In terms of popularity, quartz is one of the fastest growing choices for a kitchen worktop, and when you look into the advantages of this durable and attractive natural stone, it’s not hard to see why.

Quartz is the only stone which doesn’t require any maintenance at all, which means it is a cost effective choice overall, and one which doesn’t take up time from your busy schedule either.

To highlight the major plus points, here are the main benefits of choosing a quartz worktop:

• Very strong and durable – Quartz is a natural stone, and your worktop will be made of around 93% natural stone and just 7% added in resin, to give you the colour and finish you’re after.
• Available in a huge range of colours, patterns, and finishes – Perhaps the most wide-ranging stone in terms of the appearance available, as quartz is available in ‘out there’ fashion colours, neutral colours, glittering effects, marble vein effects, and everything else in-between!
• Zero maintenance required – As we mentioned earlier, quartz doesn’t need any maintenance at all after the initial installation, so no yearly sealing and no special measures, other than regular cleaning, which you would hopefully do anyway!
• Highly stain, heat, and scratch resistant – Whilst nothing on the planet is 100% resistant to any of the above, quartz is very highly so, which gives you peace of mind when you are in and around your kitchen. To minimise the small risk, don’t leave hot pans on your work surface for too long, use a heat protective mat, use cutting boards instead of cutting directly on the surface, and mop up any spillages as soon as they happen.
• Easy to clean – Simply use a soft cloth and warm, soapy water, avoiding harsh cleaning chemicals and harsh scouring pads or cloths entirely.
• Very widely available – The huge popularity of quartz means that it is now available very widely, and that is great news because you can shop around for great deals, without worrying about having to pay over the odds for your new worktop.

In terms of cost, you need to shop around, because the popularity and availability has driven up the price in some places, and dragged it down in others. This means you can take advantage of competition between suppliers, and you can also grab yourself a rather lengthy warranty too. On average however, the cost of a quartz slab per square foot is around £50, however this would change depending on the colour, finish, and pattern you opt for.

Rare shades make the price higher, whereas popular, basic shades are lower in cost. This is where you need to think carefully if you want to grab yourself a bargain on the new addition to your kitchen.

As a side note, it’s a good idea to be careful when you shop for the actual colour of your worktop. If you go for a colour which is unusual, you may find that it doesn’t ‘go’ with the next redecoration you do on your kitchen; you need something which lasts the test of time, and something which lasts for several redecorations also. If you can do this, you will find that you keep the worktop looking amazing for much longer.