Granite is falling out of favor with homeowners. The engineered stone of quartz instead is displacing the long-reigning granite as being the top-choice for kitchen counter-tops.
Granite counter-tops capture second spot to quartz
“About 75% of our clients are opting for quartz over granite,” says Bill Millholland, executive vice president of the design-build firm Case. “More people want a contemporary aesthetic in the kitchen, and the clean look of quartz goes with that. Granite goes better with traditional décor.”
Quartz is harder and much less porous than granite. It offers homeowners greater color consistency, is stain-resistant, and doesn’t require extra sealing during regular maintenance like granite and marble do.
Kitchen designer Jennifer Gilmer of Chevy Chase, Md., says the majority of her customers now opt for quartz over natural stones. It’s “partly because modern kitchens are hot right now,” Gilmer says. “In these kitchens, the less pattern the better, and quartz helps to keep the clean look.”
Gilmer says the most used colors for quartz counter-tops are white, off-white, gray and black.
“There are good options for a marble-look that are getting better and better with all the quartz manufacturers, and we’re selling a lot of those,” Gilmer told The Washington Post.
But homeowners should be ready to pay more for quartz. Quartz can range from about $65 to $135 per square foot, including fabrication and installation costs, says Eddie Castro, vice president of Stone and Tile World in Rockville, Md. Non-exotic granite, alternatively, may range from about $50 to $60; marble is about $55 to $95 per square foot installed.
With that said, when we remodeled our kitchen in 2015, we were pleasantly surprised with difference in price we paid to install quartz. Everyone said the same thing, “Quartz will be too expensive!” However for our entire kitchen it only cost an addition $425.00, so we opted to upgrade to quartz. And yes it is very much easier to maintain. If you are need of a recommendation for your kitchen or bath remodel give us a call at 813-300-7116 or simply click here and we will get you connected with our guys here locally.
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