# Which surface is better to you



## Imperialmarble1 (Jan 25, 2010)

Has anybody found it hard to choose there countertops? you know the differences between the granite and the quartz tops? I thought it would be an interesting topic, all of you could give me your oppinion 

Thnx


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## RenovatorLLC (May 14, 2008)

We replaced our counters in Nov. We priced quartz, corian, and granite, and natural stone was the cheapest. We found several types of stone we liked and have been very happy with the results.


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

Soapstone:thumbsup: Pretty much bullet proof:thumbup:
& everyone doesn't have it:notworthy:notworthy
Work it with the carbide cutters:thumbsup:
Really very nice looking:thumbsup:


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## HoustonPremier (Nov 10, 2009)

X2 on the soapstone. Definitely a beautiful and underutilized material.


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## D.Foster (Sep 13, 2008)

I know Quartz is stronger than granite and more uniform in pattern and color. Granite may have fissures and cracks where the quartz is epoxy and stone. And with granie you cannot use oil based sealants for plumbing fixtures, don't know if you can on quartz though.....


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## RadRemod (Oct 29, 2009)

IMO:

Quartz- great if you want uniform look with more bactieria resistant surface
Granite/Marble- great if you want natural movement 
Corian- SUCKS! Scratches way too easy.
Soapstone/Concrete- Haven't used but very interested! 
Formica- Budget remodel or rental grade special

Thats my 2 cents!


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

Vote for soap stone. It will get nicks and gouges if you cut on it but, all it requires is to wipe some mineral oil on it now and again.


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## rselectric1 (Sep 20, 2009)

RadRemod said:


> IMO:
> 
> Quartz- great if you want uniform look with more bactieria resistant surface
> Granite/Marble- great if you want natural movement
> ...


:thumbup::thumbup:
My thoughts exactly.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

I just went through this with our new kitchen. Didn't want granite because of it being so common, Wouldn't have minded soap stone but couldn't get it in the shade we wanted. So we took a look at corian. Heard great things about it but never really tried it. Heard that it marks easy from a few people but found it to be the opposite. I couldn't mark it with my pocket knife on the sample so i guess it hold up pretty well. Not that i would dull my cooking knifes on it anyway. Wood cutting boards for me. Ended up with Corian and it has a 10 year warranty and matches the cabinets really well. So Corian gets a thumbs up from me :thumbsup:

Brother in law just had this granite put in his kitchen. Never seen anything like it before.


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## rselectric1 (Sep 20, 2009)

That's stunning.

How do the seams look? It's so hard to match the movement when it turns a corner or needs to be seamed.

BC-just to be safe, don't throw your car keys on the corian. It really will scratch! LOL


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

rselectric1 said:


> That's stunning.
> 
> How do the seams look? It's so hard to match the movement when it turns a corner or needs to be seamed.
> 
> BC-just to be safe, don't throw your car keys on the corian. It really will scratch! LOL


I ain't had a really good look at the granite yet as it was fitted just as i was leaving but it does look very nice. 

My mate had a $120k kitchen fitted in his house in UK and his corian was made when they had issues and it was black. That was covered in scratches. They come out and replaced the whole counter top after a year. He still has the one in that replaced it. The newer stuff is meant to be much better. We will find out in a couple of weeks when it's fitted.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

Get yourself an orbital sander that hooks up to an extractor (Festool). Get the proper grit and you can refinish Corian when you need to.


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## RadRemod (Oct 29, 2009)

angus242 said:


> Get yourself an orbital sander that hooks up to an extractor (Festool). Get the proper grit and you can refinish Corian when you need to.


 
Very true..... However I had just finished a kitchen remod and the owner was stuck on a corian counter as much as I tried to stear her in another direction. I came back a 3 days after it had been installed and she had moved everything back in and it had numurous micro scratches from the boxes! Every solid surface I've seen has scratches and the owners response is "Well I can sand it before I sell it." So it looks like crap from 1 week to 10 years?? Ive got 3cm granite in my house and after a quick cleaning, not sanding:w00t:, it looks as good as the day they installed it! Just don't spill oil on it and leave it!!


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## naptown CR (Feb 20, 2009)

Granite for me I like the randomness of it Quartz is too uniform. I had granite in last house corian in this one I hate corian but it can be repaired easily enough.
Funny My granite and quartz supplier had an ad below this thread.


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## Kyras (Jan 2, 2010)

Not for nuthin' but if that's granite I will eat my hat. Granite is volcanic, therefore homogeneous, having been boiled (primitive description, but not inaccurate). That's marble. The veining is from fracturing over time and infiltration of surrounding materials.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

I wanna do soapstone on my island and quartz for the rest.

Nice catch Kyras!!! :clap:


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## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

RadRemod said:


> IMO:
> 
> Quartz- great if you want uniform look with more bactieria resistant surface
> Granite/Marble- great if you want natural movement
> ...


Pretty close to the way we sell it. We just add -

Quartz - Pros -most bullet proof material, Cons - less natural, more commerical look, good for contemporary designs but not for traditional styles

Granite - most in demand, biggest variations in cost, most versatile - low cost stuff is more contemporary in nature, higher end with movement works for traditional styles

Marble - not a great material for what we do. Too absorbent, too soft. Must be babied. Good for empty nesters, not so good for teenagers.

Travetines - same as above

Soap Stone - not in demand in our area, big in the south

Concrete - not big in demand, very contemporary material, more curiosity then anything else.

Resin products - Corian ect... fallen way out of favor. Biggest draw to them in the integrated sink aspect of the product.

Tile - very versatile, very cost effective, either loved or hated

Laminates - Formica - one of the most under rated products going. Extremely cost effective can be very beautiful if done using the new surfaces and new edges.


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## 747 (Jan 21, 2005)

Quartz or the fairly new recycled glass countertops are sharp. However those might not be available everywhere. Finally solid surface isn't a bad look.


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## peterjames (Mar 11, 2010)

Imperialmarble1 said:


> Has anybody found it hard to choose there countertops? you know the differences between the granite and the quartz tops? I thought it would be an interesting topic, all of you could give me your oppinion
> 
> Thnx


The basic difference is that granite is natural stone taken right out of the earth, polished, and cut into slabs. Quartz products are made of real stone also, but in combination with man made products, so you get the hardness and beauty of real stone, with the consistency and durability of man made products.


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## McCarthy D+B (Feb 12, 2010)

Personally, I have always been a huge fan of natural stone. Man-made material pushers can nag at me all they want about the hassle of sealing stone tops, but if you maintain your tops, it's not that big of a deal. Natural stone has, well, natural beauty, and I have yet to find a quartz material that captures that. They all look very "fake" to me, and do not capture the essence of a rare stone like a Jurassic Granite, with all of the fossils (you can check out a photo of that Jurassic stone on my website). Concrete tops are growing on me at a very quick pace. I like the idea of creating simulated cracks and mixing thicknesses. It makes for very interesting conversation at the very least.


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