Kitchens
And if man-made quartz is the all
singing, all dancing alternative to
natural stone, why does it have to
assume the names of natural stone,
claim it is a version of stone and try to
look like stone?
LEFT: Lapitec - sintered stone – Marble & Granite Center.
BELOW: Natural stone work-surface.
Man-made quartz (not to be confused
with quartzite, which is a natural
stone): a composite made from quartz
mineral (approx. 75% by volume),
bound together with a binder resin,
(approx. 24% by volume), and then
coloured with pigments, (1 to 2%).
Heated, calibrated and polished. The
finished product tends to come in
singular colours, some with sparkles.
Manufacturer’s claim it is chip resistant,
moisture and stain resistance and
hygienic. There are warnings about
placing hot pans directly on the surface
as they may crack the material or leave
burn marks.
The market is becoming saturated
with choices and there is an unhealthy
market for unbranded material, without
the manufacturer’s mark printed
on the back, appearing as a cheaper
alternative, and therefore without the
manufacturer’s guarantee.
There is also another man-made
product on the market called Lapitec
which is a “sintered stone”, available
from the Marble and Granite Centre
in Rickmansworth, which uses 100%
natural products, is inert, recyclable and
has excellent ecological credentials.
Natural granite is igneous rock, formed
at high temperatures in the earth’s
crust, made up of varying quantities of
feldspar, quartz, and mica. The name
is applied to a variety of igneous rock,
similar in structure, but not all the
same. Generally, it is hard wearing,
heat resistant and can be sealed to
resist liquid ingress, which makes
maintenance simple. It can be highly
polished or honed. Colours can be
uniform pinks and creams - salt and
pepper or wild and unique.
Marble and limestone are increasingly
specified for high end luxury apartment
work-tops. These look beautiful, but
the materials are calcium carbonate
based and can be susceptible to acid
etching from citreous fruit, wine and
household cleaners. Though some
prefer the natural patina that develops
on the surface of these stones with age
and use.
What can you do with all those the old
worksurfaces once you decide to replace
them in 10 or 20 years’ time? Will an
indestructible pile of inorganic resin
bonded material pile-up somewhere,
like the fridge mountains of earlier
this century? What is contained in
the resin that binds the man-made
quartz together? Certainly Lapitec and
all natural stones can be crushed and
returned to the earth, naturally.
More questions than answers?
Ultimately, the beauty is in the eye of
the beholder. Perhaps, like imitations
gone before, natural stone will shrug off
the competition in time.
77
After all, its been around for millions of
years and will probably be around for a
few more. Will its rivals?
What’s your choice?
Robert Merry is a Director of the
Stone Consultants. A member of the
Stone federation of Great Britain,
Chartered Institute of Building and the
British Standards Institute. The Stone
Consultants offer specialist advice and
guidance on all aspects of using stone,
both natural and “unnatural”, as well as
expert witness services.
Contact: [email protected]
or visit www.stoneconsultants.co.uk