There are people who don't really use their kitchens and there are those who do. We use ours. So when we were remodeling our kitchen, we wanted sturdy but pretty counters that could take some abuse. We thought quartz fit the bill but now, less than a year later, we are not impressed with how they are holding up.
In fact, I think I liked our old laminate countertops better. I disagree with Consumer Reports and say that my laminate counters were easier to care for than the quartz.
We all know laminate can't take heat. Turns out quartz can't either. A couple of weeks ago I missed a trivet while setting down a hot pan. The pan ended up on the bare countertop. When I finally noticed what had happened and removed the pan, I noticed a sparkly, pitted ring on the counter. It looks like the resin that holds the quartz chips together had melted away. With laminate, heat leaves scorch marks. With quartz it leaves sparkles.
Around the same time I found a HUGE mystery scratch near the sink. No explanation for that one; we don't use our counters as cutting boards. I was really shocked at how noticeable the scratch is. Sure, our laminate had scratches, but they weren't easy to see.
I have also recently found a chip in the bottom edge of the counter above our under-mounted sink. Now every time I do dishes I worry about possible damage to the counter. A worry I didn't have with our laminate counters.
I'll be the first to admit we are rough on our environs but that's why we went with quartz. We bought into the hype. We were expecting an easy care, durable surface that we wouldn't have to worry about too much. What we got is something else entirely.
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