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Remodeling Kitchens

Granite vs. quartz for rental property

5 years ago

We are remodeling the kitchen of a home that we rent in the hopes of attracting renters. What do you recommend for kitchen countertops - granite versus quartz? We currently have oak cabinets with varnish and terrazo floors and are contemplating painting the cabinets.

Featured Answer

kazmom

5 years ago

In my area quartz and granite are interchangeable. Some people like one, some people like the other, but few look down their nose at either. I would talk to a realtor to see If one is more desired over the other in your area and price range. For mine it would make no difference outside of personal preference of an individual renter.

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Comments (8)

cpartist
5 years ago
A lot depends on what your rental market is. If I were renting a house that was going to cost me many thousands a month, I'd expect quartz. A less expensive rental and granite is fine.
HU-539383408 thanked cpartist
Susie .
5 years ago
Depends on the market, the rental, the potential tenants. Many tenants I’ve had I would never consider giving them granite or quartz, but they’re mostly college kids. We remodeled a place a couple years ago and put black granite in - everyone loved it and I think it helped us get a higher quality tenant (not in a college area, but not in a high rent district either). Ask a realtor.
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I could be wrong, but based on what I've seen, a solid dark granite will be much more durable than quartz. I was able to scratch the heck out of engineered quartz (with a knife), nothing but a hammer had an effect on the granite. With the hammer, the quartz was demolished, the granite had a mark. I'm sure I could have broken it if I hit it a few more times. The thing is, there are many kinds of granite, and some of them are much more brittle than others. The ones that are durable seem almost indestructible. I'm not sure that has any connection to the price either. I bet you can find granite that is both cheaper and more durable than any quartz on the market.
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I am a fabricator. Either material can provide a beautiful and durable countertop that will give many years of use. Some natural stones (the more porous ones) can be stained and all of the quartz products are susceptible to damage from heat. Usually a stain can be removed; scorched quartz usually cannot be repaired completely. In actual practice I've dealt with only a handful of stained stained stone tops or scorched engineered stone ("quartz") tops in 16 years of business. IMHO the best approach is to determine the look you want and then choose a specific material. A good fabricator will take the time to educate you on the material properties of the various options. If a fabricator isn't willing to spend some time, sometimes even as much as several hours, during your decision making process find a new one. Good luck with your project.
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As Anglophilia has, I can attest to the wonderful durability of Corian. My current kitchen has 30+ year old Corian and the kitchen being remodeled in the new house had Corian of about the same age and it looked great. With the remodel, however, I will most likely not go with Corian because I'm simply tired of it. Am leaning towards quartz or granite. Jennifer Hogan's post above has a wonderful comparison based on actual experience. Regarding baking buttery dough, Julia Child, on her original show on PBS, mentioned she had a piece of marble cut to fit her fridge. She placed it there to cool and then used it as a pastry board for rolling out dough. This was back in the day when pretty much the only choice was Formica or some other brand of laminate for a counter top. Also, get what you like and don't worry about when it will become dated. Don't fool yourself - whatever you pick WILL look dated in 20 years and maybe sooner. However, what comes around goes around. Even boomerang Formica has come back in style.
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I agree those are too dark. Is there more than one Dune Shadow flooring? This is the one I see from Regal Hardwoods. It looks a lot lighter than your sample, though I don’t like it in any case. Too gray. I just want to make sure there is no mixup in floors you are looking at.
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PRO
Granite City Services
5 years ago
I am a fabricator. "If I were renting a house that was going to cost me many thousands a month, I'd expect quartz. A less expensive rental and granite is fine." In my market the opposite is true. My high end residential work is by far natural stone with quartz relegated to vanity tops and laundry rooms. We do an occasional kitchen in the current fad of white quartz but here that look is already starting to be a bit dated. I believe when the new permanently sealed marble product from Antolini becomes widely available and known to the industry the various white quartz offerings will quickly lose their market position. Real marble is simply more beautiful than any of the efforts by the quartz manufacturers.
Lyndee Lee
5 years ago
Look through photos of competing rental properties in your market and see what is commonly used. I would not think that either material would be a poor choice if used in a well designed kitchen. Well done laminate counters would be fine with me if they fit well into the space and were of appropriate quality. It is not the exact material which is most important but how well it is used in the overall design.
rantontoo
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Do you trust renters to NOT put sonething hot from the oven/cook top on quartz counters? I would put in the most durable, stain resistant granite I could find.
mainenell
5 years ago
I would not paint cabinets for a rental. Painted cabinets do not have The durability of a stained door with topcoat is significantly better. A painted door will need constant touching up. Especially if they are done on site.
mark_rachel
5 years ago
I would go with what is most cost effective. Don't go with a granite that will stain, but there are plenty that will not.

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