subject: Granite Worktops and Quartz Worktops – are they Really Good Value for Money? [print this page] Everyone knows that granite worktops and quartz worktops look great. They also know that real granite and real quartz, the proper solid stuff that runs all the way through rather than the MDF core with a stone overlay, costs money. Significantly more money than a PVC covered worktop or even a wooden one. So what's the big deal? Is granite, or quartz, really that much better than a different kind of work surface?
Well, let's look at the options. A person can kit his or her kitchen out with wooden worktops; solid surface plastic worktops; or laminate. All have properties that set them apart from granite worktops and quartz worktops. A wooden work surface has an element of traditionalism; a solid surface plastic coated worktop has a kind of functional mid range show home look to it; and laminate is what most of us grew up with, the cheaper more cheerful fitting that is supposedly easy to clean and keep. So part of our comparison has to do with looks: which work surface has the right look?
That depends on the room the work surface is going to be fitted in. In general, an ultra modern look kitchen is not the right place for a wooden work top. A fake hard surface plastic top with a stone look might work but then one runs into the problem of strength and quality deterioration. Solid surface work tops just don't have the internal strength or durability of granite worktops or quartz worktops and they don't quite look the part either. If you're having a kitchen done in an ultra modern style then compromising on work top quality seems like a bit of a daft thing to do.
Other styles of kitchen might suit a wooden work surface: a farm style kitchen, for example, or a nice clean classic look kitchen. Thing is, they'll also suit granite or quartz. So here the decision has to be based as much on practicalities as aesthetic. The problem with wood is this: it's very difficult to maintain. It stains, it doesn't clean so good, it scratches and marks easily and it warps near heat or damp. Granite worktops and quartz worktops are impervious to almost all rough treatment to scratch granite or quartz; you'd have to hit it with an axe.
That means, of course, that although a wooden work surface might be nominally cheaper than its stone cousins, it may actually cost more in the long run. The maintenance costs of wooden work tops, in terms of cleaning products, protective products and the inevitable refurbishment after a few years' service, can end up being more than the purchase and installation costs of quartz worktops and granite worktops put together.
Ultimately, the reason quartz and granite work surfaces cost a little extra is because they are of such good quality. They're versatile, too unlike any other work surface, granite and quartz go with any decor, any scheme and any style. And that's a value for money no other type of work surface can match.
Granite Worktops and Quartz Worktops are they Really Good Value for Money?
By: Sam Paul
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