The Question We Get Asked Most
Every day in our Montreal showroom, someone asks some version of the same question: granite or quartz? Both are on the walls. Both look beautiful. Both come in white, grey, black, and everything between. So what is actually different?
The honest answer is that they are both excellent, but they are excellent in different ways. The right choice depends entirely on how you live.
The Fundamental Difference
Granite is natural. It came out of the earth, was cut from a quarry, and arrived in your kitchen having never been manufactured. Every crystal, every vein, every fleck of mineral is real and unrepeatable. No two slabs are the same.
Quartz is engineered. About 90 to 95 percent crushed natural quartz crystals are combined with resins and pigments and pressed into consistent slabs. It is made, not found. That distinction matters to some people enormously and to others not at all.
Heat — Where Granite Wins Clearly
Granite is genuinely heat resistant. You can place a hot pot directly on it without concern. For a Montreal kitchen where the stove gets real use — Sunday sugo, holiday baking, weeknight stir-fries — this matters.
Quartz is not heat resistant in the same way. The polymer resins that bind the stone can be damaged by sustained high heat. Trivets are not optional with quartz — they are essential. If you regularly move pots from stove to counter without thinking, quartz will eventually show the evidence.
Maintenance — Where Quartz Wins Clearly
Granite needs annual sealing. It is a porous stone, and without a penetrating sealer, red wine and olive oil will eventually leave their mark. The sealing process takes about an hour once a year and is genuinely straightforward. But it is a commitment that quartz owners never have to make.
Quartz never needs sealing. Ever. It is non-porous by engineering, which means liquids cannot penetrate the surface regardless of how long they sit. For people who want a beautiful kitchen without any ongoing material maintenance, quartz is the clear answer.
Appearance — Natural Versus Consistent
Granite has natural variation that some people love and others find unpredictable. The pattern across a large kitchen surface will shift and move. The two pieces flanking your sink will not match exactly. For homeowners who embrace this, it is part of the beauty. For those who want precise control over appearance, it can feel uncertain.
Quartz delivers exactly what you see in the sample, consistently across every square inch. For large kitchens with multiple sections, this consistency is a real advantage.
The Cost Reality
Both materials span a wide price range. Entry-level granites and mid-range quartz products overlap considerably in the $80 to $120 per square foot installed range. Premium quartz from brands like Cambria can reach $200 and beyond. Exotic imported granites from Brazil can too. The category does not determine the price as much as the specific product does.
Who Should Choose Granite
If you want natural stone, love the idea of a surface that is literally one-of-a-kind, use your stove heavily, and are comfortable with annual sealing — granite is your material.
Who Should Choose Quartz
If you want consistent, predictable aesthetics, value zero maintenance, have children or pets, and prefer not to think about sealing schedules — quartz is your material.
Neither answer is wrong. Come see both in person and the choice usually becomes obvious.
