I always thought that quartz was the cheapest countertop stone.
But last week I changed the sink and it involved reaming the countertop. When the workers were working, they told me that the countertop of my house was not even quartz, but "granite".
It's a material I've never heard of before, and I've been digging deeper into it since that day. I was surprised to find that I had been kept in the dark by the developer, and the hardcover house was really unreliable!
What is "Granite"?
It is also an artificial stone, and the production process is very similar to quartz stone: the stone is first ground into powder, and then resin and other binders are added for bonding and die-casting.
The difference is that the stone selected for quartz is quartz sand, and the stone selected for granite is not very particular, and any stone will do. Judging from the results I searched, there are more "gravel" used -
Crushed stone is a waste stone such as miscellaneous materials produced by quarrying, scraps produced from making other products (quartz stone and ceramic tiles), and stones from construction (excavation).
The artificial stone produced in this way is called "granite".
Distinction between granite and quartz
At first glance, I really can't see the difference between the two, especially for ordinary users like me, who have used the countertops at home for many years, and still haven't found out that they are using granite. But if you know a little bit, you can find the doorway if you look closely:
• The appearance of the two is very different, the biggest feature is that the "crystals" on the surface of quartz stone are very small pieces, and even the crystals cannot be seen. However, the crystals on the surface of granite are relatively large, even similar to natural marble.
• If you touch it with your hands, you will find that the surface of quartz is smooth and delicate, but the surface of granite is rough. I suddenly remembered the big rock at the entrance of our village - that was our village's intelligence center▽
The stone that is often sat on has a shiny surface that feels like quartz to the touch. But ordinary stones that have not been ground out have a rough surface, and granite feels like this.
• The thickness of quartz stone is generally 15mm, or even 20mm. The thickness of granite is generally 8mm, 10mm and 12mm.
Just looking at the side of the countertop, you can't actually see it. If you look at the side walls of my countertop, the thickness is not small at all. This time I dismantled the sink, and I found that the side circle is full of decorative strips, and the actual thickness is only a little ▽
The thickness is different, depending on the use of both:
Quartz stone is generally used for interior decoration (various countertops) and needs to be strong and durable, so it should be made thicker. The granite is generally used for exterior wall decoration, so the weight must not be too large, and it must be thinner.
Defects of granite
Granite is mainly used for exterior wall decoration?! I was shocked when I first saw this conclusion! It turns out that the countertops in my kitchen have been used for so long, and they are only suitable for exterior walls.
I endured the pain and did some homework, only to find that there are some problems with the application of granite indoors:
(1) The density is not enough, in fact, you can know by looking at the raw materials. The raw material of granite is crushed stone, so how can the density be compared with quartz sand? No wonder my countertops are so easy to bleed▽
(2) Another problem caused by insufficient hardness and low density is that the density is not enough. I've been lazy a few times, thinking about cutting the fruit and leaving it on the board. But even the fruit knife was so light, but it left a trace on the countertop.
However, the workers were happy when the sink was installed this time - because I was involved in the countertop reaming, the workers said that the difficulty of granite reaming is much smaller than that of quartz stone, and it can be done easily!
(3) Suspicious ingredients! The composition of quartz stone is very simple, mainly silica. The composition of granite can be complex, and it may contain various heavy metals. Come to think of it, I often put food on this countertop, and I really worry about my health.
In other words, granite is almost useless except for its low price. It's no wonder that most of the time it's only used for outdoor decoration: I don't want this kind of stuff even if it's on the floor.
Oops, it seems that I was still too young to find out earlier! After a while, I decided to replace the whole set of cabinets. When the time comes, I will share my experience with you again~
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