Quartz is actually harder than granite and thus, more durable. In fact, quartz is nearly indestructible, and because it isn't porous like granite, it's easy to keep your countertops relatively bacteria-free. Be careful with cooking pans though: Quartz can be damaged by excessive heat, so use heating pads at all times.

Granite is naturally heat resistant, and heat damage would occur only if the granite was heated unevenly. So briefly putting a hot pan down on your granite countertop isn't going to cause long-term damage. That said, we don't recommend putting hot pans on granite countertops — not for the granite's sake but for yours.

It requires very little maintenance and is quite durable. However, when looking to maintain its stain resistance, some maintenance is required from time to time to reseal the material. In its natural state, granite is porous and absorbs liquids easily, therefore it needs to be sealed to make it stain-resistant.

Second choice quartz is a lot duller than first choice or commercial grade because it contains up to 15% resin. Quartz countertops with a higher resin content not only makes the slabs heavier but also more susceptible to damage.