When selecting decoration for the kitchen, the first thing that comes to your mind must be quartz. That is reasonable as it delivers on both appearance and performance. However, an emerging stone material, sintered stone slab, has entered the decorative market in recent years. It is becoming more and more popular, which makes a big impact on quartz. It is no wonder that many people think it has the potential to replace quartz. This article gives a comparison between them in several aspects. By the end, you will have a thorough understanding.
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Quartz - natural quartz and auxiliary materials, such as pigments, resin binders, and so on.
Sintered stone - natural raw materials, including inorganic clay, feldspar powder, silica, and minerals.
Quartz - compacted under the vacuum of -0.1 MPa, then heated at a temperature of 85-110°C to form.
Sintered stone - pressed by 15,000 tons roller machine, and formed in the curing furnace above 1200°C.
In general, the thickness of quartz is about 8-30mm. Although there are many colors to choose from, there may be more or less color variation between batches. And the texture differs greatly from natural stone. The sintered stone is large format and 3-20mm thick. It usually features a natural stone look with various colors, textures, grains, and so on.
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Both quartz and sintered stone are non-porous structures. As a result, they are impermeable and hard to get moldy. But the latter is more functional than the former in some ways.
The quartz's mineral hardness is 5-6 on the Mohs scale, which is enough to resist daily wear and tear. But it can only withstand a low concentration of acid and base. And the max heat resistance is 300°C. So it will fade once the temperature exceeds this limitation. Quartz is easy to deform or damage in the face of thermal expansion and contraction. And it will release odors when exposed to an open flame.
The sintered stone has a more comprehensive and outstanding performance. With 6-7 on the Mohs scale, it is extremely abrasion, scratch, and impact resistant. It is not easy to get destructed by a high concentration of acid and base. Moreover, the sintered stone is incombustible that can resist high temperatures up to 1200°C, which is more flame-proof than quartz. By the way, you can also use it in cooking because it meets food safety standards that can direct contact with food.
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Quartz is formaldehyde-free, non-toxic, and non-radioactive. It is very suitable for indoor design, which is mainly applied as floors or tabletops. The sintered stone also possesses the above advantages. And more importantly, it can be great decorative material by further processing. Therefore, it is widely utilized in interior and exterior scenes, such as countertops, tabletops, backdrops, facades, landscaping, flooring&wall cladding, cabinet&wardrobe door panel and so on.
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Conclusion
Sintered stone and quartz both are ideal choices for decoration. Choose the right one is mostly depends on individual needs. I hope this article on comparing quartz and sintered stone can be helpful for you. If you want a reliable sintered stone supplier as your partner, WIFi Ceramics is the best option for you! We have a professional team with many years of experience and have won the recognition of many clients. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at sales@wificeramics.com. We will get back to you as soon as possible!
