Quartz vs. Natural Stone Countertops: What’s the Difference?

Natural stone is a precious gift that nature gives to humans. This type of rock is formed from the metamorphosis of original rocks under the influence of temperature, pressure, and time, over millions of years of geological tectonics.

With its unique beauty, durability, and diverse applications, stone has long become a popular material in many fields such as construction, interior decoration, fine art making, etc., on the market today, there are many types of artificial stones with diverse designs and prices. This causes difficulty when distinguishing these two stone types.

Lux will introduce you to useful information about natural stones, including concepts, characteristics, and applications. From there, it helps you better understand natural stone and can choose the type of stone that suits your needs.

1. What is Natural stone?

Natural stone is a type of rock that forms from geological processes, such as metamorphism, deposition, and volcanic eruptions. It can be found all over the earth’s surface and comes in diverse colors, textures, and patterns.

Some popular stones currently consumed in the Vietnamese market include quartzite (natural quartz), granite, marble, sandstone, Basalt, etc. Depending on the characteristics and properties of each type, it will be used for many different purposes.

2. Natural stone Characteristics

Geological processes, such as metamorphism, deposition, and volcanic eruptions have formed this material. It can be found all over the earth’s surface and comes in diverse colors, textures, and patterns.

Main characteristics:

• Durability: There will be a huge difference in durability between natural stones, often people will differentiate according to Mohs hardness. In nature, diamond has the highest hardness (10 mohs), then quartzite (7 mohs), granite (4 to 6 mohs,), marble (3-4 mohs), sandstone (3-4 mohs, ), basalt (4-5 mohs).
• Waterproof: Good water resistance (0.3% to 0.7%) in some quartzite and granite lines, but for marble, sandstone, or basalt, the waterproofness is not high (1% to 2%).
• Fireproof: This is a fireproof material, which means it will not catch fire. This makes it a good choice for high-fire-risk areas, such as fireplaces and stoves.
• Color and veining: It has a beautiful material that can bring beauty to any space. It is available in diverse colors, textures, and patterns, so you can find a stone that suits your style.

3. Application of natural stone

Possessing many of the above outstanding advantages along with various colors and veins, this stone is widely used in casual life for building living spaces, interior decoration, making decorative items or sculptures…

3.1 Application in construction:

• Flooring: With high hardness, and good bearing capacity, effective waterproofing is the ideal choice for flooring, hallways, and stairs,… creating luxury, class, and durability for the project.
• Wall cladding: The unique beauty of delicate stone veins of natural stone contributes to creating impressive highlights for indoor and outdoor walls, bringing sophistication and elegance to the space.
• House facade: Using this material for the facade creates grandeur, class, and attraction for the house, while also contributing to protecting the building from environmental impacts.
• Columns, steps, and domes: With high durability and good bearing capacity, it can be used to construct items such as columns, steps, and domes,… bringing a luxurious, classic, and beautiful beauty lasting over time.

3.2. Application in interior decoration:

• Kitchen countertops: Good waterproofing, heat resistance, and easy cleaning is the perfect choice for kitchen countertops, bringing luxury and comfort to the cooking space.

• Lavabo, bathtub: Using this surface for lavabo, the bathtub creates luxury, class, and uniqueness for the bathroom.
• Fireplace: Cladding for the fireplace brings a warm, luxurious, and classic beauty to the space.
• Decorations: Natural stone is used to make decorations such as statues, stone paintings, vases, etc., creating an impressive and luxurious highlight for the space.

3.3. Application in landscape:

Nowadays, many families often use natural stone to pave paths and garden paths, creating beauty, while also helping to prevent slippage and increase durability for exterior areas. Besides, this material is also used as retaining walls to protect landscape areas from landslides, while also creating highlights for many areas such as gardens, aquariums, rockeries…

3.4. Application in sculpture:

Natural stone is an ideal material for making sculptures such as human statues, and animal statues,… with high artistic value. In addition, natural stone is also used to create delicate, luxurious reliefs, imbued with artistic and historical significance.

4. Comparing Natural Stone and Artificial Stone

Today, thanks to modern production technology, many types of artificial stones are born, possessing many advantages such as high durability, rich colors, and patterns that are not inferior to natural stones.

Natural and artificial stone are 2 popular materials used in construction and interior decoration. However, between these two types of stones, certain differences help you easily distinguish:

4.1 Origin:

• Natural stone: Formed from geological processes over millions of years, with a unique crystal structure.
• Artificial stone: Manufactured from a mixture of materials such as stone powder, glue, inorganic colors,… using modern technology.

4.2 Surface

• Natural stone: Has unique, irregular stone patterns, creating a unique beauty for each stone slab. The surface can be rough or smooth depending on the processing process.
• Artificial stone: Stone patterns are often regular, and repeating and can be designed as desired. The surface is often smoother and more uniform than natural stone.

4.3 Hardness:

Natural stone: Hardness will be measured on a scale from (1 mohs to 10 mohs), gypsum, and mica will have the lowest hardness on the 1 to 2 mohs scale, and diamond will have the highest hardness on the 10 mohs scale. Depending on the type of stone, natural stones have very high hardness such as natural quartz (quartzite, 7 mohs), granite (4-7 mohs), and low hardness types such as marble or sandstone (3-4 Mohs).

Artificial stone in the Vietnamese market: Artificial stone is divided into many types and has a different hardness from 2 mohs to 7 mohs.

• Artificial stone usually has a hardness of 2-3 mohs, produced from limestone powder, and marble (limestone, marble chips); This type of stone is often imported from China and some domestic units such as CMC and Bao Lai.
• Solid surface artificial stone, produced from acrylic glue, stone powder, and color paste, has a hardness of 2-4 mohs and can be bent into many shapes. This type of stone is mainly imported from China and Korea such as Himacs and Lotte.
• Made with crushed quartz (giving it a hardness of 5-7 on the Mohs scale), this artificial stone is a tough choice.

In the Vietnamese market, domestic brands such as Vicostone, Casla, LUX, and several other companies with thoughtful sales and after-sales systems are leading this stone market in the middle and high-end segments.

4.4 Water Resistance

Natural stone: Has good water resistance, limits mold, and bacteria, and is easy to clean. The level of waterproofing may vary depending on the type of stone. Natural stone requires periodic maintenance every 6 months to maintain waterproofness.

Artificial stone: regular artificial stone has good waterproofing ability, and Engineered Quartz stone has superior waterproofing ability (less than 0.05%) compared to most natural stones. Quartz-based artificial stone does not require periodic waterproofing maintenance.

4.5. Color

Natural stone: Has a variety of colors from pure white, mysterious black to warm tones. Color may vary according to each mining area.

Artificial stone: Can be produced with richer and more diverse colors than natural stone. Colors can be designed upon request.

4.6 Price

Natural Stone

• Domestic natural stone (Phu Yen, Binh Dinh, Ninh Thuan, Hue, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa) will have a low to medium price (400,000-800,000/m2) and is suitable for floor stairs and exterior cladding.
• Imported natural stone (India, Turkey, Norway, Italy, Spain) will have a medium to high price (800,000-3,00,000/m2) suitable for interior and exterior, of which Natural quartz stone (quartzite) in slab form from Brazil will have a very high price (4,000,000-15,000,000/m2) and is suitable for surfaces with high density of use such as kitchen tops and lavabo tables.

Artificial Stone

• For regular artificial stone, the price will be from 800,000-1,200,000/m2, suitable for decorative cladding, coffee tables, and other decorative facades.
• Depending on the stone type and brand, Engineered Quat will cost between 2,500,000-12,000,000/m2, suitable for surfaces with high requirements for waterproofing, scratch resistance, and crack resistance such as kitchen countertops, and lavabo.

Both natural stone and artificial stone have their advantages and disadvantages. Choosing the right type of stone depends on your needs, construction location, and budget. Hopefully, the above information will help you easily distinguish and choose the right stone for your project.

Lux Quartz Vietnam is the premier choice for architects, designers, contractors, and distributors worldwide.

For quartz-based artificial stone samples or distributor inquiries, please contact us via WhatsApp at +84914417702, email us cs@luxquartzvietnam.com or message our Fanpage “Lux Quartz Vietnam.” Our team is dedicated to providing expert guidance and detailed quotations.

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See more:

• Engineered Quartz Countertops: All You Need to Know
• Kitchen Design Inspiration: 55 Ideas to Transform Your Space
• Note for Homeowners when Choosing Kitchen Countertop Surface