What Is Quartz And How Are Quartz Countertops Made?

You may be a bit confused in that there are granite countertops and quartz countertops. As discussed above, granite is a type of rock that is partially composed of quartz, a mineral. Therefore, what exactly is a quartz countertop? You may initially think that a quartz countertop would be composed of a quartz arenite, a rock made up of at least 90% quartz. This may remind you of a white sandy beach with a few brown and pink specs. The natural sorting of quartz on beaches is driven by mineral strength (I'll get to that below) and their differential weathering rates. As weaker minerals weather and erode relatively quicker than quartz, you are left with quartz as a predominant mineral in well weathered sediment systems (i.e. beaches) far from sediment source (i.e. mountains).

However, you will find that quartz countertops are actually man made and although they consist of 90% quartz, the rest of the countertop is composed of resins, polymers, and various types of pigments. This creates a very durable artificial rock without pores or cracks. The pigment is used to provide coloration that is naturally found in quartz arenite.