Engineered Stone & Quartz kitchen Countertops
Engineered stone kitchen countertops are quickly becoming a popular choice for today's kitchen designers as a durable, designer-friendly option when remodeling kitchen countertops. Engineered stone is manufactured using a stone aggregate and combining that with resin and color pigment to create an almost natural looking stone countertop. Made up of 93% quartz, engineered stone countertops are a very hard surface and extremely durable.
Cost of Engineered Stone Countertops
Engineered stone countertops are comparable in price to real Granite or natural stone countertops. Starting at US$75+ a sq ft installed, a kitchen renovator or designer can easily achieve the desired effect of natural stone countertops for a few dollars less!
Colors & Design options of Engineered Stone Countertops
Engineered Stone and Quartz stone surfaces are mixed with resins and color pigment to create any multitude of colors. As there is no veining or cracks in Engineered stone surface, it is extremely uniform. One of Engineered stone's greatest assets is the consistency throughout its pattern and is therefore ideal for large kitchen countertop surfaces or large areas in general. This also becomes a draw back as engineered stone can be easily detected due to it's lack of inconsistencies.
Durability of Quartz Stone Kitchen Countertops
Quartz makes up a great deal of the stone aggregate in Engineered stone (93% in fact) and is an extremely hard surface. When mixed with the resin and color pigment, Engineered stone becomes quite stain resistant, heat resistant, immune to chemicals, hygienic and unlike most natural stone surfaces, does not need treatment with sealers. Engineered stone's ease of care makes it a great option for bustling kitchens.
Installing Engineered Stone kitchen Countertops
Quartz stone surfaces and Engineered stone countertops are pre-fabricated using the same patented technique and approximately 93% quartz. Engineered stone countertops need to be pre-cut before installation. Because it requires such precise cutting tools for installation, we recommend professional installation only. Many of the manufacturers of Engineered stone surfaces offer training for installers to properly install their products. Check out some of these manufacturers which are leading producers of engineered stone today. www.Caesarstone.com www.silestone.com & www.zodiaq.com
Environmental & Health Impact of Engineered Stone Countertops
Engineered stone countertops are not a green product due to its mix of color pigment and resin. Quartz being the second most common mineral on the planet makes for easy mining. There are now manufacturers who are using low VOC emission resins now a days so the opportunity to find a durable surface similar to Engineered Stone that uses recycled content and is environmentally friendly is now readily available.
Engineered stone surfaces are very food safe and hygienic, another fantastic surface for kitchens.
More on recycled content in countertops
thesexykitchen opinion
There are so many great design options with Engineered stone that it cannot help but make your kitchen look sexy. The only draw back is a slightly manufactured look due to its uniformity. The diversity, color range and durability of engineered stone and quartz surfaces are an ideal choice in bringing life to your kitchen.
The Martini Factor
Certainly a match for great cocktail parties! An Engineered stone countertops nd its' great durability and resistance to almost everything make quartz surfaces and engineered stone a fantastic option for kitchens that entertain. It is diverse, can be used as a wet bar and will do the trick when entertaining. It is a hard surface though so glassware beware!
