1. The quality gap of quartz stone slabs
Quartz stone has the characteristics of high hardness, low water absorption, and strong acid resistance. As the application demand for quartz stone in my country continues to increase, the quartz stone market is entering a rapid development track, enabling some large-scale quartz stone manufacturers to develop rapidly. However, it is precise because of this reason that my country’s quartz stone market is chaotic, and the price of quartz stone has a huge gap.
Some small-scale quartz stone manufacturers are still copycats, occupying the market at low prices, disrupting the original order of the quartz stone market, and making the gap in the quality of quartz stone larger and larger.
Quartz stone has a strong anti-fouling ability, which does not mean that it is completely non-smearing, especially white and light-colored quartz stone. If you are afraid of contamination, you must choose dark quartz stone as much as possible, and the contamination will not be too obvious, or be diligent and clean up in a time when it is used up. Also, don’t put ironware on the table for a long time, it will not wipe off the rust if it is oxidized and rusted.
How can I tell if it is a quartz stone when I buy it? How to judge the quality of quartz stone? The merchant says how much quartz contains, you can’t tell with the naked eye. If you have to distinguish between good and bad, just do a violent experiment. Ask the merchant to take a sample, use a key, knife, etc. to test the hardness, burn with a lighter to test the high-temperature resistance, use vinegar to see the acid resistance, and use soy sauce or ink to test the resistance. Smudge performance.
Reasons for the quality gap of quartz stone:
1. Control of production raw materials, quartz stone is synthesized from quartz sand and unsaturated resin as the main raw materials. With the continuous improvement of the quartz stone standard, the classification of quartz sand and resin is also more refined, and the price of raw materials has also opened a certain distance, so the quality of the raw materials has a certain impact on the quality of the plates.
2. Production equipment, quartz stone slabs have strict requirements on production equipment. The most important thing is the press. For example, the simplest requirement is that the vacuum of the press must be above -95 and the pressure of the press must be above 50 tons. Some small quartz stone manufacturers even use artificial stone production equipment, so the quality will naturally be a certain distance from the brand quartz stone.
Second, the calculation method of the price of quartz stone countertops
The price of quartz stone is a problem that many people are more concerned about. There are even many end-users who will directly contact the quartz stone manufacturer to inquire about the price, but the price quoted by the manufacturer is the ex-factory price of the plate, not the finished product. Quartz stone products have different quality and price. At present, the average price of quartz stone is about 300 yuan/square meter, the lowest market price is about 230 yuan/square meter, and the highest can reach several thousand yuan per square meter. The price of household quartz stone kitchen countertops ranges from 400 yuan per linear meter to several thousand yuan.
Of course, there are more than 200 yuan per linear meter on the market and even cheaper ones. Since they are all quartz stones, why is there such a big gap! In fact, we will know by doing the calculations:
The price of quartz stone countertops includes countertop design, quartz stone plates, cutting, combination, front and rear water retaining bonding (rear water retaining circle and low arc are charged separately), openings (potholes and furnace holes), pots, cushion strips, or Lining and installation costs, etc., so the quotation per linear meter we get in the cabinet store includes the above costs.
Let’s take a more straightforward algorithm, using a small board (monochrome) that is common on the market
Take 2440x750x15mm as an example:
1. The average price is about 400 yuan per sheet, and the price per meter is about 164 yuan.
2. The labor cost for processing and installation per meter is about 150 yuan per meter (excluding the backwater circular and low arc).
3. The cushion strip is about 20 yuan per meter.
4. Add potting, wastage, glue (resin glue, structural glue, glass glue, etc.), auxiliary materials, transportation, storage, and processing equipment depreciation, etc.
In this way, we can intuitively calculate the price per linear meter of quartz stone countertops.
Third, the cleaning method of the surface of the quartz stone countertop
The surface of the quartz stone plate is smooth, flat without scratches, and the dense and non-porous material structure becomes the biggest advantage of the quartz stone countertop.
A kitchen is a place with a lot of oil stains. If the items in the kitchen are not cleaned up in time, there will be thick stains. Of course, quartz stone countertops are no exception. Although quartz stone is resistant to dirt, it does not have a self-cleaning function.
Many people have some misunderstandings about how to clean thick stains. Most people choose strong detergent and use wire balls to clean it. This is the wrong method of operation, but I don’t deny that such cleaning is effective for other items.
According to the test report issued by the quartz stone manufacturer, the hardness of the quartz stone plate can reach up to Mohs’ hardness level 7, which is second only to the hardness of diamond, so that ordinary ironware cannot cause damage to its surface. But using a wire ball to rub back and forth is different, it will cause damage to the surface and cause scratches.
The correct cleaning method of quartz stone is to use neutral detergent or soapy water and use a rag to clean it. After cleaning, rinse with clean water, and then wipe dry with a dry cloth. Although the water absorption rate of quartz stone is almost zero at 0.02%, it is necessary to avoid the possibility of penetration or leaving water stains.
The most important thing is the maintenance and cleaning of the splicing seams. Clean the splicing seams immediately after use to avoid the blackening of the splicing seams and cause bacteria to grow. The splicing seams should be waxed regularly. If there is no special wax for stone in your home, you can use car wax or floor wax, and you should wax it at least once a month.