Kitchen Countertops: QUARTZ vs GRANITE - Which material is best for your project?

[@JulieKhuu]

If you love the look of marble, but don't want to deal with the hefty price tag or high maintenance, choose quartz that mimics the look of marble or other natural stones. If you love natural stone, but afraid of stains/etching/maintenance, regularly sealing your countertops will help maintain its longevity! What type of material do you currently have in your kitchen? Do you love it/ hate it, let us know below! Thanks for watching everyone 😃

[@vaderladyl]

I have granite and I love it. Strong, durable, still looks brand new even though is builders grade, and that is because I take good care of it and never put anything directly on it without protection.

[@blessedone4406]

This video came the right time. Just to let you am building my house and I will be at finishing point. When it comes to furniture, painting colors I mean everything exterior I didn’t know where to start but I found your channel I have learned so much and not scared anymore 😂 at least I know where to start. Thank you so much!👍👍

[@jackiecuba3414]

Love how detailed you are, Julie! I'll def refer back to this video in the future when we're ready to redo our kitchen and baths.

[@JulieKhuu]

Yes, bookmark for future reference Jackie! I’m about to make a move in my husband’s bathroom. Such a tiny space, exotic granite is going to make quite the statement 🤩

[@BETTYCHIYANGWA.]

I have granite in the kitchen and best decision ever. Durable, no cracks, shiny finish, easy maintenance. Im in love with it, its a black one on white cardboards to compliment my black and white kitchen 🔥🔥🔥

[@nathalie_desrosiers]

Black and white kitchen? Now I'm jealous!

[@dp2404]

Italian here👋 When I was remodeling my kitchen and was looking for countertops, I chose granite because it was cheaper than quarz. But I guess it's just a local thing Very happy with my choice!

[@PopHausInteriors]

Here in Australia we have banned quartz benchtops due to its toxiticity to the stonemasons during the fabrication process. We predominantly use sintered stone/porcelain or natural stone or timber now. Check out Smartstone's sintered stone collection. Their calacatta viola is phenomenally beautiful. It's what I'm putting in my kitchen soon.

[@kimschannel5567]

It’s not the material that is the issue, it’s the fabrication process and safety procedures that the manufacturer puts in place. It is important to find a manufacturer that can guarantee safe practices for workers.

[@PopHausInteriors]

@kimschannel5567 that's exactly what I said above... I'm not sure you read my whole comment before adding your comment.

[@PopHausInteriors]

Also @kimschannel5567 regardless of manufacturer it is banned in Australia. We have a zero silica option but it doesn't have the durability that traditional quartz had. Or porcelain/sintered or natural stone. And then alternative options such as laminate or timber etc. The banning of the material in our country has nothing to do with the manufacturer. But is has everything to do with the safety standards in fabrication for the stonemason

[@jennypaloumpis1684]

We did a kitchen remodel in 2022 and I chose Taj Mahal honed granite. Absolutely love it. I love the natural stone.

[@BridgetGalvan-b5r]

Hi I'm a sales associate/ kitchen designer now for 7 years for a fabricator and stone supplier out of Dallas . Taj Mahal is top of the line stone excellent choice. The right term for yourr material is actually quartzite still natural stone with a minimal amount of resigns that come from man made quartz

[@samtakhandhia1012]

Hi Julie. Really good vlog as always. We renovated our kitchen in 2018 and went for porcelain worktops. I’m really happy with our choice. It’s non-porous, heat, chemical and scratch resistant. The Matt surface means that it won’t show up finger marks so maintenance is easy. It doesn’t need to be sealed. We went for a very thin profile (0.5 cm) for a contemporary minimal look. Only downside was the cost which was a lot more than granite or quartz. This is due to the specialist manufacturing and installation of it. It’s incredibly hard to cut. 6 yrs on and it still looks as good as the day it was fitted. I’ve also got friends who have had Dekton fitted and that has also been robust.

[@allanreginald]

Hi. Question, does dried watermarks show on the matte finish? If so, coz it's kinda inevitable, how do you remove or clean it up? Any special product for a matte surface? Most I see around are for polished surfaces :(

[@samtakhandhia1012]

@@allanreginald I haven’t seen any watermarks on my Matt surface but I do have a water softener in the house so we don’t get limescale build up which will help. I just use soap and water to wipe the surface down.

[@estelsaradop492]

❤Honest to goodness, I've always wondered what their differences were!! Thanks🙏💕

[@kimsoto7665]

I’ve had quartz in my last and current home and LOVE it. Fairly affordable too. Julie, I have a design question. If you had a choice of either having an entryway closet or giving that space to make a larger walk in pantry, which would you choose? We are doing a new build and I’m thinking of foregoing the closet to make a larger pantry for more storage. Thoughts? Thanks!

[@youbetcha108]

Hi Julie! I did not use either of these materials for my counter tops. But that’s only because I wanted a seamless coved piece going up against the wall. I do not like seams at the back corners bc the seam gets dirty. I chose Corian and another man made solid surface. I like the easy clean no seam look. They are also anti bacterial bc they are not porous. But you are right if you want a luxury durable surface solid rock does the trick. Granite soap stone etc. but not quartz if it’s made with a resin of course. Granite is very durable. I think I would go with marble. I don’t mind the dulling over time and I like the feel of it. Even if it’s etched. But I am a practical woman and went with Corian and I am very happy with it. I use trivets to protect it. I have a black speckled Corian in the kitchen and solid white solid surface in the hall bath and a marble look Corian in the master bath. I just wanted a surface that was antibacterial and easy to clean. Corian is expensive. But it’s practical. 🥰Margaret

[@JulieKhuu]

Solid surface is very practical, love that you can literally fabricate any shape you desire! Great for those seamless coved backsplashes and curved peninsulas! 👏🏻

[@oontiankam2135]

For builder grade / cookie cutter home in Malaysia, majority of developers adopt homogeneous floor tiles as counter top. It’s super low maintenance!

[@reneejones2183]

Thank you for the detailed information. We have quartz.

[@JulieKhuu]

I have white quartz in the bathroom, easy peasy no fuss! 🙌🏻

[@Mountainsongbird1]

You say don’t get the builder grade granite but if it’s all the way up to a C grade, I know we likely won’t be able to afford more expensive. All I want is a bit lighter pretty granite. I don’t feel the need to go crazy exotic but I do love the natural stone and the beauty of it. Do builder grade granites have more issues like not sealing correctly? A friend told me her friends got granite and it never sealed correctly but that’s the only instance I ever heard of that happening

[@Peter-ok9bj]

Can you explain the different levels of granite and quartz. When you go to builders there are 7 levels of each and I would like to know the differences.

[@carolhollinger6949]

Well I loved my granite until i googled exotic granite. now I must rob a bank and get me some new!! haha kidding.

[@JulieKhuu]

Seeing is believing Carol! 🤩 I had a previous client who HAD to have granite for her workhorse type kitchen. We went deep into the exotic varieties and I have never looked back!

[@CarrieV9]

I’m seeing more and more articles about lung disease and Quartz fabricators who aren’t protecting their workers. That is a HUGE ethical concern. How do we vet that?

[@joygilman1110]

This! If there is a demand, people will keep getting hurt.

[@tanyamontanez5658]

We bought a house and are not sure if it cheap granite or man made. How can we tell?

[@exyiaevox]

I much prefer these more detailed videos you do. Your experience and expertise over all the other "TikTok designers" is immediately apparent. I hate that it's so hard to learn genuine interior design because content is filled with bored suburban Karen's "live laugh love" homes who just shop generic junk, maybe painted a few rooms or installed a shelf and then act like a designer. I wish more people saw through it, but....oh well. Just know that I (and I hope many others) still appreciate your content.

[@JulieKhuu]

Thank you so much 🙏🏻 Your comment helps to bump my videos up, but the algorithm is not loving my channel, lol. So keep them coming! 🩷💕

[@lauragraves4342]

Great video, I won't take it for granite.

[@raedorin979]

I think i have quartz but it came with the house so i don't know!!!! Please help me figure it out!

[@hagun6535]

My husband needs low maintenance, I travel so when I'm out he has to maintain. So quartz for any future kitchen or bath. He absolutely destroyed the marble we we have in our master bath. But he's a keeper so I'll replace products instead of my spouse.

[@JulieKhuu]

Haha smart move 🙌🏻😂

[@joygilman1110]

Don't get quartz. It's impossible to properly protect the lungs of the people who cut it. There are more ethical options. (I have soapstone and love it.)

[@denison209]

Porcelain is the way

[@christinec1928]

I'd be looking for renewable products. Granite and Marble are not renewable and once blasted out of the side of a mountain, cannot be put back. I'd opt for Quarts, Wood or Bamboo. Granite and Marble are too dear to be used for a kitchen counter that's going to end up in the landfill in a few years.

[@boricua_in_wa]

I have that bachelor’s kitchen! 😂

[@markita.hardenhome]

Quartz is EXPENSIVE. More towards $100 per sq ft. Where I'm from. Granite is cheaper. It depends on supply and demand and where you live.

[@kimschannel5567]

I disagree that porosity is not an issue in the bathroom. Marble absorbs whatever you spill on it. Cologne, makeup, etc. will stain it over time even with regular sealing. Buyer beware!

[@MmeO]

Quartzite!!!! Taj Mahal!!!! How can you leave that out??!!

[@BridgetGalvan-b5r]

Agree and it's the most popular quartzite today ..

[@MmeO]

@BridgetGalvan-b5r it's a warm neutral - 6 years and I still LOVE it!

[@noeltastic]

If only I could afford exotic granite 😭

[@JulieKhuu]

You’d be surprised! A lot of large slab yards carry exotic granite remnants at a fraction of the cost! They always have leftovers from major installs. Perfect for smaller projects when you want a WOW island or even small coffee/tea station. 👍

[@terrificworld5116]

Here in India it's the opposite, granite is cheaper and quartz are expensive.

[@shellbrisc]

I have white quartz, and to me, it does need to be sealed periodically, more than once a year.