Quartz or granite worktops: which suits your kitchen?

The basic difference

Granite is a natural stone, cut from a quarry and polished. Quartz is engineered: crushed natural quartz bound with resin and colour, then compacted into slabs. Almost every practical difference between them follows from that. Granite’s character comes from nature, so every slab is unique. Quartz is designed, so it is consistent and you get exactly the colour shown on the sample.

Looks

If you want a plain white, a soft grey or a concrete look, quartz does it better, because natural stone rarely comes that even. If you want depth, movement and a surface that looks like it came out of the ground, granite wins. Marble-effect patterns are possible in both: quartz imitates marble veining, while some granites have dramatic natural veins of their own.

Heat

This is granite’s biggest advantage. It has no resin, so brief contact with a hot pan will not scorch it. The resin in quartz can discolour or mark if a very hot pan or oven tray is put straight on it. If you tend to slide pans off the hob onto the worktop, granite is the more forgiving choice. Either way, a trivet by the cooker is good practice.

Stains and sealing

Quartz is non-porous and never needs sealing. Granite varies: dense dark granites barely absorb anything, while lighter, more open stones are sealed after fitting and need resealing from time to time. If the idea of maintaining a worktop puts you off, quartz is the easier life.

Scratches, chips and repairs

Both are hard and resist everyday scratching. Granite is slightly harder; quartz is a little more flexible, so it is less likely to chip at an edge. Small chips in either can usually be filled with a colour-matched resin repair.

Silica

Engineered quartz contains much more crystalline silica than granite, which matters for the people who cut it rather than for you. If that concerns you, lower-silica quartz ranges exist, and granite and porcelain are alternatives. Our silica guide explains more.

Which to choose

• Choose quartz for a consistent colour, no sealing and the easiest cleaning, especially in a busy family kitchen.
• Choose granite for heat tolerance, natural character and a surface that copes with heavy cooking.
• Consider porcelain if you want quartz’s easy care with granite’s heat resistance, or the kitchen gets strong sun.