When it comes to building materials used in your home, have you ever wondered exactly what they are made from or how they are made? This article will cover an item found in every home, countertops. Although there are many products used for countertops, I will include the most popular materials being used in our area because their formation is unique and interesting
Granite – a natural stone material, formed by the cooling and solidification of silica-rich magma, over millions of years due to volcanic activity. This typically occurs where tectonic plates are converging since high heat and pressure are needed for this natural process to occur. Granite is made up of quartz, feldspar and mica. Blocks are cut right out of the earth, usually the side of a mountain, then sliced into slabs and delivered by truck and ships all over the world to distributors, who sell to fabricators. Fabricators are the companies that custom cut, polish and install countertops into our homes. The beauty of most granite is that no two countertops are the same because of the “veining” created by random movement of the magma. Finishes range from a high-gloss polish to a textured matte, using diamond tipped brushes to create a “leathered finish”. A sealer should be applied to all granite materials to protect the stone from stains.
Quartz – a natural mineral that by itself, would be too brittle to use as a countertop (or most anything requiring structural support). Quartz forms from either magma cooling in igneous rocks or in environments with geothermal waters which are a complex mineral-rich fluid that includes silica, chloride, sodium, calcium and sulfate, among others. Again, this occurs over millions of years. It is mined mostly from open-pits, using bulldozers and backhoes to expose the veins and explosives underground to reduce damaging the crystals during surface extraction. Countertops are made with crushed quartz crystals, combined with resins (polymers) and pigments (for color) that are formed under heat and vacuum compression. The result is a consistent visual pattern, not found in granite. Quartz is non-porous, making it highly resistant to stains like coffee, wine, lemon juice, olive oil and vinegar and does not require sealers. There are many brand names that make quartz slabs.
Marble – Another natural occurring stone that forms from limestone (made up of millions of years of marine organism’s shells and skeletons) that goes thru metamorphism and then recrystallization. This two-step natural process comes from tectonic plate movement that forces limestone deep into the earth, where nearby volcanic magma provides the heat that, along with extreme pressure, makes the limestone rock pliable. As the limestone cools, it recrystallizes, destroying the original fossils and bedding layers. Unlike granite and quartz, no explosives are used to mine marble, whether from underground or surface quarries. Large 15,000-pound blocks are cut from the bedrock, using diamond tipped wire saws. The blocks are shipped to factories that slice and polish the block, ready for shipping to distributors all over the world. Marble is very porous and is subject to etching and staining by everyday acidic products and for that reason, is seldom used in kitchens, (unless sealed and constant maintenance steps are taken). Marble is widely used in bathrooms (countertops and shower walls), as windowsills, decorative wall cladding and flooring. There are many other uses outside of the home such as statues, monuments and landscaping accents.
Quartzite – A nice 3rd choice for a 100% natural stone material. Not to be confused with quartz, quartzite is a non-foliated metamorphic rock formed from heat and pressure of quartz-rich sandstone. The sand grains melt and then recrystallize, eliminating the pore spaces between the sand grains, creating a very dense rock. Again, this occurs along tectonic regions. Quartzite is mined with a very similar process to marble, cutting large blocks from open-pit mines. It is a very hard material, harder than glass and steel knives and is tougher than granite. It is highly durable and resistant to scratching and etching from acids, but sealing is still recommended, especially when being used as kitchen countertops.
NOTE:
Heat - While all of the aforementioned countertops are heat resistant, it is still recommended to use cork trivets or metal hot pads, especially for quartz. Granite, marble and quartzite are more heat resistant but are still at risk for damage from extreme, quick temperature changes. It is ok to set a cup of coffee on any of these but a dish right out of the oven could cause cracking if a barrier of some sort isn’t used.
Costs – A decision on countertop materials is usually based on the color and aesthetics of the material. Common colors of granite, meaning they are widely available, are going to be the lowest cost of the four materials noted above. But rare granite colors, especially ones with blues, can cost as much as the lower to mid-priced quartz, marble and quartzite products.
Fabrication – Shops use a variety of methods for cutting and shaping these products into our counter tops such as lasers, diamond-tipped saw blades, using CNC machinery or water-jets. Abrasive diamond pads and polishing powders such as tin oxide and silicone carbide or creams, that are applied with felt pads, provide the high gloss or matte finish options. All of that work, combined with magnificent acts of Mother Nature, give us many options for product choices we enjoy in our homes.
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