Cont'd on page 115
"Obviously you can get colours in the quartz that you can't
get in natural stone, like the blues and the greens. One of
the things we do is Honda dealerships and they're all red.
You could never do that in a natural stone."
Floform Countertops' Cambria quartz line is popular with
home builders and buyers. Floform's Nancy Carpenter says
affordable laminates are often standard in new homes, but
if buyers choose to upgrade they're generally going with
quartz.
There's another option for homeowners who want the look
of granite without the cost: Formica 180fx Laminate looks
so much like the real thing, you have to touch it to tell the
difference. Acrylic DuPont Corian solid surfaces are non-
porous heat- and stain-resistant countertops that allow for
inlays and seamless backsplashes. They're also durable, and
in the event they are scratched, they can be restored to their
original beauty, since colours permeate the entire product.
And Carpenter says stainless steel is becoming popular with
interior designers.
If you want a marble or limestone look, Anderstedt rec-
ommends a quartz countertop that mimics their colours
for greater durability.
"The quartz is similar in hardness to the granite, where
limestone and marbles are softer," he says.
"But they're not indestructible. I think there's this percep-
tion that the quartz is indestructible, but it's not. It's a
very durable product, no question, but still if you made it
your mission to damage it you probably can."
Anderstedt says the vast majority of granite never needs
to be sealed, but sealing is standard and it's becoming
more common with quartz countertops as well. Gran-
ite and quartz can both handle the heat in the kitchen.
They're non-porous and they offer versatility in design
and layout.
Some homeowners choose wood or glass inlays, but An-
derstedt likes the idea of having a built-in area for a tef-
lon cutting board that could be changed every few years.
Parade of Homes Spring 2014 113
