Quartz worktops

Quartz is the default for a reason. It is non-porous, so red wine, olive oil, turmeric and coffee sit on the surface rather than soaking into it. It resists scratching from everyday use. It arrives the colour you chose, because it is manufactured rather than quarried, so the piece by your sink matches the piece on your island and the slab you approve is the slab you get. For a working family kitchen that gets used hard, it is the surface that asks least of you.

Quartz is heat resistant, not heatproof. The resin that binds it begins to suffer somewhere around 150 degrees, and a pan straight off a gas ring is comfortably past that, so a scorch mark is permanent and not repairable in place. Use a trivet and it is a non-issue. Quartz is also not for outdoors or a conservatory that bakes, because ultraviolet light will fade some pigments over a few years. And while it resists scratching, it is not a chopping board. If those three things rule it out for you, porcelain solves all three, and we would rather tell you that now than after fitting.

Most quartz kitchens land between £2,000 and £5,000 supplied and fitted, including VAT. The variables are the number of slabs your layout needs, the stone you pick, and the detailing. A single run in a mid-range white is at the bottom of that. Three slabs in a heavily veined Calacatta with a mitred island and a full height splashback is at the top. Our estimator gives you a real range in about a minute, and the itemised price follows a free home visit.

The marble looks dominate at the moment: Calacatta and Statuario patterns with strong grey or gold veining, on a bright white or warm white base. Behind those, the warm neutrals have replaced the cold greys, so mushroom, putty, oat and soft cream are where the range has grown. Plain whites and blacks still sell steadily. We work with Silestone, Caesarstone, Technistone, Unistone, Compac, Cimstone, Ceralsio, Noble Stone, iStone and Next Stone Slabs, so if you have seen a specific colour, tell us the name and we will find it or show you the closest thing in stock.

Twenty millimetre and thirty millimetre are both standard. Thirty reads more solid and carries a longer unsupported overhang on an island. Twenty is lighter and slightly more contemporary, and a mitred edge can make it look as thick as you like. Every cut-out is free with us, for the sink, the hob, the taps and the sockets, however many there are. Pencil edges come as standard, which rounds the corner very slightly so it is kind to small hands. Drainer grooves are standard too. Those three are commonly priced as extras elsewhere and they are not extras here.