Sometimes, a brand name doesn’t really matter—like when you’re buying a can of soup, a pair of socks, or a phone screen protector. These are everyday things where the brand isn’t a big deal.
But other times, the brand does matter because you want quality. Think about your car, a Swiss watch, or the varnish on your floor. Choosing a trusted brand means you’re getting a high-quality product—one that’s reliable and consistent.
The same rings true of quartz worktop brands. You can buy unbranded quartz from a wholesaler or from overseas if you like and get it shipped over. You can buy unbranded quartz from backstreet outlets and warehouses. The trouble is, you never really know what you’re getting. Not all quartz is made equal, and in our experience, unbranded quartz is less robust and doesn’t look as good.
Of course we would say that because we sell brands. But, when you dive into how quartz worktops are actually manufactured (quartz worktops are engineered, i.e. they are made in a factory, unlike granite worktops which are mined), the differences in quality soon become clear. Here’s what you need to know.
The Quartz
The biggest difference between branded and unbranded quartz worktops comes down to the quality of the quartz itself. Quartz is graded into three categories: first quality, standard, and seconds. These grades determine both the price and the overall quality of the slab.
First quality is the best—it’s what top brands use because it has fewer veins and imperfections. Standard is commonly found in local DIY stores under store-brand names. Seconds, on the other hand, are used in cheaper, unbranded slabs, and these are the ones to avoid.
Why? Because seconds have more imperfections and discoloration. To hide these flaws, manufacturers add extra resin and pigments, which lowers the actual quartz content. The best quartz worktops contain over 93% quartz, ensuring durability and a premium look.
The fillers
Quartz worktops are manufactured by pressing the slab into form. The slab itself is composed of quartz, resin and pigments. Everything that is not quartz is referred to as a ‘filler’ in the trade. Fillers are usually a polymer or resin mixed with a mixture of pigments to make up 7 to 5% of the quartz worktop.
The resin acts as a binder and enhances the durability of the quartz because it isn’t prone to chipping and is highly resistant to heat. The resin doesn’t shrink, warp, melt or dissolve or weaken when exposed to common chemicals. However, the use of too much resin or plastic in the worktop is a cop out. It makes production cheaper and many unbranded worktops have a resin content higher than 10%.
The quality of the fillers is also important. Grade A resin is used by brands to ensure the binding agent binds with the quartz forever. Cheaper resins can discolour or fade over time, as can the pigments used. Brands do not use cheap fillers. They use the best materials throughout the production of their worktops and the vibro-compression technique used to make the slabs forms a perfect product.
