Gra-Knight specialize in manufacturing and installing quartz worktops. Quartz is loved by our clients because they come in a huge range of colours and finishes. Because they are a man-made material, they can be built through design, whereas natural stone can only look how it has been formed over many years.
Quartz Worktops
What is Quartz?
Quartz also known as Quartz composite is a man-made material, it is made up of mainly natural quartz, one of the hardest materials in nature. Quartz composite is an engineered stone, it contains a percentage of acrylic resigns or similar. During the manufacturing process colour dyes and other materials such as glass and mirror can be added to give it a different appearance. Because of the way it is made you can achieve a white material. There are no natural granites that come in a white, but you can have quartz. A lot of the white materials can still have the natural stone look to them by adding in veins and different patterns. There is also quartz that are designed to look like marble. Marble is not recommended to be used in kitchens, but quartz most definitely is.
Advantages of Quartz worktops
There are various advantages of quartz worktops compared to others. Quartz contains resin which makes it no porous, this makes the cleaning process extremely easy and straight forward. To clean the surface all you must do is wipe it down with some warm soapy water, then buff it off with a tea towel. If for any reason it does not get rid of the dirt you can use CIF cream, but do not use it all the time. Using CIF cream constantly will give you surface a hazy look creating a waxy layer on top. Some products are marketed as “Granite & Marble” cleaners, stay away from these. Some of the granite cleaners are too aggressive for quartz. So why not save money? Just use warm soapy water and a tea towel. Easy and cost effective.
Quartz is also scratch resistant. We still recommend a cutting board. Quartz is a hard material so will blunt your knife very quickly. You can still scratch quartz, it is scratch resistant not proof, for that reason we do not recommend cutting directly onto it. In a busy kitchen environment object like coffee cups will be move about the worktop. Quartz will be fine with these sorts of stresses.
There are many quartz suppliers. Gra-Knight will only suggest and work with the best. There are many knock off quartz coming into the market that do not follow the same quality. Some of the high-quality materials will also come with a warranty for the stone for material defects. They are cheap which will attract many but will pay the price further down the line. With so many different suppliers it makes the choice of colours and designs somewhat endless. They will suit every interior design. Come to our showroom to see that huge range, your dream material might be here waiting for you.
Installation of Quartz worktops
There are thousands of different colours quartz. At our showroom we have small samples that you can view. Bringing in something like the kitchen doors or the paint colour for the room is a great idea so you can envision your design. Our knowledge of stone at Gra-Knight is honoured within the stone community making sure you get the right material for you space.
Once a material is selected and we have all the information we need, we will create a quote for you, this will consider the amount of material needed. How many sink holes, windowsills upstands etc. You will receive a quote form us.
When you are happy with your material and the work that is needed doing, we will arrange a date in which one of the members of the team will come and template. We currently use plastic hips card to template, this will give you a physical representation on how your worktops will look. We take customer satisfaction very seriously and feel a visual and physical representation on how your worktop will look is the utmost importance to us. A lot more goes into templating a kitchen worktop than some would assume. It is unfortunately not as simple as holding a tape measure up to the work tops and figuring it out form there. This makes important to use someone with knowledge and the skill to do so if you want the best finish. If it goes wrong as this step, it creates greater problems further down the line. During the template you will discuss finish on corners, tap hole positions and joint positions (if needed).
The quartz will arrive directly to our workshop in the form of slabs. Most slabs come into us at around 5m2. We have a wide range of machine at our disposal to manoeuvre, cut and polish the slabs. Some of the machine include CNC machines, 5 axis cutting saws and edge polshing machines. We also have fabricators that have been in the trade a long time, many with over 20years experience. We take pride in the quality work we produce in our yard. Cutting and polishing quartz is a precise task. Being only a couple of mileometers out can create huge problems.
The manufactured material will go though our quality control and if it passes will move onto the next step of the process. We aim to install your worktops 5-7 working days from template. This sets us apart from other companies. Some can take weeks to be installed, we understand the importance of needed your worktops in place. Our specialist team will install and finish off your worktops. We will tend to be installing for 3-4 hours. We will secure it to the carcases, joints will be stuck together with a 2 Pac epoxy resin matching closely in colour to the worktop you have chosen. We will also silicone upstand and the sink bowl to the worktops, this will make the worktops watertight, stopping any water from the tops or in your sink getting behind and leaking down into the carcases. Once we are complete with the installation, we will ask you to check over the work to make sure you are satisfied. Once you have signed it off you will then have your quartz worktops for many years to come.
Conclusion
Quartz is the perfect material for most worktops and spaces. It offers many characteristics that our clients love, that is why it is so popular. If you want to arrange a visit to our showroom, please do not hesitate to contact us and arrange an appointment. If you want more information, please email use on info@graknight.co.uk or call us on 01420 588514. Our dedicated team will assist you every step of the way. Open Mon-Fri. Saturdays are appoinement only
Commentaires