Clean your countertop with warm water and soap every day if you can. When it comes to regular cleaning, a soft rag and mild detergent should be quite sufficient. (Equally, never chop directly on the surface.) Take care not to bang your countertop, especially around areas like sinks, and don’t place scalding hot pans directly on them. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t be damaged, either by intense heat, or by chipping. They’re also harder to damage than many of the equivalents. Quartz countertops are essentially quite low maintenance, and, unless you ask for a matte finish, naturally shiny and so don’t need to be polished.

Multiple finishes are also available – including, for example, matte if you’d rather not have a polished finish.

At the same time, this quality makes it very hygienic, since it doesn’t harbour bacteria. It can withstand a variety of common household stains, from coffee and wine to oil and juice.

Because it isn’t porous, this material will resist staining much better than granite, concrete or marble.

Price typically compares well with other, similar materials used in countertops, such as granite or marble.

Quartz is as durable as concrete and granite, but doesn’t crack or chip as easily.

The appearance is rich, even luxurious, and with a depth that you don’t always get elsewhere.

Indeed, you can even order your own custom colour.

Due to the manufacturing process, you’ll find more choice in terms of colours than with other natural stones, including granite and marble.

Here are some of the key advantages to having them in your home: With quartz countertops, the main appeal lies in their durability and attractive appearance. So perhaps a quartz countertop could more accurately be described as being fashioned from engineered or compound stone. But there may well be granite, marble, and some other natural stone or recycled materials as well, such as ceramic, glass, mirrors or silica. Of course, the other 90% will obviously include quartz.

Up to 10% of a quartz countertop’s volume may consist of a cement-based binder. Its use in kitchen and bathroom countertops is relatively new, but it has is a loyal and growing following, mainly due to the many benefits of using this material. This mineral is often used to make carvings, and in jewelry production. It’s made up of oxygen and silicon atoms, and there are several varieties, in different colours, some of which are semi-precious gemstones. Quartz is one of the world’s best-known minerals, and it’s found pretty commonly, in fact it’s the second most plentiful mineral in Earth’s continental crust.

Quartz countertop crack repair kit