13

Dec

Engineered Stone Vs. Natural Stone Countertops

There are many countertop materials to choose from, but they’re divided into two major categories. They’re either naturally sourced or they’re engineered for reinforced strength and durability. Popular natural stones are marble and granite while common engineered stone countertops are solid surface and quartz countertops. Here is everything you need to know about the two different types of countertop stones.

Differences Between Engineered Stone And Natural Stone Countertops

The Material

First and foremost, you need to know what natural stone and engineered stone are.

Natural Stone Countertops

As the name suggests, natural stones are, well, naturally obtained. They’re made by nature and in nature. Some are naturally made by incorporating molten rocks, mica, and other materials fused together at high temperature and pressure, whereas others are made inside mountains, underground, and even in water.

Natural stones are made through natural processes and they have different compositions. They include granite, marble, quartzite, sandstone, limestone, travertine, onyx, soapstone, and many more options. These natural stones have different properties, different looks, different ranges of durability, and they’re just overall amazing.

Engineered Stone Countertops

When it comes to engineered stones, you have to understand that they are man-made materials. If you see the suffix, engineered with any stone or even material, then you can automatically assume that it is man-made and it’s either treated with a mix of natural and synthetic materials or made solely of synthetic materials.

There are many engineered materials out there, but we talk specifically about engineered stone surfaces, they are: quartz, solid surface, porcelain, and sintered stone. Porcelain is not exactly a stone because it’s made of clay, but it’s still categorized in engineered stones.

Now, quartz is a popular one. It’s made by pulverizing rocks and making them into stones with the help of strong binding agents and adhesives. Just like natural stones, the durability, heat resistance, and other properties differ from stone to stone.

Durability

The next thing you can compare between natural stone as well as engineered stone is the durability. You want to select a stone surface that is amazing in quality as well as durable.

Natural Stone Countertops

Most of the natural stones are amazing in durability. You don’t need a lot of convincing when it comes to natural stones, because they are stones that are literally made under high pressure and temperature. They are not made to crack.

Natural stones have a lot of strength and most stones outlive everything else, given that they’re maintained and taken care of. Granite and quartzite are two of the most durable natural stones followed by soapstone, slate, marble, and others.

Engineered Stone Countertops

Engineered stone surfaces are also strong. They’re really amazing when it comes to durability, because they are literally treated to make them stronger and enable them to endure various elements. Quartz, for instance, is an amazing material with outstanding durability even though it lacks a bit in heat resistance due to resin in its composition. However, in strength and durability, it rivals granite. Then, there are sintered stone countertops that are both durable and heat resistant.

Maintenance

Next up is the maintenance. Every stone in this world, whether it be natural or engineered, needs to be maintained. That is just how things go. You need to clean them, seal them, and keep things away that can damage them.

Natural Stone Countertops

When it comes to natural stones, you are usually high maintenance. You can’t just make do with cleaning. You also have to seal these babies because natural stones are porous. That is just something that comes with the properties of natural stones.

They have small holes on the surface that can suck in water and moisture and if you don’t seal your natural stone countertops, then they can cause stains on the surface, which isn’t good at all. If you want a natural stone that doesn’t require sealing, choose soapstone or consider engineered stone surfaces.

Engineered Stone Countertops

Since engineered stone countertops are man-made, their properties can pretty much be controlled. So, it is a very good thing to know that engineered stones like quartz, solid surface, and sintered stone are non-porous.

They don’t have the tendency to suck in moisture present on the surface. So, you can totally get away without sealing these materials. You just need to give these materials a good wipe down and you’ll be good to go.

Variety

People love options. They love to have a list of colors and designs to choose from. Some might think that it adds to the confusion, but it is what it is.

Natural Stone Countertops

There are lots of options in natural stone countertops depending on the materials but the options are not as much as in engineered stone surfaces. Why? Because natural stones are, well, naturally made, so the colors in which natural stones are available are default colors and there is only a slight chance of ever having exotic colors and those unique colors usually cost much more.

In short, when it comes to customized designs and colors in natural stones, you have to put a lid on your choices. You can only choose from what is available. This is good for most people, but some just don’t vibe well with it.

Engineered Stone Countertops

Engineered stone options regarding colors and designs and even patterns are literally endless. You can get almost any color, design, and pattern your heart desires. Since they are man-made, the choices are in the hands of the manufacturer.

There are just as many colors in engineered stones as you can think of and you can even customize them to your liking. This is something that a lot of people love.

Cost

The cost is also something that a lot of people want to know about. You want to invest in a good stone, no doubt, but you don’t want to spend a fortune on them.

When it comes to natural stones, they can run a bit more expensive than man-made materials. However, even engineered stones can be pricier than regular man-made materials. The reason is that engineered stones are treated and reinforced with more strength and properties that make them as hard as rocks and more durable. Anyway, in both types, cost depends hugely on the quality of the stone.

Resistance To Heat & Water

Lastly, you might also want to know about the resistance to heat and scratches and it’s quite interesting.

Natural Stone Countertops

Natural stones are great when it comes to heat resistance. For instance, granite, quartzite, and soapstone can resist temperatures up to 450–500°F, whereas, marble and travertine can only withstand up to 250–300°F.

In the scratch resistance category, there are some natural stones that don’t do so well like soapstone, onyx, and marble. However, there are some that are excellently scratch-resistant like granite, quartzite, basalt, and sandstone.

Engineered Stone Countertops

Engineered stones are great when it comes to scratch resistance, but not so much when it comes to heat. These stones can get blistered by heat really easily such as quartz (withstands temperatures up to 300–350°F).

The main reason why it happens is that these stones have resin in them and they are not able to resist heat, which is why the surface of these stones can get darkened after you put very hot pots and pans on the surface. So, you need to be careful when it comes to both of these stones.

However, there are sintered stone and porcelain slabs that are both excellent in heat and scratch resistance.

Conclusion

Engineered and natural stones both have their own sets of pros and cons. Well, now you know exactly which one to choose in case you’re replacing your kitchen countertops. If you want to take a look at various engineered and natural stone options, consult a quartz countertop contractor Potomac.

23

Sep

Sintered Stone Vs. Quartz Countertops: Facts To Know

Whether you’re remodeling your kitchen or revamping some parts of it, kitchen countertops are also something that you need to go over. Here is a detailed comparison between sintered stone and quartz countertops – two of the most popular man-made kitchen countertop materials.

A Comparison Between Quartz And Sintered Stone Countertops

Composition

The composition of a countertop material is really important to consider because it tells you about the durability, longevity, and the maintenance of the stone.

Quartz Countertops

As far as quartz is concerned, this countertop material is made out of natural quartz stone and resin. The composition is usually 90-95% quartz and the rest is resin and polymers. This makes quartz extremely hard, durable, and amazing. It also gives the material the shine that everyone knows and loves.

Keep in mind that the lesser the resin percentage is, the higher quality quartz it will be, so always make sure that you’re going for a good quartz composition and you will be good to go for a long time.

Sintered Stone Countertops

Sintered stone, on the other hand, might be something new to your ears, but it’s actually been around for a decent time and it is slowly gaining a lot of popularity, so people are considering this stone for their countertops and island tops.

Sintered stone is made by a process called sintering. In this process, rocks, like natural stones, quartz, glass and porcelain are subjected to high heat and pressure and this is what melts the stones and mixes them together to form a very durable and strong stone. It is very beautiful and it looks amazing in kitchens.

The special thing about sintered stone is that it is made only with natural minerals without the use of any resins or polymers unlike quartz. This makes it more durable than quartz.

Durability

Next up is the durability of the materials. Let’s face it: if you’re buying a countertop material, then it needs to be a great stone with epic durability because, at the end of the day, you want it to last for decades.

Quartz Countertops

Quartz is a very durable material, so much so that it can exceed granite in some cases too. Quartz is a long-lasting material and it won’t budge or break under immense pressure or force. So, you will not regret getting this material for your kitchen because it won’t let you down.

Sintered Stone Countertops

Sintered stone is also a very durable material. Since some of the main constituents in sintered stone are quartz, glass, and porcelain, the stone is a wonderful exhibit of strength and longevity. It lasts just as long as quartz, if not more.

However, it can chip or break if you put too much force on it, so that can be a problem. For any countertop, you don’t want to test its strength by putting your body weight on it. It will only do more bad for you than good. This is why you want to take care of sintered stone because then it will last longer and that’s what you want at the end of the day.

Maintenance

Maintenance is also another very important factor to consider because when you’re buying countertops for your kitchen, you want to know how much material needs to be taken care of. You don’t want to blindly buy a material and then take care of it and handle it with kid’s gloves. That will only end up making you miserable.

Quartz Countertops

Quartz is an amazing material and the best part? It doesn’t need a lot of maintenance either. If you’re getting a matte countertop finish, then you don’t even need to get it polished. For polished countertops, all you need to do is get it polished only if you see that the luster is getting a bit dim. Apart from that, you just need to focus on day to day cleaning.

 Sintered Stone Countertops

Sintered stone is also low maintenance. Since it is a man-made stone, it is not porous, so it doesn’t need to be sealed and it won’t get stained either. For cleaning, you can stick to your good ole detergent and warm water and use a wet washcloth. That is pretty much all you need to do to maintain sintered stone.

Price

Next up is the price of the countertops. No matter how good a countertop material is and how much people rave about it if it’s expensive, then there’s no way you’re buying it, especially if it’s out of budget.

Quartz and sintered stone vary a bit in the price range. Quartz is considered to be a lot more affordable than sintered stone because the latter has to be made with a lot of complex processes and the industrial manufacturing involved is high-tech. So, if you have a tight budget, then quartz will be the best option to go for.

Resistance

Heat and scratch resistance is really important to go over too because you don’t want to go for a fragile material that will scratch and stain with the slightest force of a sharp object or by any liquid.

Quartz Countertops

Quartz, because it’s non-porous, will not stain, but it is stained and ruined by heat above 150 Fahrenheit. If you put a lot of hot pots and pans on its surface, then it will cause the material to get black and hideous stains and that’s not what you want because they will be almost impossible to remove. As for scratches, quartz is a pretty strong material and it doesn’t scratch as much. Moreover, quartz is not UV resistant so you should never use it in an outdoor kitchen.

Sintered Stone Countertops

Sintered stone is heat proof. Since the process of making sintered stone involves fusing natural materials under high heat and pressure, the resulting stone is a material that doesn’t budge with a lot of heat.

As for scratches, it is recommended that you use a cutting board if you want to keep the countertops looking amazing because even though sintered stone is amazing and durable, it still scratches, so you want to be careful especially when you’re dealing with sharp knives on the countertops.

Another advantage of sintered stone is that it’s UV-resistant. You can install it in your outdoor kitchen without any hesitation.

Versatility In Design

The versatility of the countertop material is really important to consider because some materials can be very hard to the point where they can’t be fabricated into any other shape or design besides their standard ones and that can be a letdown for a lot of people. So, you need to go for stones that have loads and loads of options when it comes to fabrication design and all that.

Quartz Countertops

Quartz, for the most part, can be fabricated into any design you like. It is available in prefabricated options and you can also get your design and cuts in it as well. Of course, custom designs will cost you a bit more than pre-cut designs, but if you want to go for it, then it’s up to you.

Sintered Stone Countertops

As for sintered stone, it can also be made into a variety of designs and with its increasing popularity, it is being used in bathrooms, vanities and even other parts of the house besides the kitchen and that is real versatility. Sintered stone is here to stay and you’ll be surprised by the amazing qualities it harbors and displays when you are using it.

Conclusion

Sintered stone and quartz both have their sets of qualities and downsides and now with this comparison, you can figure out which one you want to go for. If you want more details about any countertop material, get in touch with quartz countertop contractors Potomac.