One of the reasons why so many people love granite and other surfaces for their kitchen is that it is possible to take a hot pan from the stove and put it right on the counter without damaging it. If you are considering quartz counters, you may be wondering if they can take the heat like that. The answer to this question is that while quartz is resistant to heat, if it is too high of a temperature, you can damage quartz counters.
Quartz is an engineered surface in which natural quartz is combined with a special resin to create the countertops. It isn’t the quartz that has trouble with high heat – it is the resin. The most heat that the resin can handle is about 150 degrees. A pan coming right from the burner or oven is often going to exceed that, so the resin will burn and you’ll have an unsightly mark on your quartz counters. You can avoid this problem by using a trivet or hot pad.
Make no mistake that quartz counters aren’t a good choice just because of this one attribute. Quartz is incredibly strong. On the Mohs harness scale, quartz ranks at a seven just like granite does. It is also scratch-resistant, but it can become scratched if you are quite determined. The only other drawback with quartz counters is that they can be damaged by prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. The amount in a typical kitchen won’t bother it, but quartz counters would be ill-advised for an outdoor kitchen. On the plus side, quartz counters do not need sealing like granite and marble do, and their density also makes them highly stain-resistant.
Here at The Granite Guy, our first goal is to provide you with the information you need to make an informed decision when selecting a material for your countertops. If you would like to know more about quartz counters, feel free to contact us.