When it comes to home remodeling, you can never go wrong for choosing engineered quartz stone for your bathroom and quartz kitchen countertops. This synthetic stone has rich designs which mimics natural stones like granite and marble. Above all, it has impervious strength against scratches and cuts, and it is non-porous.
If you are aiming for these high-end quartz countertops, it is best if you familiarize yourself with the top brands in the market. Likewise, we are going to have a concise discussion of the innate traits of these top quartz countertops.
Stay tuned to find out more.
General Idea
This is a man-made stone with a composition of 90% to 92% pulverized quartz and other minerals combined with 10% to 8% polymer resin binders. Irrespective of brands, these quartz natural stones originated from Breton company.
They used their Bretonstone technology to create different types of quartz countertops. It was Marcello Toncelli who successfully made this stone 50 years ago already.
Durability
Using Mohs Hardness Scale, engineered quartz stone is around 7 where diamond (the hardest stone) is on the 10th scale.
Non-Porous Trait
The natural non-porous ability of quartz kitchen countertops is attributed to its polymer resin binders which seals off mineral pores. Consequently, this contributes to the excellent anti-stain and antimicrobial properties of quartz natural stones.
Heat Tolerance
The pulverized quartz minerals of this stone have a high tolerance to heat, but its polymer resins aren’t. This is the main reason why you need to use hot pads when placing hot objects on top of these quartz countertops.
Seams
If you are using these synthetic stones for smaller surface area, then seams are very likely to be visible. However, for larger surface areas, you won’t notice the seams so much because of the flow of its design.
Design Variations
Several companies have newer technologies to create tons of design variations for engineered quartz stone. You can find a lot of designs and patterns for high-end quartz countertops. This is one of its best edges compared to natural stones wherein you have limited options.
Top Quartz Countertop Brands
Here are the best brands for the different types of quartz countertops for your kitchen and bathroom renovations.
1. Cambria
This is a family-owned business which is headquartered in Minnesota. They have around 133 to 140 designs for their high-end quartz countertops. Their slabs have fine and rough textures to suit customer preference. Slab thickness exists in 1-cm, 2-cm,and 3-cm.
This brand offers a full lifetime warranty on their quartz countertops which is transferable. Their countertops have also passed the Greenguard standards, so it has very low-level emissions which is great for indoor countertops.
2. Caesarstone
This brand was made in 1987 as a replacement to the terrazzo tile industry. Their headquarters is in Israel and has two factory sites – Kibbutz Sdot Yam and Bar-Lev Industrial Zone. It has around 53 designs for its quartz countertops.
They are well known for their envelope design for quartz countertops. They have two collections, Concetto and Motivo, with unique designs. Concetto Collection is composed of 10 design surfaces with built-in precious stone like tiger’s eye and agate. Whereas, Motivo Collection incorporates a croc’s skin with embossed designs.
This brand is available in three textures – satin, polished, and rough/matte. The thickness of the slab is 2-cm and 3-cm. Slab size is 56.5” x 120” and also offers a transferable limited lifetime warranty.
3. Silestone
This Italian brand quartz countertop is made in 1990 by Cosentino. They have their headquarters in Almeria, Spain. It offers vibrant colors which mimic that of the natural stones. Aside from quartz kitchen countertops, you can also use this stone for your vanity top, backsplash, sinks, and shower wall.
There are 142 designs for you to choose from with polished, suede, and volcano textures. There are two sizes for their slabs – standard (55” x 120”) and large (63” x 128”).
It offers a limited 25-year warranty where the first owner can transfer it to another person.
4. Santa Margherita
This top quartz countertop brand supplies to over 70 countries for stone countertops. Their two main stones are marble and quartz. You can choose to have a polished, matte, or mixed texture, whichever is suitable for your renovation project.
They have also complied with the Greenguard standards for a safe indoor countertop. The most popular hues for this brand are red, blue, gray, and white quartz countertops.
5. Daltile
This brand produces a variety of quartz natural stones which include Nature, Micro Flecks, West Village, and Geo Flecks. Aside from that, they are one of the top producers of ceramic tiles in the United States.
They typically offer a lifetime warranty for homeowners while 25-year warranty for business establishments. On average, their limited warranty coverage is between 10-15 years.
You can choose a lot of deep rich hues from their quartz countertops. The veinings and patterns are almost similar to natural stones.
6. Corian
This brand is formerly known as Zodiaq and best for its quartz kitchen countertops. The best feature of this top quartz countertop brand is its mesmerizing high-gloss finish. You just need to do little wiping, then it goes to a shiny surface again.
It offers 10-year warranty coverage for its engineered quartz stone countertops. Moreover, it has passed the standards for a safe low-emission indoor countertop material.
7. Okite
This top quartz countertop brand is Italian made where it is composed of 93% crushed quartz and 7% polymer resin binders. When it comes to rich deep colors with sparkling tones of other minerals, this one can be your best choice.
They offer a 15-year warranty for their stone countertops and has complied with the safe low-emission level for safe indoor countertop material.
Contact Us
If you need any professional assistance for the fabrication and installation of synthetic or natural stone countertops, you can always contact us Precision Stone Design or check us in Facebook. We have seasoned stone specialists and designers which can greatly help you with your remodeling projects.
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