Granite vs Quartz Countertops | Everything you need to know!

In this video, we’re going to learn how they are made, how they perform and whether one is better than the other. We’re also going to discuss the insane TikTok trend that will destroy your countertops and could lead to serious health issues.

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Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0:33 How Granite is made
3:13 How Quartz is made
4:49 Appearance
5:26 Porosity
6:09 Finishes
6:24 Heat resistance
6:38 Sponsorship
7:27 Cost
8:07 Density
9:08 Environment
10:56 Conclusion

The process of making a granite countertop starts with large chunks of stone. Steel wires embedded with synthetic diamond dust cut through the stone. The hardness of diamond makes it the most effective cutting material. Large quarry saws, which look like giant chainsaws, are also coated with diamond dust. Blocks of granite are transported to a factory where they are cut into thin slabs. One side of the slab is polished to reveal a unique and colorful surface. These slabs contain miniature cracks, microscopic holes and other defects. Epoxy resin is used to fill these imperfections. Diamond coated blades or high pressure jets of water cut the outline with the help of CNC machines. Unfortunately, it is a very energy intensive product. It can be mined in Brazil, shipped to Italy for cutting and polishing and then shipped back to the States for final install. It crosses the Atlantic twice before it reaches your home.

To make countertops white and clear quartz are ground into a fine powder. This is mixed with plastic resins and colored pigments. It can also contain recycled glass and metallic flecks. The ingredients are mixed together to form a paste. It is poured into a large mold and sometimes shaped by hand to make the designs look more natural. The mold is compressed under immense pressure to form 1” thick slabs. It is then dried and baked to solidify the quartz. This process is called sintering. Any small pores and air pockets are sealed up in this stage. Once it cools down, the slab is polished to reveal the grain and veins. This is essentially an engineered, man-made stone. It should not be confused with quartzite countertops which are natural stone and more expensive. This is a fairly new product. It was invented in the 1960s and has recently become very popular because of its lighter color.

Now let’s discuss the appearance of each. Granite is usually darker, busier and has more pattern and color, like Ubatuba, St Cecilia, Blue Pearl and Black Galaxy. Quartz countertops are usually more minimalist, lighter in color and have uniform designs like Calacatta Nuvo, White Attica, Gray Lagoon and Oceana.

Granite is more porous. Red wine, sauces and oils can stain this material. It must be sealed regularly and cleaned often to prevent stains. Quartz countertops are supposed to be completely sealed. Granite is heat resistant. You can set a hot pan on this countertop and it will not scorch. Certain quartz brands are not heat resistant, they will scorch and burn if you set a hot pan on it. The prices of granite can depend on petroleum prices and tariffs because they are shipped from overseas. Granite’s price range is $60 to over $200 per sq ft. Quartz can be produced locally, and can cost $80 to $140 per sq ft. Their density and weight is pretty similar. Granite is a denser material, around 2.7 or 2.8 grams per cubic centimeter, while quartz measures 2.65 grams per cubic centimeter.

As we discussed earlier, the manufacturing of granite countertops can be energy intensive. Quartz can use recycled materials and can be manufactured locally, so it is considered to be more “eco-friendly”. Both of these products will last you a lifetime if you take care of them and don’t give in to changing design trends and planned obsolescence.
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#granite #quartz #countertop #comparison #diy #homerenovation #remodel #renovation #construction

[homedesignby_pallavi]

Thank you so much. This video helped me a lot.. Got my new home and planning to go for Modular kitchen and had no idea about quartz. Everybody is asking to use quartz on countertop, but I was not sure. From 30 years am seeing Granite been used in my home and till date it looks beautiful and new. No scratches, not a single mark on it. So finally I have decided to go for Granite..

[brandy]

I wish you did videos on all building products. I appreciate your approach in explaining differences and the pro's and cons for each product. You just seem honest

[viktoriasacker]

We are picking out our granite tomorrow; this information was AWESOME! Thank you so much for all the info. We had originally thought to use quartz, but after much discussion with our contractor and friends and family, we decided on granite. Such beautiful natural stone.

[crndg_]

Granite for me. First of all, natural stone is timeless. It might not be trendy but it always looks good. Sure, it needs to be sealed every 5 years (which takes all of an hour). My last house had granite which was installed 20 years before, it still looks beautiful! With quartz, I have also seen stains as well as yellowing near windows. I prefer a countertop made of natural stone instead of plastic mixed with stone dust. Just my preference!

[aggieami]

Belinda you are awesome. Thank you for the honest reviews that are packed with interesting info. May you have a wonderful day.

[Lobster]

I have had my quartz countertops for 20 years and still love them and they are still beautiful!!! Loved your informative video!!! thank you!

[grahamep]

Thanks for the video..excellent thoroughness. Our last home had 30mm dark granite benchtops in the kitchen. Over 10 years of heavy use saw no chips, no stains and no oil or liquid rings. Our new home has quartz light coloured bench tops. In 18 months we've chipped the edge 3 times, had dark stains numerous times despite regular use of polisher/sealer and because of this need to be careful leaving dark coloured berries and vegetables sitting directly on the bench top. To be fair, the stains have so far been able to be removed with several treatments of cleaners or alcohol. Quartz benchtops are a classic case of form over function imo.

[awlthatwoodcrafts]

Having never before been in the position to even think about buying a countertop, I never knew that granite had to be sealed. Now that we are in a position to buy a countertop, we went with quartz.

This was a very informative video, as are all of your videos. Thank you for all you do, Belinda.

[rebeccamckenzie]

This is the first video of yours I've seen & i appreciated your factual, non biased information. This was very refreshing & I thank you for that. I am getting ready to get a new kithen & the timing couldn't have been better. I really couldn't get an honest answer to the difference between the two as the only people I could ask were sales reps for each product. Again, Thank You!!!! Can't wait to watch more of your videos. 🙂

[petrusrossouw]

I just had a new renno and installed quartz countertop, petro grigio, a dark gray with light grey lines. Not even a month later, when water is left, and I try to wipe it off, it stays like a oily mark. After about 2 months there are light grey rings where cups were left and where water was standing for longer unnoticed, like under the coffee maker and the orchid pot. These rings which are seemgly just water stains, cannot be removed at all. I tried the stone maker's white cream cleanser, and don't want to use anything more harsh. I asked the manufacturer for advice and to send a tech out to comment, no tech yet.
For years back in South Africa, most high end kitchens and businesses, had granite, some even granite floors and it had none of this water mark issues.
So my personal opinion is, granite is more durable and even less maintenance, than quartz. If I knew that, I would have paid the extra for granite or other natural stone.
I thought quartz was better because it is sealed and can't stain and is more environment friendly and costs less. Now to replace that quartz will cost me more.

Must say on my quartz if I spill curry during cooking, it comes off easily when wiped off, and does not stain.
I don't understand how the quartz is so easily stained with just water when it is supposedly a sealed product, and yet my designer and others rave about quartz.

[SonalAggarwal]

We chose quartz countertop primarily for its clean aesthetic for our kitchen remodel and now we think we should have chosen granite. Quartz is not totally non porous as being claimed by the industry. In fact it does get stained very easily and has a more matte finish. Granite seems to be more glossy and since its so busy, staining wouldn't be a problem with quartz. Anyways what is done is done :)

[fz]

Thank you for the great info! Appreciate so much that you ask to avoid planned obsolescence. I’ve seen so many videos where people just want to get rid of the countertops because they’re “outdated” and knowing how much energy goes into producing the countertops that are supposed to last a lifetime, that is truly a waste. We bought a house during the pandemic that was built in the 80s’ and had the brown/black granite countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms. Initially we didn’t like them as they looked “outdated” just like all the design influencers were saying. But overtime the granite really grew on me. I don’t worry about laying hot pans on it. It’s are always cool to the touch and easy to clean. I even think it looks nice together with our MCM style furniture. The all-white trend is starting to go away now. Who knows what the next trend will be. I’m happy with the timeless, all-natural granite countertops. Ps we built a minibar in the basement, and went with a light color quartz top because of the cost and that it works better with a basement of limited lighting. Conclusion: we love both, and it is ok to have different styles in different spaces of the same house.

[TyProvosty]

I love the thoroughness of your presentations. Very impressed. I am an architect with decades of experience. Every time I watch one of your videos I learn something new. Very well done!!!

[cadfael]

As a geologist, I would always pick real stone over manufactured product even if it means a little maintenance. Building a new home. My kitchen supplier has been pushing me to use trendy quartz. It seems most “granite” suppliers now also recommend “quartz”. If you are going to go for quartz, go for quartzite, a silica rock that has been metamorphosed and recrystallised by high temperatures and pressures.

[JohnnyC]

We recently did a kitchen remodel and swapped countertops, a bigger island, moved the stove to an exterior wall (so it could be vented), custom cabinets, everything. It cost more than my first house (however, I am old). The result was nothing short of spectacular. However, we struggled with the quartz vs. granite question more than any other decision. To be honest, I felt all along we would choose granite (we have always had granite - again we are old) but later wish we had quartz. Indeed, this is what happened. We love our new kitchen, but quartz countertops would have been a better choice. Alas, what's done is done. I have spilled wine, tomato sauce, paint, stain, etc. on my countertops and never had a stain. Love, love, love, your videos.

[omnarasi]

Thank you, Belinda. It is very informative. I had opted quartz for my countertop a year back and I am very happy about it.

[Bulhbluhbuy]

Thanks for another informative video Belinda! And a special thanks for making this information easy to digest for the layperson (like myself!)

[andydeciccio]

Great message on avoiding planned obsolescence. Your videos are a breath of fresh air.

My parent had their heavy cast iron bathtubs painted professionally. Smelly and toxic, agreed. But that method has lasted years. Perhaps only the DIY kits are low quality.

[donmcneal]

Thank you for this information about Granite & Quartz especially commenting about what I've been hearing a lot of these days of that, "Oh..., it's dated.", or the "obsolescence"..., of things really outstandingly fine & still wonderfully in vogue.

[BryanTorok]

This is a great video. My wife and I watch lots of the home reno shows. They always seem to go for trendy. As an analogy: In mens' suits there are the classic designs that will be wearable or many years, even decades. They can be updated with a change of shirt and/or tie. But, there are the trendy suit cuts that will be out of style in couple of years. I prefer the classic style that I can look for decades.

Great on the epoxy fake granite or quartz counter top treatments. A friend did that type of treatment on their kitchen floor. The found that it yellowed with age. Also, epoxy is not relatively hard surface so it scratched with normal foot traffic. Lastly, for a counter top it is not very heat resistant.