Materials

Quartz

Quartz is a strong and highly durable composite material and is equally as popular as granite for kitchen work surfaces. Quartz comes in a vast range of colours and patterns so there’s something for every home. Quartz is a totally maintenance-free work surface after completion: because it is non-porous – and therefore not subject to staining – it doesn’t require sealing like marble and granite. Cleaning quartz worktops is easy, no specialist products are needed. Just wipe them with soapy water, definitely no abrasives though! Some even have antibacterial properties impregnated into them The quartz manufacturers used by C&J Stonemasonry offer at least a 10-year guarantee on their products, which isn’t necessarily the case with the lower quality, unbranded quartz used by some companies. If you are looking for an easy-care work surface to add the wow factor to your kitchen, quartz is the product for you.

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Granite

Granite is a striking, natural product which is excavated from the ground before being cut and polished. Its most popular use is for kitchen work surfaces, due to its characteristic beauty and durability. It is available in a wide range of natural colours, textures, and patterns, and works well in contemporary and traditional kitchens. Granite is a naturally porous material so can be subject to staining if not correctly cared for – for added protection we seal all granite worktops once installed, and we recommend that our customers do so at least once a year using a natural stone sealant. Things most likely to stain granite are lemon juice, red wine and oils from food such as curries – but don’t be put off by this as granite takes hours to stain, so as long as any spillages are cleaned up reasonably quickly there should be no problems. Granite work surfaces are highly durable: if it’s the natural look that you’re after then granite could be an excellent choice for you. Our new range of granite worktops from Sensa have been specially treated so are more like quartz in their durability, and don’t require yearly treating.

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Marble

Although marble is seen as the ultimate material for worktops and vanity units it is actually not ideal, due to how porous and fragile it is. Marble is often thought of as luxurious and elegant, but for kitchens and bathrooms, there are much better alternatives. We recommend a quartz that looks like marble, combining the beauty of marble with the hard-wearing, practicality of quartz. We have put together a selection of quartz worktops that will give you the look of marble but have the strength of quartz, along with the manufacturers guarantee of at least 10 years.

See our marble-effect quartz worktops and order samples