Engineered consistency for households that don't want to think about their countertop. Everything you need to know before choosing quartz for your kitchen, bath, or vanity project.
Unlike granite or marble, quartz countertops aren't cut from a quarry — they're engineered. A typical slab is roughly 90–95% crushed natural quartz bound together with 5–10% polymer resin and pigment, then compressed under heat and pressure into a dense, non-porous surface. The quartz mineral itself is genuinely hard and heat-stable; the resin is what gives the slab its uniform color and pattern, and it's also the material's one real limitation.
Engineered quartz lands around 7 on the Mohs scale, competitive with granite for scratch resistance, and because it's non-porous, it never needs sealing and resists staining from wine, oil, and acidic foods far better than any natural stone. The tradeoff is heat: the resin binder starts to soften and can scorch or discolor with sustained contact above roughly 300°F, so trivets matter more with quartz than with granite or quartzite.
We fabricate and install quartz countertops and vanity tops throughout the Keene area.
Tell us about your project and we'll respond within one business day with an honest, itemized estimate.
