How to judge the quality of quartz countertops
Quartz countertops are currently one of the most popular materials in the home decoration market. It is solid and durable, easy to clean, maintenance friendly, and has many styles, which makes the quartz countertop favored by many families. Whether it is applied to the kitchen table, bathroom table or indoor windowsill, quartz stone is a good choice.
Most of people are unsure about how to tell quartz stones apart from each other while buying quartz countertops. It is a waste of money and time for anyone who purchases low-quality quartz countertops, the gains are not going to be worth the losses.
Below are four tips that can quickly determine quartz countertops quality. Hopefully, you will be able to purchase a quartz top that is best for your beautiful house.
The surface and interior structures of quality quartz stones are uniformly dense, which is why it has a very low water absorbency rate and a high penetrating power. Mimics of quartz stones produced with older manufacturing techniques and machinery are usually limited to similar looks, but their internal structures are loose and porous, and they have poor water-absorption resistance, and high permeation of pollutants.
Therefore, finish is an extremely important aspect in judging quartz stone quality, because it represents the resistance against stains. The easiest way to test is by using a Sharpie to make a drawing on quartz stone and seeing if you can wipe off. If it can be wiped, then that means it has high stain-resistance, and if it cannot be erased, then that means the stain-resistance is low and not recommended for purchase.
Quartz stones are made from 94% quartz and 6% resin, which has 7deg toughness, whereas granite is synthetically made of marble powder and resin, which is why it usually has 4-6deg toughness. Simply put, quartz stones are harder than granite, with better scratch resistance and wear resistance. So, one easy way to determine the hardness, i.e., wear-resistance, is to use a steel knife to scrape a surface of a quartz stone.
With the steel knife, you cut through, and the imitation quartz rock leaves behind white marks, because the hardness of the imitation stone is not quite the same as that of the steel. If cut by the steel knife, the surface will show white interior. On the other hand, if using the actual quartz rock, a black smudge will remain, because a steel knife cannot scrape through an actual quartz rock, leaving the steel marks, which are black.
The simple black-white distinction will allow you to tell a real from a fake. In an effort to maximize profits, some manufacturers adulterate the calcium carbonate content in quartz countertops. And calcium carbonate is easily reacting with acids. If you go for that type of counter, then it is very easy to warp later on.
So, at the time of purchase, you may want to get a sample and soak it in diluted Hydrochloric Acid or another acidic liquid. If the product contains calcium carbonate, then this reacts with acid. The resin content of the lower-quality quartz stones will be higher, and heat resistance will also decrease.
Based on this, burn a surface sample lightly with a lighter or another controlled source of flame, and see if this leaves traces in the sample.
Where To Buy Quartz Countertops?. There are still most ways you can tell the quality of a quartz counter.
If you would like more information on professional knowledge about quartz countertops, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at www.xmyeyang.com. YEYANG STONE is a professional producer of quartz rock countertops, has been serving a lot of clients both domestically and overseas for long, including a number of distributors, wholesalers, and design companies. We are looking forward to hearing from you!.
