Quartz vs Granite Countertops: Cost, Durability and Look

Neither wins. Quartz is engineered stone: non-porous, never sealed, and the sample is the slab you get. Granite is natural stone: every slab different, sealed periodically, and it takes a hot pan without a trivet. On our list the entry prices are granite at $47 and quartz at $49 per square foot installed. The gap shows at the top, where Calacatta-look quartz costs more than any granite we have priced. We carry 126 quartz and 65 granite stones in our catalog and install both within 100 miles of Alpharetta.

Granite and quartz differ most on sealing, heat and pattern, and this table lines up all three for kitchen countertops.

Granite starts at $47 and quartz at $49 per square foot installed, and stone countertops of either kind include template, fabrication and a standard edge.

Labor is $32 per square foot inside every price (template $3, fabrication and install $29), and a standard edge adds $0. Extras: a sink cutout is $113 and a full-height slab backsplash is $225.

Is quartz cheaper than granite?

Not at the entry level. Dallas White granite at $47 is the cheapest stone on our list, and in the middle the ranges run close. At the top, Calacatta-look quartz at $61 to $72 costs more than the most expensive granite we have priced, Bianco Antico at $55.

Which is more expensive, quartz or granite?

At the top of our list, quartz. A black granite is priced on request.

Neither stone is indestructible. The real differences are heat, stains, chips and the patio, and they show up after installation.

Both are hard, and neither is a cutting board. Granite takes a hot pan, while resin can scorch and wants a trivet by the stove. Granite resists stains when sealed and absorbs them when not, so upkeep, more than looks, often decides the granite quartz choice. Either can chip at an edge; epoxy fills one and color-matched fill repairs the other. Outdoors, granite is fine. Quartz is not recommended, because of UV.

Hot pans, coffee cups and bleach wipes

Coffee is fine on both; a pan off the burner needs a trivet on quartz only. Bleach wipes shouldn't become a habit on either one; mild soap and water does the daily job.

Of the 126 quartz stones in our catalog, 97 are white and 72 are Calacatta looks, so marble veining lives mostly in quartz.

Seams hide more easily when the slab matches its sample. For a veined white, marble quartz is the usual route (white quartz), and marble granite or granite marble searches lead there too. Granite is the opposite: every slab is one of a kind, with 25 whites and 16 blacks, a depth quartz can't copy (white, black). Marble countertops have their own page. Match colors and style to your kitchen.

You pick and approve the stone in our showroom, or from photos of the actual slab if you are ordering remotely.

About 7 of 10 of our kitchens are white oak, most paired with a white quartz top. One project: this light gray Alpharetta kitchen with white quartz, a small L-shaped kitchen with a compact island and brass pulls.

Each stone fits a different kitchen. A third covers the gaps.

Pick granite if

• You set hot pans down without thinking.
• You want an outdoor kitchen, a one-of-a-kind slab, or a black or brown stone.
• You want the lowest entry price on our list: $47 per square foot installed, with template, fabrication and a standard edge already in it, and a sealing routine that comes with the stone.

Pick quartz if

• Seal? Never.
• You want a marble look, Calacatta or Carrara, or one consistent white that runs unbroken across a long stretch of counter.
• You are planning bathroom quartz countertops.

Pick neither if

You want a marble look in a stone that takes heat. That is quartzite, which needs sealing like granite.

One free 3D design, valid 10 days with changes by one message, can carry both stones.

Choose the material, granite quartz quartzite or both. Send your ZIP and a plan or photos. Your estimate comes from your free 3D design, and the custom layout is yours to change by one message. Kitchen and bathroom work share one design desk, and each customer gets one personal manager, which is our customer service. Read customer reviews, browse more projects in the gallery, or visit the showroom in Alpharetta, in the Atlanta GA area.