This topic comes up at least every month, if you do a search for hd granite, you'll probably find loads of feedback. That said, if you want to pay top dollar for the cheapest of granites, have no chance of picking out the your own slab and have no control over your fabricator, even when the job goes sour (which many HD installs do) then by all means, use HD/Lowes. If however, you would like to have the freedom to choose your own slab, have more variety of choices in stone, pay a more reasonable amount of money for the type of granite you choose, be able to choose your own fabricator, and skip paying a middleman then visit a granite shop. It can be a fun and educational experience.

I purchased quartz NOT from Lowe's and it was a huge mistake. It took me almost a full year to get my money back. (Do a search here on resin pooling) I ended up buying granite from Lowe's. It's absolutely beautiful! I got to pick out my slab AND Lowe's has a terrific happiness guaranteed policy. Go with the big box stores...definitely!!!!!

I bought quartz from HD for our bathroom vanity. I'm interpreting quartz to mean the "engineered stone". So there was no need to pick out a slab no matter where we went. All the same, it went very well. Couldn't beat their price anywhere else and I found the installation including the undermount sink as timely and competent. There are other things I don't like about HD but regarding this, I think they did a good job.

i'm assuming also that, by "quartz," you are meaning engineered quartz. i first ordered my silestone from HD and was told by the KD that the turnaround time would be two weeks. when i called their sub to make the appointment, i was told it was more like four weeks. HD supervisor was kind enough to call them on my behalf to put a rush on it, since it was for place of business. my estimate seemed too expensive, and i ended up cancelling the whole thing in the end, and getting a total refund (HD did not make me pay the measuring charge--long story. this mess came at the back end of a series of mistakes by the KD). so as far as HD i thought the service was great (bad KD, but in the end, excellent customer service by the store's manager). as for timeframe, in my case, they were slow. a few weeks later, i was promised a two week turnaround for my kitchen silestone from a local countertop place. so time frame will vary, i imagine.

I went with Silestone thru Home Depot for the island top in our last kitchen. I was very happy with the service and the product.

We will never purchase another thing from Lowe's. Their bait and switch from what is displayed to what is finally received left us with a terrible result. When we looked at the Quartz all examples were at least 3 cm thick instead after spending almost $5000 we ended up with 2 cm thick Quartz that looks like it belongs in a bathroom. We also had a terrible time with Lowe's installers not paying attention to the contract and they tore out the backsplash we wanted to keep. I do have to give their trouble shooter credit for finally finding a good person to repair the damage. Still we were left with substandard counter tops and feel cheated by Lowe's. NEVER AGAIN.

I paid over 10k for Cambria quartz that looks like marble countertops in our large kitchen from a high-end tile and stone place. We loved them. They are virtually indestructible. However, when we added a large bar area right next to the kitchen about 5 feet from the Cambria countertops, my husband was in charge. He is how shall we say "frugal" so he got quartz from Lowes to match. After 2 years, I honestly cannot tell the difference with regard to look or quality and I was very skeptical at first. We ordered the 4cm in both styles. It is a manufactured stone so there is no such thing as picking your piece out, regardless of who you go with. Our contractor dealt with the installation but I have dealt with Lowes and HD alot and their are usually more headaches and wait time but you save about 30-50%. Depends on what you are willing to pay for...

The big boxes cannot be beaten on price for the identical product. They have buying power leverage with manufacturers and use it.

"They are virtually indestructible."

Engineered stone is a fine countertop material, but I assure you it is destructible, especially if you set a hot pot on it. You'll get a ring of bright white where you've "popped" the quartz crystals. The movement, particulates, and color dictate whether or not an inconspicuous repair is possible. It's supposed to be inert, but unlike Corian, you can get a permanent stain on estone. Because of the resin content, it can never be as glossy as natural stone.

Mine have yellowed where it sees the most traffic, next to the sink.