"He told me quartz was harder and more heat resistant than granite, and maintenance free. " this is completely inaccurate. All the quartz material are approx 30% resin. The resin is very soft and much more easily scratched relative to any granite. Natural stone has DRAMATICALLY superior heat resistance when compared to quartz. In fact, EVERY single quartz manufacturer specifically excludes damage from heat in their warranty. The resin is easily damaged by heat. In a fab shop sometimes quartz materials are bent simply by heating a quartz part in a bath of boiling water. Yes, the resin matrix in quartz countertops will soften up enough to bend it just with boiling water. regarding maintenance - a typical granite should be sealed annually although many do not even need that. Sealing is no more work than a good cleaning which you should be doing anyway. There are natural stones like Marble and Limestone that are much softer and take more maintenance relative to quartz. Once the quartz manufacturers figure out how to accurately duplicate the look of these materials they'll have something. This may be unattainable as quartz tops simply will not polish to the same level as natural stone because 30% of the surface is resin (think "plastic"). On a gloss meter a typical granite or marble will give a reading of "75" while "55" is the best you'll ever see on a quartz. This difference is perceived by the eye as a difference in the "depth" of the shine. Put a tile of black quartz right next to a tile of BLack Absolute granite and the difference is obvious. The dyes used in quartz countertops are not stable in the presence of UV light. We have already replaced kitchens that faded in areas with lots of natural light. Dark colored quartz slabs will noticably fade in as little as a few weeks if left outside. FInally; regarding the long term prospects for the desirability of quartz tops consider the following: 1. the most successful colors of quartz are those that most closely mimic a naturally occurring stone. 2. quartz slabs are far more energy intensive than stone. The resin in quartz slabs is petrochemical based and the production of the slabs is quite energy intensive. Once the slabs have been cooked they have to be polished just like stone slabs. 3. somehow quartz slabs are more "green" than natural stone? this is ludicrous when you consider that the quartz is still mined and shipped across oceans just like slabs. Eventually the buying public will see past the marketing hype and realize that manufactured slabs can't possibly be more green than actual natural stone. (scrap or recycled countertops are also recycled into gravel for roads)

Steer clear of ColorQuartz. I bought five slabs of Akoya Pearl Quartz from International Granite and Marble (IGM). This quartz is made by ColorQuartz. Their sample was incredibly beautiful. It looked like real stone. It was to be delivered and installed while I was gone, therefore I asked IGM if I should come and approve the slabs before I left. They said no, because it was man-made, they would all look like the sample. They delivered and installed while I was gone. The material that was installed was of incredibly poor quality. It has little specks all over it. It looks like it is covered in freckles or made of tapioca. I called IGM and complained. They came to my home and looked at it and agreed with me. They said it would be up to ColorQuartz to refund my money or replace it. I called the local ColorQuartz rep. He said it was awful that the quartz looked so bad. He said he would do something that day or the next. He did not. I then called and complained to the ColorQuartz VP of Sales. He literally told me he didn't care. Repeatedly, he just said, "I don't care". I never heard of any sales person ever before say such a thing. IGM is no longer returning my calls, so I am not too pleased with them either. If they are a good company, they will drop ColorQuartz. I paid $6121.61 for those slabs. I am attaching photos. The one on the right is the actual, the one on the left is the sample.

I think your choice is beautiful. I have the creamy white cabinets on the perimeter with Hanstone Magellan counter. On the website it looks really dark, but it is a lovely grey pattern which doesn't show anything (dust, food) and is not too shiny. My island is a red stained wood (similar to mahogany in colour). I chose Zodiaq Bianca Carerra. I love each of them equally. I have had them for almost 2 years now and have thrown just about everything at them (messy and kids aren't any neater) and they look like brand new. I think anything you choose you will LOVE. Good luck and enjoy your new kitchen. It will be fabulous!

i had Montauk counters installed in early January and by March, I had llittle brown staining all around my sink area. we are super careful with hot items and never put hot pots or even serving dishes down. i have been rubbing dawn dish detergent on the stains which helps a little but they are still peristent. so dissapointing at 2 monhs to have staining!! has anyone else had this problem with Hansstone???