I love the looks of both, but the quartz is totally care free and less likely to break!

edit: I guess I should choose my words more carefully. By "totally care free" I was referring to not having to seal quartz and not worrying about stains. And I should say "crack" instead of "break." I have known of a granite countertop cracking along a vein.

My granite is care-free, and has not broken (Joyce Brooks' word above) in the 10 years since it's been installed. Looks like the day it was installed. I've never even sealed it. Be careful not to generalize and lump all granites under one umbrella. There are hundreds, and they vary in absorption rates, and durability. Many are easy care, some need more maintenance. Just don't think they're all the same. Not sure why Joyce Brooks seems to be saying that granites are likely to break. Buildings are built from granite, not just kitchen counters.

I don't treat quartz (man made) and granite (natural stone) any differently. I wouldn't place oven-hot dishes on either. I sanitize both of them with Lysol w/bleach. I have never sealed granite in kitchens I have owned and had no issues with staining.

We have an outdoor kitchen/BBQ counter with granite, which bakes in the southern CA sun. When BBQ-ing I get oils, marinade, etc on the counters and don't usually clean it up that same night. It might bake in the sun for a few days. I soak it with lysol w/ bleach and all the stains come out with a bit of scrubbing.

You can chip both granite and quartz. I've only caused one chip in 20 years.

Do a search on this forum -- we've had this discussion several times!

I think the main choice comes down to the look you want for the space. I am doing quartzite (another natural stone) in my kitchen remodel. I used quartz in my bathroom remodels because I wanted something plain (or with limited movement) to be secondary to the decorative tiles I used.

Agree with what's been said.

The July 2017 issue of Consumer Reports rated countertop materials for stains, cutting, abrasion, heat, and impact. Quartz and granite topped all the other countertop materials by a wide margin. Quartz edged out granite by three points, 84 for Quartz and 81 for granite. Laminate got 68 (virtually tied for third). Marble got 14.

I'm finding my new quartz harder to keep a uniform non streaky look they are taking much more care. Granite that I had before, zero issues. I went with quartz for the very light non busy look. But that is the very thing that hides everything in granite.

With the caveat that some of the lighter granites can stain, these are both really durable materials for kitchen countertops and the choice is more a matter of style preference.

I would also suggest that you look into quartzite, but do test to make sure it’s not marble. I am using Mont Blanc for my kitchen and it is gorgeous.

"July 2017 issue of Consumer Reports"

Consumer Reports is pure pay for play. Their objective opinions vary with the amount of advertising bought and paid for. So becareful using thier advice...............

I had granite before, and struggled with what to get this time as we had a lot of staining issues with granite. I swore I wouldn’t get quartz because I didn’t like the look. Then I saw some larger samples and changed my mind. It’s nice not to have to worry if a drop of soap spills, or someone puts the olive oil bottle down on the counter, that it will stain.

millworkman - since they accept no advertising and don't allow anyone to say "Consumer Reports Rated" or such - how is the magazine pay to play? Just curious here.

I have what's considered a white granite. (White Ice). We have three children that help cook (and spill) a lot. My husband is Italian and makes a big bubbly gravy every Sunday. I've had absolutely no issues and with a simple wipe down it's as shiny and beautiful as the day it was installed. I've never had quartz so I have no basis of comparison but a friend of mine has and the only noticeable difference when I sat at her Island was that it's warmer on the skin. Leaning on granite tends to feel cold and quartz feels more room temperature.

That's not enough of a reason to sway me and I would go with granite again no question.

We’ve had both granite and quartz in our kitchen. I have a slight preference for quartz. In my granites, I could always see micro-fissures in the surface when looking closely under good light. And even when sealed (and we sealed annually) we could see faint, dark rings where anything wet sat, like our hand soap dispenser. Ours was a lighter granite, which made it worse, I’m sure. So I just wanted something totally non-absorbent in the kitchen. Nothing ever permeates our quartz.

Later, when we redid our laundry room and guest bath, we did use granite. It has been well sealed, but we still have to keep the hand soap dispenser on a cork coaster to prevent rings. All this said, I am a huge fan of the very dark granites, some of which have fallen out of fashion (uba tuba, jet black) and I think if I went back to granite, I’d go with one of them. Those will hold a shine much better than any quartz, a look I prefer, even though honed finishes are increasing in popularity. Quartz used to be more expensive, but that seems to be changing.

Where we live, an explosive growth area, almost all new homes — especially spec homes — have quartz. At a recent Parade of Homes function, I was told by a couple of agents that millennials prefer quartz. I could care less what is in style, so if I were choosing, I would go with whatever was the best match for my cabinetry. I don’t think you can go wrong with either choice. But I wanted to present some pros in favor of quartz.

I'm always fascinated by the comments about which countertop materials "show dirt", and those that don't are deemed more desirable. Huh? If my countertops are dirty, I'd like to know so I can clean them! I'm preparing food to eat on them and I sure don't want them dirty. But to each his own... People also prefer black leather in their automobiles as it "doesn't show the dirt". Ick!

What "look" do you like? Granite and quartz look nothing alike. If you find a look you like then that is what is good for you. Quartz is not "unbreakable" and granite is not "high maintenance". There are exceptions to all rules, but for the most part they are both pretty easy to care for and maintain.

Years ago when I had white laminate, people were often remarking what a “pain” they must be to keep clean. Like white magnetically draws more crud. No, it just shows the crud. Which, being a DSM-certifiable OCD kitchen-cleaner, I always found immaterial. I never stop cleaning counters. Laminate, FWIW, is another great, oft-overlooked countertop material, as is Corian. Nothing looks as clean and creamy as a white or ivory Corian, in my view.

but the quartz is totally care free

Keep in mind that even if your granite needs sealing, it only needs it once a year, and it only requires a few minutes' work. IF that's what you want, I don't think the "maintenance" is enough reason to stay away from it.

Quartz edged out granite by three points, 84 for Quartz and 81 for
granite. Laminate got 68 (virtually tied for third). Marble got 14.

Well, those numbers are telling, aren't they? 81 vs. 84 is practically nothing ... but 14? That should be an eye opener for anyone considering marble, especially since it costs so much.

Laminate, FWIW, is another great, oft-overlooked countertop materia

I have no great love of my laminate. It's a dark green mottled color, and from a distance it looks fine ... but if you look at it close up, it's full of little scratches, especially in the area where I prep all the time. I think the scratches are from cutting boards and frying pans that're scooted across the laminate.

I don't think laminate is made as well as it was in the past; however, for the price difference, you could buy it and "give yourself permission" to buy a new counter top in X number of years, whereas I'd assume stone is for life (both for financial and ecological reasons).

I am so looking forward to my new light quartzite counters so I can see the dirt left on them by others in the house ... hate putting something down (or my hand) and have it come up covered in coffee grounds or spice rub. The men do not see dirt on dark counters!

Anglo, this time around I chose a grayish-white leather for my car interior, which makes the interior so light and bright. No extra dirt, just the usual stuff that I can now see and wipe easily with a damp paper towel. Never going back to a black leather interior!

While I too like to see any "dirt" on the countertop and am considered a bit ocd about it. I still do not find quartz carefree like granite. When I mention smears that can be hard to clean, I'm not talking about food smears. It's part of the cleaning process that creates the smears (for lack of a better word) that can be hard to remove.

OT: Ewwww, Chipsa and Anglo, I was about to order a car and accept a black interior because that was what was most readily available- not any more- yuk. Thank you for the heads up. I will wait for my light tan interior instead.

Chipsa, we stayed at a vacation rental with brown mottled granite countertops- absolutely disgusting- even I missed cleaning spots up occasionally- you can imagine how great my sons were at noting their chocolate ice cream had dripped on the counter.

Rita, now that we put that idea in your mind, you can't unsee it! ;-)

I know all about the unseen ice cream drips on a dark counter!

You will love a lighter car interior. Much easier to find small items you might drop in the car and will be much cooler than a black interior if you live in a warmer climate.

The worst was a test drive in a car with a mostly all RED interior ... it was close to 100F that day and I imagined that was what being in hell would feel like!!!

Mrs Pete, I disagree about the laminate. I think it is greatly improved from years ago.

Laminate is a great choice. Easy maintenance, no breakage issues. Low cost. If I had a bunch of kiddies running in and out throwing stuff on the counters, I absolutely would go with laminate counters.

Quartz is beautiful, if you like that look. (I do, I have it.) But it can chip, as can granite as well, and breakable items will break if dropped on it. I know how kids are, so unless you have the ability to keep them from the normal banging around, I would avoid stone counters altogether.

Corian is a nice compromise I think. Lower cost, more kid-friendly.

chispa, my Dad got a new company car every 2 years, and could pick the color he wanted. One year he chose a deep red - but didn't specify an interior color, so that came red as well. He said he felt like he was driving around in a blood vessel.

I've never had granite, but I love my quartz countertop. It does hide crumbs and spills - from DH, at least. Undercabinet lighting makes a world of difference.

Idecor54, I know what you mean about cleaning quartz counters. I scrub the counter in sections, so each part can be dried immediately, otherwise I get streaks (similar to washing a window or mirror). Presumably polished granite would be the same way?

AnnKH, interesting question. I have never had granite, but of course know many with it. My sister had it, but it was a very very busy pattern, and honestly I always thought it very hard to tell when it needed cleaning! That said, my quartz has been an interesting learning experience, given all the hoo-hah that has been written online about it. I find that I actually spend more time cleaning it than I did my laminate counters, as it has a high shine and my eyes always stop at each little spot and make me want to immediately wipe it up! Maybe that means I am a little OCD, who knows. :-)

I think I just read here on Houzz that the gloss factor of granite is higher than quartz, so I expect that would be a factor in any streaking that one might see. I don't really notice much streaking though, and so far it has been easy to clean, although oily/greasy spots seem to take more effort (in a cleaner) to remove than it took on my old laminate. Not sure why that is though.

I found this statement online, and it really does describe the difference in the looks of granite and quartz, to me. I prefer a much calmer appearance - so that was a one appeal of quartz to me, over granite.

"Granite's attractively chaotic appearance, in sharp contrast to quartz countertop's homogeneous look."

Chess said: "If I had a bunch of kiddies running in and out throwing stuff on the counters, I absolutely would go with laminate counters."

I would get the granite/quartz and train the kids to respect their belongings and those of the family or get rid of them ... the kids , not the counters! ;-)

chispa, sure that sounds good. I think we all do our best on teaching respect for property. But to expect a child to understand the limitations of a countertop material, and to remember that every minute, even when they are running into the house excited with some new thing to do or story to tell, I think, is probably asking for disappointment. But to each their own of course.

Complete aside, but someone said marble is expensive. Our Carrara marble was dirt cheap--way cheaper than Quartz and cheaper than just about any granite. It did (we moved) etch of course.

The men do not see dirt on dark counters!

I hate to tell you they don't see dirt on light counters either. Sigh.

So true. LOL

Chess, but if they are running in with something so hard that it could ruin a countertop then they probably hit the doors, glass, walls, floors and cabinets before they got to the counters. I started early and consistently, telling my kids to respect our belongings and surroundings, and those outside our home. Children easily understand these things, but they have to be taught and reinforced.

My kids are 6, 4, and 2 and we opted to have quartzite countertops installed. I know a lot of people with young children who have quartz or granite countertops and they all seem to be doing fine, but i also understand the other POV that it’s crazy to spend a lot of money on something that the kids are going to beat up anyway.... but I’m not willing to wait 15 years to have a kitchen that i love.

As an aside, my grandmother has always had a beautiful house. She favors very fancy decor with a lot of antiques, but was never fussy with her home and it was very well used. With 14 grandchildren and now 4 greats, she has always felt that the reason to make a house beautiful is for the people you love to enjoy it.... and I agree!!!!!

i have polished granite and don't have the issues of streaking or smearing. i use water/alcohol/fragrance and a dab of dish soap. the come up beautiful every time!!

been in for about 5 years and haven't sealed them yet. they are on the darker side....

chispa, I guess it depends on your layout. If a kid ran into my kitchen from the garage, the first thing they would get to would be the big peninsula counter. The situations I am talking about have nothing to do with teaching respect for property, It has to do with life and all the crap that happens. I think it would be foolish to not consider that when there are young children in the picture.

I have granite, and intentionally went with a bullnoze rounded edge and corners, because the counter height was the exact height of my 4 year old's face at the time. I was definitely more concerned with the counters hurting the kid than the other way around. Luckily, the counters have held up beautifully despite hot glue gun spills, glitter, climbing, and the multitude of other abuse it has taken from an active family of 5.