Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Quartz or Quartzite... What one would you choose?


You love the look of Quartz and Quartzite, but do you know the difference between the two?

Quartz and Quartzite are hard surface materials used for countertops
 in both residential and commercial installations.  

Quartzite                                            

This is an amazing material. It is naturally strong, resists heat and is hard to stain. Quartzite is formed from sandstone and quartz together under a great deal of heat and pressure. The empty grains of sandstone are filled with quartz. This process makes quartzite harder than quartz. On the Mohs scale of hardness (1-10), with 10 the hardest, granite measures between 6 and 6.5; whereas quartzite measures around 7.

However, there is a chance for etching to occur on its surface. Quartzite is considered an exceptional material for use in countertops. This can be literally found all over the world, as it is a very common material formed in the crust of the earth. 

Quartz

This rock begins as the raw material for engineered stone. Added to it are resins, some binding agents and occasionally pigments, which then turns into an amazing surface for your quartz countertops. This tends to be a bit stronger than quartzite and is not likely to etch. This, too, is able to withstand high temperatures, up to about 300 degrees F. 


Quartzite Island - home installation


Quartz countertop - commercial installation



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