Natural vs Quartz backsplash

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

In my kitchen the backsplash is going to be Nero Marquina, it is 9 feet wide and will be a prominent feature.

I've gone shopping for Nero and the natural slabs I have seen are not quite as striking as I would like. However, there are some lovely quartz replicas that would look great.

Is there any downside to going with the quartz? This is going to be an expensive kitchen and I don't want to do anything to cheapen it, but finding a natural slab with the look I want seems like it will be exhausting. My intuition says that using quartz is perfectly fine aesthetically, and it has all the benefits of quartz over natural stone.

In a lot of cases I think it is obvious when quartz tries to replicate the veining of natural stone so it looks fake. But the Nero quartz I've seen looks quite natural. Here is an island I saw in a showroom made completely of Nero quartz. It's rare to find this sharp contrast, which I want, in a natural slab. Any reason to keep searching for natural instead of using this?

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futura431

8 years ago

I've talked to so many GCs this week and every one of them says that the ONLY thing they are putting in these days is quartz. Granite is out and this includes high-end neighborhoods in SoCal where the houses go for upwards of 1.2-3.3M. I don't think you should ever remodel your own house thinking about what others would want when they buy your house, that is, unless you plan to sell in 3-5 years. Otherwise do what you want! Quartz is amazing!

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Comments (7)

cpartist
8 years ago
Actually I think it looks quite striking and will be just fine. Either will work.
kelleg69
8 years ago
I have quartz that is supposed to look like Carrara and I love it. I have been so happy with it when I have left a bit of raspberry or something similar on it. That being said, I have a friend who may want to redo a kitchen in a very high-end house. I have wondered if not using actual marble would be a bad move for her in a very expensive house. Would those wanting to purchase the house scoff at quartz? Hard to know. The functionality of quartz is so great. I would go for it.
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uscpsycho
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I don't have to worry so much about staining on the backsplash (but worries about staining is why I am absolutely using quartz for my counters). So I wouldn't be oppsed to marble on the backsplash but the nero-look quartz looks better than the real thing, based on what I've seen so far.

I'm strongly leaning towards quartz, I just wanted to ping the crew here to see if there is some downside to quartz backsplash that I've overlooked.
mark_rachel
8 years ago
I don't agree that the ONLY thing getting installed these days is quartz. Yes it's popular, but other stones are not completely out. With that being said, if you like the quartz then go for it. It is very dark, so the only thing I would worry about it creating a black hole in your kitchen. What are the other elements that you plan to use?
uscpsycho
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
The other elements? You can read all about it [here[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/final-kitchen-design-feedback-dsvw-vd~5027137). You might be sorry you asked ;-)
mark_rachel
8 years ago
Oh yes, I remember that thread. Why don't you use the quartz on the island too?