As you may have noticed in our houses on Season 1 of Bargain Mansions, I’m a HUGE fan of Quartz countertops. I love the clean and classic feel they bring to a kitchen. To me, it just feels elegant.. and that’s the vibe I usually go for in my kitchens. What I love most about Quartz is it looks almost exactly like all natural marble, but fortunately has all the benefits of granite… it’s indestructible! Traditionally, you won’t see me use a ton of granite only because I prefer the natural, marble look so much more. For those of you who are like, uh Tamara.. what’s the difference? Quartz has a veining effect that gives the material a sense of movement..whereas granite typically looks like pieces of stone, it’s more speckled. Here’s a few of our kitchens from Season 1 with quartz countertops. You’ll notice the veining affect I’m referring to.
All of the above countertops are ONE Quartz Surfaces countertops in White Sanctuary from Daltile. Statuary Quartz is bright white with a greyish-blue veining. It looks AMAZING in kitchens with cooler color palettes and lighter wood tones.
Now, I’ll show you a few examples of another favorite – Calacatta Quartz! (Also available at Daltile!) You’ll notice a slight difference compared to the Statuary. Calacatta is more of a soft white with taupe/beige veining. We typically use Calcacatta in kitchens with darker/moodier wood tones and warm colored cabinets.
Gorgeous, right? Like I mentioned above, I love Quartz because it looks just like marble, but It’s stain, heat, and scratch resistant. The con? It’s quite a bit more expensive… but to most people, it’s 100% worth it. If any of you are considering a kitchen remodel, my go-to countertop companies here in Kansas City are RocktopsKC and Daltile. They have amazing product and a huge inventory – definitely worth checking them out.
If you go with real, natural marble, it’s a lot softer than granite, so it can be scratched and stained pretty easily. Sooo, for those of you with kiddos, marble countertops may not be your best option.. unless you don’t mind a few imperfections here and there. This is why most people end up going with granite. It’s essentially indestructible. We have Carrera Marble in our home and we personally haven’t had any issues with staining, but scratching is another story. We are actually getting ready to have it honed which is always an option. It’s not TERRIBLY expensive.. especially if you only do it once every ten years.. (which is about what we do.)
Now, I feel like I do need to give granite a little love! I haven’t used it in any of my houses YET, but lately I have totally been crushing on the flamed black granite countertops! Now, this kitchen is STRIKING. I pulled this picture from Decor Pad and just had to share with you guys. I am obsessed. Definitely saving this one for inspiration.
Equally obsessed with this one….
Photo Credit: Kristin Petro Interiors, Inc.
I’m curious to hear what your all’s preferences are! Are you a marble, quartz, or granite fan? Or none of the above?
As always, let me know if you have any questions. I’m so embarrassed to say that I just recently learned I have to “approve” my comments before I can see them… so for those of you who asked me questions on previous posts over the last 4-5 months, I JUST read them last week and tried to get back to most of them. I’m so sorry! Now that I know how to see them, I’ll be much more prompt about responding!!
Thanks for reading! Have an awesome rest of your week, everyone!
-Tamara
Tamara please say you got a season 2….and if so when is it on DIY?
Tamara,
Can you please tell me what Arabesque backsplash you have displayed with this counter: Statuary Quartz.
Thank you!
Mary
Yes I too cannot wait to see your next projects in season 2 I love your style
Thank you so much Charlene!! :)
Love the look of marble but the care and staining is so horrific, that I would go with quartz. Plus the price tag on quartz is friendlier, so let’s go quartz.
Tamara,
Found you through a Google search and so glad I did! We are having quartz (Daltile Avenue White OQ01) installed tomorrow in the remodel of our kitchen. It is beautiful and the marble-like veining affect definitely appeals to me; sleek and simple!
I love the hexagon backsplash pictured above, but wondering if you would suggest one that would go well with our choice of countertop. We do a lot of stovetop cooking, so hoping the backsplash and grout can hold up. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Hi
Beautiful work!
The one you refer to as Calacatta Quartz from Daltale…which color is it? they have so many Calacatta quartz there. THANKS!
Hi Cara! If you contact them and show them a picture, they can tell you which one it is! :)