wine rings; because quartz is nonporous, vino can&#;t penetrate it.
Similar to shown: Tranquility, about $55-$95 per sq. ft.; hanwhasurfaces.com
Quartz can withstand very high temperatures as long as the heat is indirect. So go ahead and surround your firebox with it.
Shown: Concrete, $65-$85 per sq. ft.; caesarstoneus.com
By topping your nightstand with quartz, you won&#;t need a coaster to keep morning coffee or tea spills from staining.
Shown: Ashford, $75-$80 per sq. ft.; cambriausa.com
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I&#;ve installed quartz countertops in two of my houses and I love living with them! If this is a material you&#;re looking at for countertops I thought I&#;d share my experience and what I love (and don&#;t) about quartz counter tops- what you need to know to order and live with them.
Forever, I have been obsessed with having marble- that grey look with the beautiful veins. I&#;d daydream about it, but the thing I didn&#;t like is that it is super sensitive, can stain and chip easily, and so you have to be very careful with it. That&#;s now how I want to live, so when I heard of quartz, I was excited! So what is quartz?
Quartz are a man made engineered stone. Most of the countertops (90%) are made of small pieces of quartz. The rest is what holds the quartz pieces of quartz together- resins, polymers, and pigments. Once combined, they create a beautiful countertop that is hard like granite.
Let&#;s start with the video tutorial so you get an overview on selecting and caring for Quartz countertops. Then, I&#;ll dive in with more details below:
If the video doesn&#;t work here, you can watch it on YouTube here. I&#;d be over the moon happy if you subscribed to my YouTube channel! Videos are actually released on YouTube first (usually the night before they&#;re published on the blog). Thank you!
The appearance or quartz can vary greatly and depends on how the quartz is ground. The finer it is ground creates a smooth appearance. While the coarsely ground quartz has a more flecked look
One thing I love about quartz is it can look like a natural stone. There are also a variety of neutral colors- beige, black, grey, or white. It can look like marble (what I love!) or it can look like granite, it can also stand on its own and look like a composite.
Here&#;s a few examples. Can you tell how number one looks kind of like marble while number two definitely has a more composite look?
Quartz costs $55-$200 per square foot (that includes the stone and installation). You can get it cheaper if you have a smaller kitchen and can use a remnant. It is now on average about $125 per square foot. It just depends on the vendor, thickness, and style selected.
For my kitchen, I needed a slab. That cost $.
Then for installation I got multiple quotes and they ranged from $ to $.
If I was to do my kitchen again, the second I had my floor plan finalized, I would have started getting quotes. That would have been in February- 5 months again.
Then, after getting the cheapest quote, I would have gotten in the schedule with the installer. Why? The home building and renovation industry is very backed up right now. Most installers were 8-10 weeks out.
I was in a hurry to get my countertops done and had to go with who could get me in. My installation cost $. So the total was $ (in June ). If I would have planned better, I could have saved $. Ouch. So learn for my mistakes.
In November of , I had countertops installed in my kitchen in Florida. The price for a slab and installation cost $. It took 7 days to have the quartz cut and installed after templating.
Quartz is kind of the sweet spot between granite and marble. It&#;s the most durable of the three. It&#;s harder than granite and not pourous like marble and granite. That means that stains don&#;t soak into the stone. It&#;s also doesn&#;t etch.
On the other hand, it&#;s not heat resistant like granite.
Price wise, granite is the least expensive option while marble is the most expensive. But if you&#;re spending around $100 per square foot of quartz for a high end choice, it&#;ll cost about the same as marble.
Like with anything, there are a few downsides to quartz. Let&#;s go over those-
Yes! Quartz does increase a home&#;s value. I&#;ve read that it can be an increase of 3 to 7% of the home&#;s value. So I&#;d consider them a good investment.
No! Quartz is actually considered a green material so it&#;s great for the earth!
Why? The stone that forms the base of quartz countertops are actually waste from quarrying and manufacturing stone. So quartz is a by-product of other stone. This makes up 90% of quartz countertops.
The other 10 percent of a quartz countertop are made of resins, polymers and pigments. The combination makes a very strong countertop material.
Since most of it is made of stone that would have been wasted, it&#;s like using recycled materials for making a countertop!
Here&#;s the process to get your counter tops installed-
You can google &#;quartz + your city&#; and you should be able to find a good variety. Make sure to read reviews of each company to make sure you select a reputable company and someone you&#;re comfortable with.
I am on a budget for this kitchen renovation, so before I selected anyone or left my house, I emailed 3 quartz providers. I got a quote from each of them. It helped that I knew I wanted a marble looking quartz so they could give me their best price over and then I could visit to confirm everything.
Note- you&#;ll need an electronic copy of your kitchen floor plan for this step so that they can see your layout (which effects the cost). Ikea provides one with their kitchen planner service so that was simple to over.
Like I mentioned above, start getting a quote early in the kitchen planning process. This will save time and money. Plus, the sooner in the kitchen renovation you can get counters installed, the sooner it&#;ll feel like a real room and it&#;ll be somewhat functional.
For my kitchen, I&#;m using Hanstone Quartz for my countertops. They are the quartz manufacturer. Most fabricators (the company who cuts and installs the quartz) will have samples you can check out so you can see them in your space.
Or, you can order samples directly from Hanstone Quartz here. $5 for a 4&#;x4&#; size or $10 for a 5&#;x10&#; size.
Once you&#;ve selected a fabricator, go to their store front to see the stone in person. Bring your kitchen plan so that the fabricator can give you suggestions. Then you can check out a few samples.
You will also want to know the sink, faucet, and sprayer you&#;ll be using. Or, if you need an accessory hole for something like a soap dispenser or if you&#;re using a garbage disposal button on the countertop.
here&#;s the samples I looked at- Tranquility, Calcatta Extra, Calcatta Gold, Paros, Strato
If your fabricator doesn&#;t have enough variety, you can also visit a slab yard (where your fabricator buys the slabs from). The slab yard will usually has a good variety of different stones to see.
It&#;s nice to see the movement of the veins, the full color, and touch them in person. Plus, this is the fun part! You can pretend you&#;re on a TV show ;).
If you aren&#;t able to see the full slab in person, it&#;ll be ok! Look online at a picture of the full slab and a picture of it installed in a kitchen. This will give you a great feel for how it&#;ll look in your your space.
Quartz fabricators will sometimes offer accessories that you can buy right from them. Things like sinks, faucets, sink grids, etc. This is convenient because then they have the exact measurements needed for cutting the quartz!
I sourced all my own items, but for lots of people, this is a convenient way to get multiple items from one place.
After looking at samples and slabs, it&#;s time to finalize what will be the quartz you select. Here&#;s some things to consider-
I ended up going with Calcutta Gold. I liked the white background, the gold veining, and it was a great size to avoid seams.
Next, when lower cabinets are installed and level, it&#;s time to schedule a time for a template to be made for the counter tops.
The quartz fabricator will send someone over to house to digitally measure for this. They make an exact drawing of the countertop with crooked walls and everything!
What this means is there is super fun (haha) part in your renovation where you have to have your base cabinets in without a sink and counter tops for 2 weeks or more.
Two or more weeks or so after the template has been made, the counter tops will be cut to size and the they will be delivered and installed- cue the happy dance!!!
Our installation took a few hours and three guys. I didn&#;t take any pictures during the process, I didn&#;t want to be in the way. But I have picture of it after installation!
They installed my sink. And they ended up cutting the holes for my faucet and disposal button once the sink was installed.
To say I&#;m thrilled for fancy countertops is an understatement! I just believe that your home should be a beautiful backdrop for the story of your family&#;s lives. I was sick of my dingy, broken, hard to use kitchen. Living in a renovating mess isn&#;t fun, but making your dreams come true is. You&#;ve got this &#;
The kitchen is done, the Calcatta Gold quartz countertops are in and we LOVE them! They&#;re a clean white with warm gold veining and I&#;ve never had nicer countertops in my life. They&#;re beautiful and 100% worth the splurge!
These clean up easily. I love wiping up my fancy countertops after cooking because they&#;re so gorgeous! The installers specifically put the veining where it&#;d be seen most and its really pretty in person.
It&#;s a little hard to tell in these pictures, but we made sure the cabinets were tall enough for the countertops to be cut to go in the window sill too. It&#;s seamless and the perfect spot for plants.
Anyway, I hope it&#;s helpful to know what to expect when ordering quartz counter tops and how to care for them once they&#;re installed. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments.
Catch up on all the Kitchen One Room Challenge Posts!
Floor Plan / Interior Window / Mood Boards / Stairs Plan / Demo & Flood / Drywall / Rainbow Wallpaper / Cabinets, Floors, & Ceiling / DIY Fireplace / Cabinet Doors / Reveal / Stair Railing Installation / Kitchen Cost Breakdown / Quartz Countertops
This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy. Thank you to HanStone Quartz for supplying the quartz slab for this kitchen!
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