What you are buying
Quartz is an engineered surface. Ground quartz, resin and pigment are pressed into slabs and cured. Because it is made rather than quarried, a design ordered this month matches the same design ordered next year, which is why quartz works so well for kitchens with several runs, a corner and an island that all need to agree.
The resin makes the surface non-porous. Spilt tea, wine and oil stay on the surface instead of sinking in, and there is no sealant to keep topping up. Don't confuse it with quartzite, a natural stone with different care needs.
Picking a colour and finish
Bring two or three samples home and look at them on the units in daylight, then again at night under your own lights. White quartz in particular swings between warm and cold depending on the bulbs. For a veined design, decide how the veins should travel along the run and over the island, because that affects where joins can go.
Polished quartz shows its colour most strongly. Matt, honed and textured finishes look calmer but can hold greasy fingerprints, so they need wiping more often. The usual thicknesses are 20 mm and 30 mm; our edges and thickness guide explains the difference each makes.
Quartz and Cambridge tap water
Cambridge water is hard. Cambridge Water's 2025/26 report gives a hardness of about 335 mg/l as calcium carbonate for the Cambridge City North zone, and you will see it as chalky rings round the tap and a crust along the sink edge.
Quartz copes well. Give the tap surround a quick dry after the washing-up and scale rarely gets started. If it does build up, use the maker's approved descaler; scourers and harsh bathroom sprays can take the shine off.
Heat, sunlight and other limits
The resin is the weak point. A pan taken straight off a hot ring can scorch or crack quartz, so treat a trivet as part of the kitchen. Strong sunlight can also yellow some designs over the years, so for a south-facing garden room or anything outdoors we usually suggest porcelain instead.
Silica and safer ranges
Standard engineered stone is very high in crystalline silica. The Health and Safety Executive puts it at up to 95%, and in May 2026 it told fabricators that cutting it dry is unacceptable. That dust harms the people cutting the stone, not the family using the kitchen. Lower-silica quartz is now made in many popular looks, and our low-silica guide explains what to ask for.
From template to fitted worktop
Templating happens when the base cabinets are installed and level, and the sink, tap and hob are decided. From that template we cut the quartz, with holes for your sink (undermounted or inset), hob and tap, and grooved draining areas if you would like them. Upstands and splashbacks are cut from your worktop slabs, so they match.
Fitting day: the pieces are set in place, joins glued and filled with resin tinted to match, and the edges inspected. If the hob runs on gas, only a Gas Safe registered engineer should reconnect it.
Questions we are asked
Is quartz the same as quartzite?
No. Quartz is a manufactured slab of ground quartz held together with resin, while quartzite comes out of a quarry. They look similar in photos but wear differently, and quartzite usually needs sealing.
Will quartz stain?
Normal spills come straight off, as nothing can soak in. Strong dyes such as turmeric or hair dye are best wiped up quickly, and harsh solvents should be kept away from it.
Can quartz go in a sunny orangery?
Look up the maker's advice for that particular design first. Plenty of quartz ranges are intended for indoor rooms out of strong sun. Porcelain is the safer choice for bright rooms and outdoor kitchens.
Sources
- Cambridge Water: Cambridge City North water quality (opens in a new tab)
- Health and Safety Executive: no dry cutting of engineered stone (May 2026) (opens in a new tab)
We are not connected with the organisations linked here; they are listed for reference.