Homeowners are choosing granite countertops by a margin of about 3 to 1
Whether homeowners work on it before a meal or gather around it afterward, the countertop is arguably the most visible item in a kitchen. And according to a 2010 Remodeling Reader Panel survey, homeowners are choosing granite countertops by a margin of about 3 to 1 over the next most popular materials (see chart).
Credit: REMODELING Reader Panel, April 2010
Porous granite also requires sealing against moisture, adds Paulo from Florida Granite, and the consistency of quartz means the material can be seamed more easily than granite where fabricators may need to work with or around veining and inclusions in the stone. To that end, Thompson says he often finds that quartz installations require more seaming, while granite installations result in more waste.
Price It
For customers concerned about cost, Paulo says that quartz does tend to cost more than base-level granite. However, “granite price has nothing to do with quality and everything to do with availability of that stone in the world,” he says. “If they’re quarrying 10 blocks and nine of them are usable, we would put that granite at a level-one or -two price point. But if only one of the 10 is usable, it would likely come in at a premium pricing category.
