QUARTZ
QUARTZ IS AN ENGINEERED STONE PRODUCT CONSISTING OF 93% NATURAL QUARTZ AND 7% RESINS AND PIGMENTS. THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT BRANDS AND COLOURS AVAILABLE AT A VARIETY OF PRICE POINTS. BECAUSE OF THE RESINS AND THE WAY IT’S MADE, IT IS A NON-POROUS MATERIAL THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY SEALER. IT IS VERY HEAT TOLERANT, BUT NOT QUITE AS HEAT TOLERANT AS GRANITE SO IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU USE TRIVETS OR HOT PADS UNDER HOT POTS. QUARTZ IS ALSO EXTREMELY RESISTANT TO SCRATCHING AND STAINING, MAKING IT A TOP CHOICE. WITH COLOURS RANGING FROM SOLID TO SPECKLED TO VERY NATURAL LOOKING LIKE GRANITE OR MARBLE, YOU ARE SURE TO FIND A COLOUR THAT WORKS FOR YOU.
GRANITE
GRANITE IS A TOP CHOICE FOR COUNTERTOPS BECAUSE OF ITS NATURAL BEAUTY AND DURABILITY. GRANITE IS AN IGNEOUS STONE SO IT IS EXTREMELY HEAT TOLERANT (HOT POTS CAN BE PLACED RIGHT ON THE SURFACE) AND VERY RESISTANT TO SCRATCHING AND STAINING. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COLOURS AVAILABLE AT MANY DIFFERENT PRICE POINTS. BECAUSE GRANITE IS A NATURAL MATERIAL, THE COLOUR CAN VARY FROM BLOCK TO BLOCK AND EVEN SLAB TO SLAB. FOR THIS REASON WE ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOU HAVE VIEWED FULL SLABS PRIOR TO ANY FABRICATION TAKING PLACE. OUR SALES STAFF IS HAPPY TO HELP YOU WITH THIS. GRANITE IS NATURALLY POROUS AND FOR THAT REASON WE WILL APPLY A 10 YEAR IMPREGNATING SEALER FOR NO EXTRA CHARGE TO ENSURE THE BEST RESISTANCE TO STAINING. AFTER 10 YEARS, THE RE-SEALING PROCESS IS A SIMPLE WIPE ON, WIPE OFF PROCESS THAT TAKES NO LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES. WE HAVE SEALER FOR SALE IN OUR SHOW ROOM.
MARBLE
MARBLE, LIKE GRANITE, IS A NATURAL STONE. UNLIKE GRANITE, IT IS A SEDIMENTARY, METAMORPHIC STONE WHICH STARTED AS LIMESTONE AND, ONCE SUPERHEATED, TURNS INTO MARBLE. IT IS A SOFT STONE WHICH IS VERY SUSCEPTIBLE TO SCRATCHES, STAINING AND ETCHING (CAUSED BY ANYTHING ACIDIC). ALTHOUGH MARBLE DOES NOT GET ALONG WITH ANYTHING ACIDIC, IT IS EXTREMELY HEAT TOLERANT. MARBLE IS A POROUS MATERIAL AND WILL BE SEALED WITH A 10 YEAR IMPREGNATING SEALER PRIOR TO INSTALL. SEALERS WILL HELP PROTECT STONE AGAINST STAINING, BUT THEY DO NOT PROTECT STONE FROM ETCHING. IF YOU ARE OKAY WITH CHARACTER, MARBLE IS FOR YOU!
QUARTZITE
QUARTZITE IS ALSO A NATURAL STONE. LIKE MARBLE, IT IS ALSO SEDIMENTARY AND METAMORPHIC, GIVING IT A SIMILAR LOOK TO MARBLE WHICH IS WHY MANY CONFUSE THE TWO MATERIALS. WHERE MARBLE STARTED OUT AS LIMESTONE, QUARTZITE STARTED OUT AS SANDSTONE. ONCE SUPERHEATED, THE SAND TURNS THE STONE INTO ONE WITH A VERY HIGH QUARTZ CONTENT, HENCE THE NAME “QUARTZITE.” QUARTZITE IS USUALLY AN EXTREMELY HARD STONE. SOME QUARTZITES ARE LABELED “SOFT” BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT AS HARD AS SOME OF THE OTHER QUARTZITES, BUT IT IS STILL A HARD, STRONG AND DURABLE MATERIAL. QUARTZITE IS EXTREMELY HEAT TOLERANT, LIKE GRANITE, BUT IT DOES SCRATCH MORE EASILY THAN GRANITE, AND BECAUSE OF THE MORE SOLID APPEARANCE THE SCRATCHES SHOW MORE THAN THEY SHOW ON GRANITE. QUARTZITE LOOKS LIKE MARBLE, BUT IS MORE RESISTANT TO STAINING AND ETCHING THAN MARBLE (ALTHOUGH IT IS MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO STAINING AND ETCHING THAN GRANITE OR QUARTZ), MAKING IT A MORE PRACTICAL ALTERNATIVE THAN MARBLE WITH A SIMILAR LOOK BUT BETTER DURABILITY. QUARTZITE IS POROUS AND WILL BE SEALED WITH A 10 YEAR IMPREGNATING SEALER PRIOR TO INSTALL.
SOAPSTONE
SOAPSTONE IS A NATURAL MATERIAL, SURPRISINGLY SUITABLE FOR KITCHEN COUNTERTOPS! IT IS SOFT AND WILL SCRATCH OVER TIME. SCRATCHES CAN BE SANDED OUT WITH EXTREMELY FINE SAND PAPER, OR CAN BE CONSIDERED PART OF ITS LIVING PATINA. SOAPSTONE IS UNAFFECTED BY HEAT AND IS CHEMICALLY NEUTRAL, WHICH MEAN THAT ACIDS WON’T DAMAGE IT. ITS HIGH DENSITY MAKES IT IMPERVIOUS TO STAINS AND BACTERIA. A WONDERFUL CHOICE IF YOU LOVE A STONE COUNTERTOP WITH A LOT OF CHARACTER!
DEKTON
DEKTON IS MADE UP OF GLASS, PORCELAIN, QUARTZ AND OTHER MINERALS. IT COMES IN A VARIETY OF THICKNESSES AND FINISHES. IT IS EXTREMELY HEAT RESISTANT AND CAN BE USED IN A NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS. TURNAROUND TIME DEPENDS ON THE SIZE OF THE PROJECT. MANY PATTERNS ARE A VAILABLE IN WOOD, STONE AND METAL APPEARENCES!
PORCELAIN
PORCELAIN IS A NATURAL MATERIAL. WE HAVE PORCELAIN AVAILABLE IN A NUMBER OF THICKNESSES. PORCELAIN CAN BE INSTALLED THROUGH MANY APPLICATIONS SUCH AS COUNTER TOPS, WALL FACADES, FIREPLACE CLADDING, SHOWERS, ETC! PORCELAIN DOES VERY WELL WITH HEAT AND IS VERY DURABLE. TURNAROUND TIME DEPENDS ON THE SIZE OF THE PROJECT.
MARMOREAL
MARMOREAL IS AN ENGINEERED PRODUCT WHICH BASE IS MARBLE. IT IS HEAT RESISTANT, HOWEVER, IS NOT SCRATCH OR STAIN RESISTANT DUE TO THE MARBLE CONTENT OF THE PRODUCT. WE HAVE ACCESS TO A BLACK OR WHITE BASE WITH MARBLE BASED TERRAZZO DESIGN CONSISTING OF GREEN, YELLOW AND RED.