There was a time when "swimming pools" and "breakfast bars" were two of the most popular search terms used to search for real estate listings on MLS databases. Eventually, these terms lost popularity to others such as "granite countertops," and even these features are now equal tomore recent ones such as "quartz countertops." In 2019, real estate agents and interior designers are starting to see higher demand for quartz countertops among homebuyers. Similar to what happened with granite countertops, quartz is now trending, and a strong reason for this shift is that engineered stone—unlike marble, granite, and all other natural-stonesurfaces—doesn’t need to be sealed. In general, quartz is more durable than natural stone and can look just as nice, but the fact that it doesn’t need to be resealed is a major selling point, as well as that it’s an alternative to the redundancy of granite, it gave designers more options, and price was another driving factor. To understand why quartz doesn’t need to be sealed, let's learn a bit about this material.
Quartz Is an Engineered Product
The term "quartz" can be a bit confusing to homeowners who know this is a mineral also known as silicon dioxide or crystalline silica, which happens to be present in natural stone. There’s also quartzite, a natural stone that’s very rich in silicon dioxide. To clear things up, keep in mind that quartz was invented more than five decades ago by an Italian company looking for a more resilient alternative to marble, one that didn’t require frequent sealing and resurfacing. Not having to reseal counter surfaces was essentially one of the motivators that resulted in the creation of engineered stone.
There’s No Porosity to Worry About
Marble is a porous stone. Granite is porous as well, but not as much. Porosity is the reason natural stone needs a protective seal, but this isn’t something that’s present in quartz countertops.
What Happens During the Quartz Fabrication Process
Crushed fragments of natural stone are the primary materials used in the fabrication of quartz slabs, which can be further cut into tiles or panels as needed. A compound of crushed stone, resins, and pigments is created in vacuum chambers at high temperatures, and the final step of the fabrication process is the application of a permanent seal after the slabs are finished. The look of quartz surfaces can be made to look like honed and polished marble, but they can also feature a brushed appearance if so desired.
Quartz Still Requires Maintenance
Just because quartz countertops don’t require sealing doesn’t mean they’re self-cleaning. Keep in mind that more than 90 percent of quartz is crushed natural stone, which means it’ssensitive to common household cleaners and will dull the appearance of the surface as well as lead to stains. Using a mixture of dish soap and water isn’t the best solution either because it isn’t formulated to clean the stone and is prone to leaving a filmy residue. To be on the safe side, only clean your quartz countertops with a specially formulated quartz cleaner such as Granite Gold Quartz Brite®.
To learn more about caring for quartz countertops, get in touch with Granite Gold® today. Call us at 1-800-475-STONE (7866), and also make sure to sign up for our newsletter for monthly tips and updates on caring for quartz as well as natural-stone surfaces such as granite, slate, and marble.
