Quartz vs Laminate Countertops: Which to Buy?

Before decorating or remodeling your kitchens, you may first consider the cost. What's more, most homeowners want a good-looking and practical countertop with a limited budget. Therefore, they are struggling to think about which to buy, quartz countertops or laminate countertops?

 

The biggest advantage of laminate countertops is the lowest price among other countertops. Besides, if you regularly use a countertop to prepare food, the laminate countertop is a good choice with relative resistance to moisture, heat, and scratch. In addition, laminate countertops offer a wide range of styles and designs. That’s why laminate countertops have harvested a portion of low-budget consumers today. In general, laminate often applies to serveries, sink, cooking, backsplashes, cabinet doors, and drawer front panels.

 

However, in terms of practicability and longevity, quartz gives priority to laminate. Quartz is a green material so it is the top option for indoor decorations. Additionally, it is widely used in kitchens, bathrooms, window stills, bar counters, wall space, floors, and so on. The outstanding features of quartz countertop are low-cost maintenance, various textures and colors, high durability, and long lifespan. Therefore, quartz countertops have increasing demand from consumers and become one of the mainstream countertop materials nowadays.

 

Now, let’s continue to learn more about the following difference between quartz and laminate countertops. After comparison, you probably know which to buy.

 

Composition

 

Laminate is composed of two or more layers of fiber or fabric impregnated with resin and combined into a whole after hot pressing. The surface of laminate countertops is made of fireproof material and decorative veneer. Meanwhile, it needs fireproof veneer, PVC veneer and metal strip edge sealing to cover the section of the wood substrate. Additionally, the joint at the corner table usually uses silica gel bonding, plastic and special metal inserts to increase the beauty of appearance.

 

Quartz is not all-natural but an engineered stone. Natural quartz sand with high quality is crushed and then purified. This process removes and prevents the product from being radioactive. Under vacuum conditions, materials such as quartz crystal (90%-94%), resin (5%-7%), and trace color pigments are made into large size plates by advanced technology. The smooth surface is polished by more than 30 steps. Thus the manufacturing process of quartz countertops is more complicated than that of laminate countertops.

 

Appearance

 

With advances in technology, today the laminate surface can accurately imitate the surface texture of marble, granite, and wood. On the other hand, the flexibility of laminate makes it a countertop material that can be used for DIY cutting. In other words, you’re able to customize your dream countertops into different appearances and shapes.

 

Similarly, quartz enables you to create your countertops’ surface textures that look like marble or granite by artificial manufacturing technology. Also, quartz has richer colors than natural stones, and almost no color difference. It is a great DIY material that you can expectantly use to decorate your kitchen.

 

Cost

 

As we mentioned before, the greatest selling point of laminate countertops is  the moderate price which can help you save money. However, it is not an economical choice due to its short lifespan. In order to extend the service life of laminate countertops, you have to spend more money in steady maintenance and replacement.

 

As an artificial green stone with a complex manufacturing process, quartz is much more expensive than laminate. However, in the long term quartz is a more economical option for its good durability and stain-resistant quality. Furthermore, if you continue to apply the same quartz in your bathrooms or other areas, your additional savings will be yielded again owing to the uniformity of quartz material.  As a result, quartz countertops are the more cost-effective choice.

 

Maintenance

 

Both laminate and quartz are easy to maintain in daily life. They do not require any sealing layers on the surface. You can simply use soapy water or the mild cleaner to clean them every day. But there are some obvious advantages of quartz in maintenance. For spills like soy sauce, vinegar, or coffee left on the quartz countertops, you can easily wipe them off with soapy water. And they won’t cause any marker on the countertop’s surface. As you can see, it takes you less time and labor to clean and maintain quartz countertops.

 

Durability

 

Laminate is relatively durable enough to resist the wear and tear during the daily use. The heat resistance of laminate is limited because it is composed with some materials that are easy to melt, such as plastic. If it is used as a cutting board for cutting foods, it is necessary to choose a thicker one to withstand greater pressure and ensure its service life.

 

The hardness of quartz is up to level 6-7.5 according to the Mohs hardness scale. Hence, quartz countertop possesses the strong ability to resist scraping and scratching, especially using knives to cut food on its surface. In this case, you don’t have to worry about scratches damaging its surface. On the other hand, due to its non-porous and non-sealing structures, quartz countertop performs well in defending against bacteria and water. That is to say, it is difficult for stains and water to permeate through the quartz countertop, which makes it more durable.

 

Environmental Protection

Laminate countertop is produced by melamine resin which is usually made of melamine and formaldehyde. The glue of fiberboard probably contains formaldehyde. As everyone knows, formaldehyde can release harmful gases to reduce indoor air quality. Based on this reason, laminate countertop is not a green choice.

Quartz is a kind of environment-friendly decorative material. It is an artificial stone without radiation. After purification to eliminate harmful substances, there are no heavy metal impurities that could create any radiation in the raw material. In addition, 94% quartz crystals and other resin additives make quartz safe with no radioactive threats. Thus, quartz countertop is a green decoration material to choose.

 

 

Through specific comparison and analysis, quartz countertops are preferable to laminate countertops. However, you must take your budget and specific needs into account before making a decision. 

We are specialized in producing quartz countertops. If you are interested in our quartz products, please contact us directly at sales@vivaquartzstone.com.