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WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN QUARTZ COUNTERTOP BRANDS?
When looking for quartz countertops, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the different choices and names of quartz. There are many different brands of quartz countertops on the market. Caesarstone, Silestone, Compac, CRL, Classic quartz, and many others more. Unlike granite countertops, quartz countertop slabs have a brand name rather than just a colour name Color palette.
Quartz is a man-made material. Quartz slab manufacturing starts by taking the strongest part of granite, natural quartz. The natural quartz is then blended with other raw materials and polymer resins. Quartz is often referred to as "engineered stone" or "re-engineered stone", this is because the manufacturing process mixes approximately 95% ground natural quartz with about 5% polymer resins. The combination of strong natural quartz gives quartz countertops great durability while the resins help to make the product non-porous (unlike natural stones). There are a number of manufactures, colors, and brands of quartz slabs. Each slab is created using the same general process, however brands will differentiate themselves with their selectiveness in raw materials, quality control, country of origin, and stylized colors. The brand, along with the popularity of a color, and the complexity of its design will influence the raw slab price from the manufacturer.
The difference between quartz countertops brands:
Styles
Slab Quality
Manufacturer Warranty
Availability
Styles and slab quality
The first difference between quartz brands is the range of colour offerings. Some brands can have a limited selection of only a couple dozen colours, while other brands can have well over a hundred different colours to choose for your new countertops.
Silestone Quartz Worktops
Among the more popular brands chosen in many homes around the world, Silestone Quartz worktops feature over 60 colours and designs, which can be sourced from design centres and remodellers.Silestone offers three different textures of countertops: Polished, Suede and Volcano.
Silestone quartz surfaces are the number one brand in their catalogue for a reason. It is practical and easy to clean. Also, Silestone N-Boost offers a liquid repellant surface that is unique to this brand. Similarly, Silestone bacteriostatic protection is a characteristic that keeps bacteria away from the surfaces
Caesarstone worktops
Caesarstone, on the other hand, has a large amount of clean, modern and monochromatic designs like pure white and rugged concrete.
Manufacturer Warranty
Another major factor that differs between quartz countertop brands is the warranty. Most major manufacturers offer a 10 or 20-year warranty. Caesarstone offer a limited lifetime warranty.
What does a Quartz Countertop Warranty Cover?
A warranty from most quartz countertop brands will only cover manufacturer defects. What is a manufacturer defect in terms of quartz countertops? Here are some examples:
Abnormal colour spots. Defining "abnormal" in a random color pattern can be extremely subjective, but any color variation that is clearly not part of the intended color pattern and occurred during the manufacturing process should be covered by any reputable quartz manufacturer warranty.
Foreign objects in the slab. Quartz countertops are made by a unique manufacturing process similar in some ways to pouring concrete and can, therefore, be susceptible to items being dropped into the slab during manufacturing.
Uneven surface. With the exception of intentional texturing, your new quartz countertops should be flat and free of divots, gouges, voids or other variations in the surface.
Universal surface polish. The shine or sheen of your countertops is developed during the polishing process that occurs at the factory. The shine should be even throughout the top of the slab. It is important to note that the shine on the edge and other cut areas is completed by your countertop fabricator, not the quartz manufacturer and would not be covered under the warranty.
If you choose a reputable brand of quartz countertops, you will likely not experience any of the above defects or any other defects that I did not list. The overwhelming majority of manufacturer defects would be caught by the manufacturer during their internal quality control checks.
What's Not Covered Under a Quartz Countertop Manufacturer's Warranty?
A manufacturer warranty will not cover:
scratches
chips
heat burns
fading from sunlight
any type user induced damage whatsoever.
fabricator error
sink separation
seam breakage.
It is very important when purchasing new countertops to check what the warranty covers.
Countertop Availability
Another big factor when considering which brand of quartz is right for you is slab availability. Please check with us the slabs availability at least 6 weeks before the kitchen is ready as we are able to reserve the slabs for your project. If you are making selections early enough in the remodel or building process, waiting a couple weeks for your slabs might not be an issue, but if you need your new countertops next week, it doesn't do you any good to look at colors that are not available for several weeks because they are stocked out of stock.
We sell quartz from all the biggest quartz brands and can advise on a wide range of materials and we have a warm relationship with many manufacturers
For any advice of materials, or for a quartz kitchen worktop quotations, please don't hesitate to contact us on 02086775123 or by email on sales@mtstones.co.uk. Alternative you can use our contact forms.
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