May. 06, 2024
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Each of these manufacturers offers a wide selection of quartz products that can fit into any kitchen style. While some are available only through your kitchen and bath designer or remodeler, most are also available at design centers throughout the country. Your design-build contractor can provide you with samples to help you make a perfect choice.
With over 40 colors readily available in design stores nationwide, Caesarstone is the number one choice in engineered stone. It comes in a wide variety of styles from more traditional looks like marble, to some contemporary and daring textures. Caesarstone is continually improving and growing its product range and has added styles that will fit into almost any kitchen design.
One of the most popular brands in quartz countertops among homeowners and designers, Silestone is available in over 60 colors and styles. It is available through your kitchen design firm as well as in design centers around the country.
Cambria is a high-end brand that is only available through select specialty stores and distributors. With over 100 design styles and colors available, it comes with a lifetime warranty. This luxury brand boasts some of the most exciting color options available and the most realistic looking natural stone patterns on the market, including a beautiful imitation marble. Cambria is the only brand that is wholly manufactured in the United States.
This product is manufactured by the popular consumer electronics and appliance company LG. The Viatera line is created in Italy by LG and is available in 50 earthy colors. With a wide range of colors from “Snow Storm” to “Absolute Night” you're sure to find the perfect color for your new kitchen!
Corian Quartz, formerly known as Zodiaq, is a versatile line of quartz products manufactured by the chemical giant DuPont. Corian Quartz comes in over 40 colors and various interesting textured varieties. They are available at design centers and big box stores nationwide.
HanStone Quartz is manufactured in North America. With six times the durability of granite its a countertop material that is ideal for aspiring chefs and those families that spend a lot of time in the kitchen. HanStone has seven different collections and over 50 styles designed to match a variety of kitchen designs.
MS International (MSI) was founded in 1975 and is a premium surface provider for residential and commercial applications. MSI’s line of Q Premium Natural Quartz comes in dozens of elegant scratch, heat, and stain-resistant styles and it’s backed by a lifetime residential warranty.
Polarstone has been a leading company in the manufactured quartz industry since it released the first accurate Calacatta marble design quartz in 2014. It was the result of several years of development with the goal of creating the finest manufactured representation of natural marble on the market. Up until this time the quartz industry had focused on granite designs, but Polarstone was the original innovator recognizing the demand for high-quality marble designs.
Knowing what to avoid is almost as important as knowing which brands offer the best product. Today, there are many brands of quartz on the market that look good and seem to offer great value. But brands come and brands go. These eight manufacturers produce the highest quality products and provide homeowners with great value.
In general, the best advice we can offer is to avoid brands that are not made in the United States. Much of the “bargain” quartz on the market today are being manufactured in China, and the problems with the quality of stone coming from China is well documented. There are some good companies making quartz slabs in China, like Polarstone which primarily manufactures there products in China, however, they are the exception to the rule.
These eight most popular lines of quartz countertops offer you tremendous value, along with thousands of choices in style, color, and texture for your kitchen. An excellent place to start is by talking to your kitchen and bath designer. They can help you choose the perfect countertop for your kitchen remodeling. Today there are manufactured stone products that look remarkably like granite, limestone, marble, and even slate. They're available at a price point that fits almost any budget, and more importantly, quartz countertops can be a beautiful focal point in your dream kitchen!
Smaller Quartz Brands
A number of mid-sized quartz manufacturers have emerged in recent years. Some designers like to use these companies because they offer highly favorable prices for their clients.
Daltile ONE Quartz
Daltile, true to its name, is mostly a ceramic, porcelain, and glass tile company. With a modest roster of 34 designs, Daltile's ONE Quartz line represents cost savings that some of the larger brands do not offer.
LG Viatera
Originally a division of South Korean company LG, which produces everything from electronics and chemicals to solar energy equipment, LG Hausys is well-known in the countertop industry for its HI-MACS acrylic solid surface product. LG Viatera has a total of 51 colors among three different collections.
Pental
Pental is a Seattle-based distributor that is large enough that it has its own private label quartz line. It is known to be competitively priced and includes four different collections.
DuPont
The chemical and consumer products giant DuPont (and maker of the popular Corian brand of solid surface countertops) first entered the quartz market with its Zodiaq line. Now called Corian Quartz, the brand offering includes about 48 color options.
Choosing a Quartz Countertop Brand
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Further reading:Different quartz brands and product lines offer various features and material properties, from colors and styles to the available sizes of the raw material.
Design and Edges
The range of designs is the single biggest difference among quartz brands. "Designs" is the industry shorthand for several qualities of the slab's visual appearance: overall color, size, and shape of minerals, streaks, and striations. Edge profiles are built into the slab at the factory, not formed by the fabricator.
Slab Size
Due to the need to seam quartz, it is better to use the largest slabs possible to minimize seams. As Dalton notes, "I like quartz and there are several differences beyond color and pattern. When I can specify a jumbo slab and avoid using two slabs for a project, it's a win and cost savings."
Warranty
All quartz brands come with a warranty. What differs is the length, limitations, and transferability of these warranties.
Price
As can be expected, prices vary among brands. Quartz slab prices are wholesale-only and are confined to the supply chain between manufacturer and approved dealer/installers. Much like purchasing an automobile, consumer quartz prices are negotiated with the dealer and are variable.
Common Quartz Characteristics
While licensees add their own flair and nuances, they are still working off of Breton's original patent. Despite the brand, several qualities of quartz are the same.
Composition
Around 93 percent mineral content. The high degree of mineral content gives quartz its distinctive look and feel. By contrast, solid surface's 66 percent mineral and 33 percent polymer content lends a silky, soapy feeling to the material.
Hardness
The process of creating quartz countertops saves the hardest mineral (quartz) and eliminates softer minerals and impurities. This means that quartz counters are harder and more durable than natural slab granite.
Water Absorption Rate
Quartz's low water absorption rate of 0.5 percent is on par with another low porosity material—porcelain tile. If the material weighs less than half of 1 percent more as a result of water-absorbing into its surface, it is considered to be nonabsorbent.
Heat Resistance
Quartz's minerals are impervious to heat, but its synthetic binders are not. As Nancy Dalton of design firm Baywolf Dalton notes, "This material is not heat-resistant. The binding materials will be damaged at high temperatures. Think hot fry pan. Some people think quartz is indestructible and that's just not the case."
Visible Seams
Unless the countertop is small enough to be fabricated from a single slab, two slabs often need to be seamed together. Depending on the skill of the installer, this seam can be minimized but it will never be invisible.
FAQ
What quartz brand is the most affordable?
There is no one quartz brand that is the most affordable, since the cost will depend on a variety of factors and brands often change prices. You will have to get a quote from a few brands on your list to see which one is most affordable.
How can you tell if quartz is high quality?
Color consistency, even color distribution, and vibrance are all tell-tale signs of high-quality quartz.
What style of quartz countertops is most popular?
The most common style of quartz countertops is neutral-toned, with shades of white and gray.
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