Is it better to choose quartz countertops or stainless steel countertops for cabinet customization? Many people must have struggled with this issue. In fact, no matter what kind of countertop, we want it to have the advantages of wear-resistant, easy to clean, not easy to crack, and no bleeding.
Tell me about the quartz countertops I installed in my first house.
Although quartz is an artificial stone, the biggest advantage is its strong hardness, so it is very wear-resistant and scratch-resistant, and it is an ideal material for kitchen countertops. In terms of appearance, because there are quartz stones of different colors and textures to choose from, it is easy to find matching countertops even if there are different kitchen decoration styles.
But I have to say that there are a lot of "fakes" in quartz countertops nowadays, some of which are very low in quartz sand, and some are quartz stones that are completely replaced by granite, and I believe that the same is what I bought in my first house, because after using it for a while, there was bleeding.
Later, I learned that the original quartz content should reach more than 90%-94% to be considered a good quartz countertop. Inferior quartz stone is often not scratch-resistant, because there is less quartz, and more calcium powder and resin, which is often easy to cause scratches in later use.
You may also wish to test it yourself, use a knife to scratch the quartz countertop, if you scratch the scratch and can not be wiped off, and at the same time drop a lot of white powder, it must not have a high quartz content. And the real *** quartz stone will only have a shallow black trace after being scraped, and it will be gone after a little rubbing, and the hardness is very strong. Not only that, inferior quartz countertops are also prone to deformation and cracking, and there is even a risk of excessive heavy metals.
When the second suite was renovated, I listened to my friend's advice and chose a stainless steel countertop. To be honest, I really didn't look down on the stainless steel countertops in the early days, and I felt that the appearance really lowered the grade of the kitchen, much like the kitchen in the restaurant, but after experiencing it, I felt that in addition to **, the other advantages were really fragrant.
Pros – Easy to take care of:
Quartz countertops are not integrally formed, so it is inevitable that there will be gaps, and the gaps will be easy to seep oil and water after a long time, so it will be more difficult to take care of. However, the stainless steel countertop is integrally formed without edge banding, and there is no need to consider the problem of water and oil seepage, which is very easy to take care of, and even the meat is not afraid of cracking the countertop.
Pros – More environmentally friendly:
Quartz stone belongs to artificial stone, although it itself is non-toxic and harmless, but as mentioned earlier, some people will be shoddy, in the production process to add lead or cadmium and other heavy metals of inferior pigments, or containing formaldehyde glue, so that such quartz stone materials can not be regarded as environmentally friendly materials.
In contrast, stainless steel countertops are much more secure. It is made of alloy, and there are no toxic substances added to it in terms of raw materials and processing technology, and there is no radiation, so if it is used as a kitchen countertop, stainless steel countertops are more reassuring.
Advantages - moisture and mildew resistance:
Stainless steel is resistant to weak corrosive media such as air, steam, water or stainless steel, so there is naturally nothing to say about moisture and mildew resistance. The quartz countertop can also be mildew-proof and moisture-proof, but this is because there is a mildew-proof layer on the surface of the quartz stone, if it is used for a long time, the mildew-proof layer has caused a certain degree of wear, so the mildew effect will be weakened or lost. This is also a more prominent advantage of stainless steel countertops.
Advantages - wear-resistant, corrosion-resistant, long service life:
Stainless steel has strong waterproof, moisture-proof and fireproof performance, and the surface of the stainless steel countertop can also increase hardness, wear resistance and corrosion resistance after special process technology, which makes it have a longer service life, and there will be no problem with ten or eight years. Don't worry about it fading or getting moldy.
Buying tips:When choosing stainless steel countertops, they are often divided into solid, brushed, titanium steel, rice grains, fine sand and rhombic countertops. If the budget is sufficient, make a solid stainless steel countertop as much as possible, and the thickness should be more than 5mm, so that there will be no bulging deformation, and the sink and water retaining strip can be directly welded on it, and the overall cleaning is good.