There are people in this world who are savvy enough to notice the difference between quartz countertops and granite countertops in Milwaukee. Some of them even have a vague understanding to know that the countertops are somewhat engineered and made from a combination of ground-up stone particles bound together using space-age resins.
The fact that this material is not 100% natural makes it easy for customers to get customized quartz slabs.
In this post, we are going to look at how quartz countertops are made and why they are so unique.
quartz countertop
Quartz countertops are not exclusively made from solid quartz
Although you will indeed find quartz particles in some quartz countertops, saying that quartz countertops are made exclusively from quartz is just like suggesting that all cars in an average parking lot are Chevrolets.
There is a full 10% of the total volume in a quartz countertop that has nothing to do with stone. Instead, it has a lot to do with polymers and cement-based binders.
Now, what about the other 90%? It is made up of crushed up granite, marble, or other recycled industrial waste such as silica, ceramic, mirrors, glass, etc. And of course, maybe there are traces of actual quartz—and sometimes, most of the slab is made up of genuine quartz.
When all these rock materials are mixed together and held in place using binders, the result is a countertop that looks and feels almost like a natural stone countertop.
More accurately, quartz countertops should be referred to as composite stone material or engineered stone—a term that is a more accurate description of how the countertops are made.
All brands of quartz countertops are processed from the same sources
Back in 1963, Breton company based in northeast Italy developed a technology of designing engineered stones, a process licensed under the Bretonstone® trademark. More than five decades later, Breton’s company is still in operation.
This process involves blending an already pulverized natural stone aggregate with a mixture of polymers, extracting all the air from it, before heating and shaping the mix into slabs to be hard and with a look of natural stone.
Since the processing of quartz countertops can be done using recycled natural stone materials, quartz countertops are reasonably priced.
quartz countertop
Quartz countertops help in conserving the environment, a unique characteristic
Taking an example of Fiberboard, the material is much maligned. As sure as tomorrow; you can comfortably bet that no tree was ever cut down in the name of making fiberboard.
The same is true for engineered stone countertops. 90% of the natural materials that make up the base foundation of quartz countertops are made up of waste by-products gotten from quarrying or fabrication processes. There has never been a natural stone product that is quarried for the sole purpose of creating quartz countertops.
These days, you will find that even the resins making up the remaining 10% in quartz countertops have been made to be less synthetic and more natural. Milwaukee countertops fabricators & installers refer to these compounds as Biogenic Resins, which means that they are made from a combination of both artificial and organic resins, the latter being derived from non-edible vegetable oils.
Most times, we walk on quartz
Whenever most people think of quartz countertops in Milwaukee, the first thing on their mind will be either a kitchen or bathroom. But did you know that the majority of quartz is slabbed out in large sizes for public places such as the shopping mall, the airports, or Prada floors? You have probably walked on quartz countertops countless times without even realizing it. This is because it is much easier to get huge blocks of quartz countertops than it is to get a natural stone material in large blocks/slabs.
Quartz countertops No Longer Compete with Granite or marble countertops
There was a time when the quartz countertops market tried to compete with natural stone markets. Milwaukee Quartz Countertops later developed a reputation as the more durable, less porous, and easily fabricated version of granite countertops.
Although there are still vast numbers of granite-look quartz materials still playing the market today, quartz that looks unique is the best selling product in markets all over the world. The best part of it is, getting reasonable prices granite is not as easy as it is to get quartz countertops at a discount.
Granite Plus offers factory direct quartz countertops in Milwaukee. We do this to give our customers the best chance to save on their remodels. Talk to us today for the most competitive prices on countertops in Milwaukee.
