To turn a phrase, necessity is not the mother of invention—nature is. After all, Mother Nature has an imagination like no other, and she has given us many options for making our homes vibrant and beautiful. Case in point: quartz. Nature’s perfect blend of ingenuity and artistry, quartz is gaining momentum in the interior design world as more and more homeowners choose it over granite, the long-term go-to choice for countertops.
And the switch is with good reason, says Carol Payto, Director of Marketing at Mont Surfaces. “People are selecting quartz because they want its natural characteristics, and because there are so many aesthetic choices.”
Karen Schakarov, Vice President of Marketing at Caesarstone, agrees. “Quartz is really on the rise as far as the consumer understanding what it is,” she says. “If you experience granite as a homeowner, while it’s lovely, you recognize the challenges of having to maintain it.”
Unlike natural stone, which is mined in a quarry, quartz is created in a factory. The primary ingredient is ground quartz, which is then combined with polyester resins for binding and pigment for color. In terms of maintenance and care, quartz cannot be beat thanks to its durability, uniformity and consistency. Shayna Hall, Market Representative at Cambria, ticks off the reasons why: “It’s non-porous. It won’t stain. It won’t absorb any bacteria, and it doesn’t need a sealant.”
In essence, you can clean it with soap and water, and, “it will look the way it did 10 years from when it goes it is installed,” Hall adds.
Payto points out that quartz is an ideal product not just for kitchens, but for bathrooms, utility and laundry rooms as well. Homeowners are able to upgrade bathroom vanities or shower surrounds with a higher-end, unique look without having to pay for the waste you would get with granite.
The biggest complaint against the quartz of yesteryear was the lack of patterns, colors and design—all elements that you get with natural stone. But, those criticisms are no longer relevant thanks to the aesthetic options now available today. Whether you like the look of honed marble, polished granite or matte limestone, there is a quartz countertop for you.
Cambria offers 126 exquisite designs across nine collections, all at the same price. “People want the look of exotic granite and natural marble and we’ve been able to achieve those features,” explains Hall.
Mont Surfaces also offers engineered quartz designs that mimic the unique veining of marble. You can also find styles that resemble the look of recycled glass and precious gemstones such as topaz.
Even Caesarstone, long known for its brilliant white, black and gray slabs, now offers a veined series as well as quartz that mirrors the look of concrete finishes.
Such aesthetic innovations speak to the ongoing technological evolution of quartz, such as the new mixing technology that Cambria has come up with that allows them to launch new designs, or the technology that Mont Surfaces is using to give its products more depth.
Carla Litteral, Vice President of Operations and Sales at Mont Surfaces, also talks about quartz that’s pixelated, if that’s the look a homeowner is after, and says, “We have experts—fabricators and designers—who thought they were looking at granite or marble and couldn’t tell that it was quartz.”
For its part, Caesarstone always tries to innovate and stand out as a leader in the industry, as evidenced by the jumbo quartz slabs they are now producing in order to match the trend of today’s larger homes. Caesarstone has also initiated consumer-related programs to help people understand the benefits of quartz, and they market not just kitchen countertops but rather a lifestyle choice.
For homeowners looking to strike an elegant and graceful note in their homes, or to instantly revitalize a space, quartz is the perfect (lifestyle) choice. “Quartz is very desirable,” concludes Schakarov. “There’s been a very lovely groundswell of support and interest as more and more people are coming around to it.”
Resources: Cambria; Caesarstone; Mont Surfaces
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