Feb 25, 20223 min read

How Are Quartz Countertops Made?

What is quartz exactly? Quartz is a hard crystalline mineral that can be found underground all over the world. Quartz is a common mineral; it is the second most abundant mineral in Earth’s crust.

What is quartz made out of? Quartz has a compound name of SiO2, Si meaning silica. Silica is a hard, unreactive, and colorless element found in many stones. Silica is what makes quartz a good countertop in the first place, it is not reactive. Therefore, it won’t react to spills or other things being placed on it. You cannot have a countertop that reacts to things, can you?

Now that we know what quartz is, how do we find them? Quartz is mined from different places all over the world. They are usually extracted through the use of open-pit mining with the help of digging equipment such as bulldozers and backhoes. The machines help dig deep and efficiently into the ground until quartz is spotted. After the quartz can be spotted, pickaxes and chisels will be used to dig out the chunks of quartz without damaging them too much.

Once all the natural rough quartz is collected, they undergo a cleaning process. The cleaning process will remove all the physical and chemical impurities from the quartz. The quartz will then be crushed and sorted for different uses. To make quartz countertops, the quartz will first need to be crushed into fine powder. The powder will then be shipped to new destinations where countertops are made.

Now manufacturing and fabrication companies step into the process. Once they receive the raw materials: powdered quartz, they will use the powder and turn them into consumer goods such as countertops. The quartz powder is mixed with a resin binder, usually in a ratio of 90%-94% quartz. After the mixture is blended evenly into a wet sand consistency, it is then placed into molds. Patterns can be made during this step. The paste in the mold will then be pressed in a vacuum at extreme pressure. This is to remove any possible air bubbles and to ensure that the final countertop will be sturdy and nonporous. Afterward, the slabs will be heated, calibrated, and polished. Once the previous steps are completed, the slabs will be held upright with clamps to cool for 24-36 hours. Then the edges will be trimmed, and they will be ready for quality inspection.

Since quartz countertops are man-made, there can be infinite pattern choices. Consumers like the appearance of marble countertops, so many quartz countertops are made to look like marble. There are many benefits of quartz countertops. One benefit is that patterns are more consistent since each slab is made accordingly. The size is also more consistent, unlike natural stones that need to be bound together for larger countertops, quartz countertops can be simply made larger during the fabrication process.

Once the quartz slabs are ready, wholesalers like Charlton Cabinetry come into the picture. Large quantities are purchased and stored in warehouses. Retailers and contractors who receive customer orders will give us the information and the countertops will be cut accordingly to each order. Finally, the quartz countertops will be shipped and installed straight into their final destination, your home.