As a new decorative surface material, quartz stone is widely used in cabinets, countertops, home furnishings, engineering decoration, etc. It is being recognized and accepted by more and more consumers and will become an update of artificial stone, marble, and other stone materials. Substitutes, and even increasingly occupy the application of high-end places in the ceramic product market. Quartz stone products have incomparable characteristics of artificial stone and marble and become a new high-end decorative surface material in the decoration industry. It is a kind of high hardness (no scratches), high density (no bleeding), and high finish (60-70). ), non-radiation and non-toxic new building interior decoration materials. This article summarizes the characteristics of quartz stone, in order to let consumers and practitioners better understand the characteristics of this emerging material.
China gray quartz countertops kitchen
The composition of quartz stone
More than 93% is quartz (quartz sand, quartz powder, glass) + resin + color paste The chemical composition of quartz is silica
Two physical and chemical properties of quartz stone
Mohs hardness: 6-7
Density: 2.30-2.41
Water absorption: 0.01-0.03
Finish: 60-70
Three characteristics of quartz stone:
High hardness, so it is not scratched. High density, low water absorption, so it is not bad. High finish, so beautiful and textured. Unlike natural stone, which contains radioactive elements such as radon and zirconium, it has no radiation. The dense and non-porous material structure makes Bacteria have no place to hide, and the material is manufactured by the NSF certification of the United States, which can be in direct contact with food, so it is non-toxic
Four uses of quartz stone:
At present, it is widely used as cabinet countertops, and there is also a small amount of ground and wall (replacement of ceramics) decorations in high-end public places and other extraordinary commercial spaces.
5. Comparison of quartz stone and other artificial stone products
At present, the main cabinet countertop materials at home and abroad are fireproof board, stainless steel, natural stone, artificial stone, quartz stone, and so on. Among them, quartz stone countertops are the most promising by the market for their quality.
(1) Ingredients Quartz stone is made of up to 93% natural quartz (SiO2) as the main material and is mixed with saturated resin, mineral pigments, compounding agents, and additives. Artificial stone is made by polymerizing natural mineral powder, resin, and natural pigment. The main component of ore powder is aluminum hydroxide Al(OH)3, and some low-grade artificial stones even use calcium carbonate CaCO3 as the main raw material.
China solid gray quartz countertops
(Two) product comparison
1. Fireproof board countertop:
Fireproof board countertops are currently being widely welcomed by people with their low prices. The base material of the fireproof board countertops is MDF, and the finish is the fireproof board. Thickness: 4mm, colorful and diverse, fireproof, moisture-proof, oil-stain resistant, acid and alkali resistant, high temperature resistant, easy to clean. However, the compression resistance, scratch resistance, and hardness cannot meet the requirements, and the service life is short. Therefore, the fireproof board countertops have become less and less able to meet people’s consumer needs, and the market share has dropped from 30% at the beginning to less than 5%.
2. Stainless steel countertops:
The stainless steel countertop is durable and easy to clean. However, the single color of stainless steel countertops makes you feel incomparable, not warm and lacks the warmth of the family. It is no longer popular under the popular household atmosphere that emphasizes individuality and advocates returning to nature. The current market share is about 8%.
3. Natural stone: marble, granite, and jade
Natural stone is divided into marble, granite, jade, and other natural stones, which have natural textures and are more beautiful, but the natural stone has pores and is easy to store grease, and the natural stone is brittle. It cannot be made of countertops longer than 1 meter. Countertops made of natural stone will There are seams, these seams are also easy to accumulate dirt and affect hygiene. Natural stone is hard, corrosion-resistant, wear-resistant, waterproof, fireproof, easy to clean, making it a traditional countertop material. However, the length of natural stone can not be too long, sometimes it is difficult to meet the length of the kitchen countertop, and granite has strong radioactivity, if it exceeds the standard, it will cause harm to the human body; although the marble looks strong and durable, it is actually resistant to stains. It is not strong. If you drip a heavy-colored liquid such as soy sauce, it will easily penetrate into the texture and it will be difficult to clean. Natural stone countertops once accounted for less than 80% of the total market. With people’s pursuit of quality of life and health, natural stone countertops have become increasingly unable to meet people’s needs, and their market share has dropped sharply to only about 20%.
4. Artificial stone countertops:
It is divided into imported and domestic products. It is made of stone powder and man-made fiber through high temperature and high pressure. Its main feature is that it is colorful, has no pores on the surface, has strong stain resistance, acid resistance, corrosion resistance, abrasion resistance, and is easy to clean. The treatment of deformation, bonding, turning, and other parts are unique; because there are no pores on the surface, oil and water stains are not easy to penetrate into it, so it has strong anti-fouling power; it can be seamlessly bonded at any length, and the adhesive of the same material After the blocks are bonded, they are polished and become a whole body. But the artificial stone is easily scratched, has insufficient hardness, antibacterial, and environmental protection is not ideal.
gray quartz stone kitchen countertops
5. Quartz stone:
Compare with the above countertop materials. Quartz stone is a large-scale plate made of materials such as quartz crystal, resin, and trace pigments through heterogeneous polymerization technology under vacuum conditions. Up to 94% of the quartz crystal is the main structure, making the texture harder and more compact. The decorative materials have incomparable wear resistance, pressure resistance, high-temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, and anti-permeability characteristics. The combination of rich colors gives it the texture of natural stone and beautiful surface gloss. Quartz stone countertops have advantages that other materials can’t match. They are sought after by people as soon as they are produced. However, due to the immature technology, only a few manufacturers in the world can produce quartz stone countertops, and the price of quartz stone countertops is also extremely expensive. . At the same time, as the production technology matures, quartz stone will be more cost-effective than other artificial stones (the price of resin is much higher than that of quartz), and the higher the content of quartz, the lower the amount of resin, the better the quality. The closer it is to natural, the less deformable it is.
