Sintered stone countertops have become more popular in recent years because of their great durability, amazing look and their incredible heat and stain resistance. They are also very environmentally friendly. Click on the following section to learn more.
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What Are Sintered Stone Countertops and How Are They Made?
Benefits of Sintered Stone Countertops
Disadvantages of Sintered Stone Countertops
Sintered Stone Countertop Uses
Installation Requirements
Is Sintered Stone Right for You?
If you would like help choosing the right countertops for your home, contact us. We have the largest selection of natural stone countertops in stock, including sintered stone and our expert staff would be happy to answer all of your questions.
Sintered stone is one of the countertop materials that is made up of a combination of the following:
Natural minerals
Feldspar
Silica
It is different from quartz since it does not contain binders or adhesives to hold it together, which makes it 100% natural. It is available in different thicknesses, hence it is a very versatile product and a great candidate for countertops. It is also UV-resistant, which implies that it will not discolour or fade when exposed to sunlight.
In addition, sintered stone, also known as ceramic, is not printed and does not have a pattern but is uniform in colour.
Sintered stone is produced by a highly advanced process called sintering. The process actually mimics the way that natural stone forms using a combination of pressure and heat. Instead of using any chemical resins or adhesives, the raw materials are compressed together at extremely high temperatures (over 1,200°C or 2,192°F).
That high temperature is what causes the particles to form a bond at the molecular level. This process forms sintered stone to be an extremely dense and hard surface with no pores or weaknesses.
Sintered stone countertops offer you many great benefits. Here are just a few.
Sintered stone countertops are built to last, making them the perfect choice for heavy-traffic areas and busy kitchens. Throughout the sintering process, the countertop's surface becomes ultra-dense and super-resistant to cracks, chips, and scratches, and thus your countertop will be immaculate for decades. Compared to natural stone, which is fragile against breaks, sintered stone has the ability to keep its strength even when put through heavy usage and remains a stable choice for commercial structures and families.
One of the most noticeable strengths of sintered stone is its unparalleled heat resistance. Whereas quartz will burn or change colour when subjected to direct heat, sintered stone remains unchanged by high temperatures. This also means resistance to staining, so hot pots and pans can be placed on the surface directly without harm.
Also, sintered stone is totally non-porous, a barrier to stains from food, wine, coffee, and domestic chemicals. Unlike granite or marble, which need to be sealed every so often to avoid staining, sintered stone retains its resistance naturally, making it a low-maintenance choice for homeowners.
If sustainability is of importance to you, sintered stone is among the greenest countertop materials on the market. Sintered stone is produced using natural minerals and no synthetic resins or binders, so the product is non-toxic and environmentally sustainable. The process of manufacturing it is energy efficient with low waste and emissions, less than many other engineered surfaces.
Moreover, sintered stone is 100% recyclable, which means it can be reused upon its life cycle completion rather than sent to landfills. Its low carbon emission and sustainable origin make sintered stone a fantastic choice for homeowners who want to make environment-friendly decisions within their home interior design.
Sintered stone countertops are a great option for many people, however, there are some factors that you need to take into consideration before deciding whether or not they are the right option for your home.
Sintered stone is a premium material, and the price tag for it reflects the sophisticated technology and process used in developing it. Sintered stone is pricier than material like laminate or some of the quartz material, so you may feel that it is too much for your budget. As much as longevity and durability may offset the expense eventually, the initial cost may be too high if you are watching your pennies.
Despite its great durability, sintered stone is not damage-proof. If a countertop cracks or chips, it can be hard and costly to repair due to the hardness and density of the material. Unlike natural stone, where resin or filler can sometimes revive it, sintered stone must be subjected to special restoration methods. In extreme damage, replacement is the only option, so careful use and professional installation are necessary.
As compared to quartz and natural stone, sintered stone provides less scope for edge profile customization. Due to the fact that it is ultra-dense, detailed or elaborate edges are difficult to create, and design choices are limited for homeowners looking for very ornate countertops. Plain and minimalist edge profiles like straight, beveled, or eased edges can be achieved, but homeowners who look for detailed or rounded profiles may find sintered stone less versatile than granite or quartz.
Sintered stone is one of your best choices for kitchen countertops because it is extremely durable, heat resistant, and non-porous. It is perfect for busy kitchens where spills, heat, and sharp knives are the order of the day. Additionally, its seamless appearance and ability to mimic natural stone make it a trendy option for kitchen islands and backsplashes.
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Sintered stone countertops are both water and stain resistant, which makes them an ideal material for your bathroom vanities. Unlike porous materials that absorb water and must be sealed over and over again, sintered stone is easy to maintain and hygienic in damp bathroom environments.
Because of its UV resistance, sintered stone is also a great choice for outdoor kitchens. Unlike quartz, which yellows or discolours when used outdoors in direct sun, sintered stone's colour and structure remain intact even in harsh weather conditions. It is therefore ideal for patios, BBQ areas, and outdoor cooking spaces, offering long-lasting beauty and functionality.
Sintered stone's hardness, strength, and minimal maintenance make it a high-traffic favorite for commercial spaces. It is used extensively in restaurants, hospitality venues, and retail spaces, where countertops, bar tops, and worktops have to withstand heavy foot traffic. Its scratch and stain resistance ensures it will remain as good as new with minimal maintenance, which makes it an economic option for companies looking for long-term value.
Sintered stone is an extremely heavy and hard material, hence it is more difficult to cut and install compared to other countertops like granite or quartz. Due to its brittleness prior to installation, it can crack or shatter when handled. For this reason, expert installation is highly recommended for precise cutting, proper support, and seamless integration. Expert installers have the necessary special equipment and expertise to handle sintered stone safely and effectively.
Sintered stone countertops come in a variety of thicknesses from 6mm up to 20mm. Slabs at a thinner 6mm or 12mm are typically used for backsplashes, wall cladding, or furniture tops, while thicker slabs at 20mm and more are used for kitchen countertops and heavy-use worktops.
When designing your installation, it's crucial to have seam placement and total weight in mind. Slabs in larger formats minimize seams, giving your installation a sleeker, higher-end look. But structural support is necessary, particularly for heavy or oversized slabs. Installers will visit your site and advise on ideal slab thickness and configuration to promote durability and appearance.
If you're looking for countertops that will withstand heavy, daily wear and tear, sintered stone is perfect. It is scratch resistant, heat resistant, and stain resistant, so it is an excellent choice for high-traffic kitchens and busy households. It doesn't require sealing on a regular basis like natural stone or excessive maintenance, making it a perfect minimal-maintenance material.
Sintered stone is 100% natural, as it is made from natural minerals without resins or synthetic binders. This makes it a more sustainable option than quartz or other engineered materials. If you’re looking for an eco-friendly countertop with a lower carbon footprint, then sintered stone is a great option.
While sintered stone offers numerous benefits, it’s important to weigh the higher cost and limited edge profile options against your budget and design preferences. Additionally, since repairs can be difficult, you’ll want to hire a professional to install and carefully handle it to ensure that it lasts longer.
“Highly recommend. From the minute we entered the showroom and were greeted by Denisa to the installation, Natural Stone City has been top notch. Viewing the indoor showroom was great with samples on site to take with. Denisa provided us with an on the spot quote based on our plans. She was wonderful to work with making sure we got exactly what we wanted. The speed of templating to installation is unheard of - templating on Tuesday and installing on Friday. This significantly fast-tracked our renovation. The care of the people cutting the stone cannot be overlooked. We chose to use the countertop as backsplash and they went to the effort that the veins are continuous from the backsplash to the counter. The installation was perfection as well. Our very large island required a seam and it is virtually unnoticeable due to the care of the installers and the attention of the person laying out our stone for cutting. We are so incredibly pleased with our countertops. Great business, great people, and great product. Highly recommend.”
— Susan Cruickshank
When picking a stone material for your home, sintered stone and marble are two popular choices. However, there are certain things to keep in mind before you make your decision. Whether you are going for a timeless look with marble, or a contemporary style with sintered stone, here is what you need to know before making your purchase.
Sintered stone is a custom-made material that consists of natural minerals like quartz and feldspar, pigments, and binders. It is eco-friendly because it doesn’t contain harsh chemicals such as adhesives, resin, or other bonding agents, and doesn’t emit harmful gases during production. It’s also a recyclable and renewable material.
To create sintered stone materials, raw minerals are extracted from the ground and transported to a manufacturing plant where they undergo various stages of processing to replicate hundreds of years of metamorphic change. The key steps involve mixing the raw materials together until they form a uniform mixture, pressing the mixture into a slab, removing moisture through drying, sintering the mixture, and finally cooling it down. Sintering is a process that involves the fusion of particles using high temperatures and pressure, resulting in a strong and long-lasting stone slab. It is extremely hard with a score of 7 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.
Its hardness and durability are why it is highly scratch-resistant, making it an excellent choice not only for your bathroom but for kitchen countertops and flooring as well. It can even be used in outdoor applications, as it is weather-proof and water-proof. It also does not get discoloured under UV radiation.
Sintered stone countertops are excellent in both the bathroom and the kitchen. It’s stain-resistant, so you can dye your hair at home and not have to worry about discolouring your surface with hair dye – though you have to be careful with the bleach. It’s also great in the kitchen where there are bound to be spills from various liquids and foods that would stain surfaces.
On bathroom countertops, you can place heating tools such as hair straighteners or curlers directly on your countertops without leaving a mark. The same goes for kitchen countertops – you can place a hot pan directly on the surface. Just be careful not to immediately place something cold in the same spot, as the sudden temperature change may cause cracking.
Sintered stone countertops are hygienic because it is a non-porous material and therefore has no pores for bacteria to grow in. You can spill as much of your skincare products and soap on your bathroom countertop or food and drinks on your kitchen countertop without worry. Sintered stone is a low-maintenance countertop material that does not need to be sealed and routinely resealed. The surface can be cleaned with a soft cloth or sponge, warm water, and a pH-neutral cleaner.
Sintered stone offers a wide range of design options as its texture, colour, and pattern can be customized according to your preferences. However, the design does not go throughout the thickness of the slab, because it is printed on the face of the slab. Meaning, the ends and edges do not look the same as the rest of the surface. The sintered stone’s design can be customised to have random veining to mimic the appearance of marble, granite, other stone materials, and even wood. Or it can be customised to have a uniform appearance, which helps minimise the appearance of seams on the surface. However, very fine details will be lost during the sintering process. What would not disappear is its texture, which makes the material good for flooring because of its anti-slip properties.
Marble has been used in sculptures and architecture for over years and adds a luxurious touch to the surrounding environment. In the world of art, it is one of the most popular choices for sculptors because of its durability and translucency. It’s easy to work with because it’s a soft stone, and it can be manipulated into the shape the sculptor wants. The finished product then gradually transforms into a hard and dense material over time. Marble has a low refractory index due to the presence of calcites, allowing light to penetrate the stone, similar to how light interacts with human skin. This gives marble sculptures a “waxy” appearance, making them more lifelike. This is why marble is known for its natural beauty and timeless appearance which makes it synonymous with elegance and opulence.
Marble is a stone material formed through a natural process in which extreme heat causes minerals in limestone rock to grow and fuse together. The marble is quarried, cut into a solid slab, and then polished to create the finished product. It is a soft stone with a score of 3-4 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. It comes in a wide variety of colours, though the purest marble is white. It’s tiering and price depends on the veining and colour of the marble.
Like all natural stones, marble is a porous material, so it is important to get a quality sealant to protect your surface from liquids getting into the pores and becoming a breeding ground for bacteria. The sealant also protects your surface from acidic household liquids such as lemon juice and vinegar, which will dissolve the calcium carbonate that’s found in marble. To clean the marble surface, use a soft cloth or sponge, warm water, and regular dish soup. Then use a second clean cloth to dry.
In terms of heat resistance, Marble can take temperatures up to around 176 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). However, it is strongly advised not to apply intense heat directly on this stone surface, as it may cause discolouration, chips, or cracks in the sealant. Marble itself is a poor conductor of heat, so it always feels cool to the touch. Bakers use these marble surfaces to keep the butter in the dough cool, which is important to get a flaky baked good. Marble also keeps the room cool, making it a great choice for your bathroom countertops if you live in a hot country. It is not recommended to use marble flooring in your bathroom without a sealant because of how damp and wet the environment is. However, if you are planning to have marble flooring for the rest of your home, do take note that it is a slippery surface.
Unfortunately, marble is not the best material when it comes to stain resistance and scratch resistance. Marble is known as a “living finish” because time and wear cause it to change by getting slightly darker and having more etchings, but some people like it because it “gives the marble personality.” You could have marble as your kitchen countertop material, but it would require a lot of maintenance and care. It might be easier to have a large board that’s made of marble just for baking – like a chopping board, but do not use it as such, because knives will surely damage the marble and sealant with chips and cracks.
While both sintered stone and marble are ideal choices, it depends on what you are looking for. Would you go for the versatility of the artificial stone material or the elegant appearance of natural stone material? Take into account the key differences between the two materials before you make your choice.
From a logical point of view, sintered stone is the way to go. It is the harder material and unlike marble is scratch-resistant and stain-resistant. It is also cheaper and easier to install and maintain than marble. Due to advanced technology, sintered stone slabs can even be customised to look like marble, although they cannot match the exquisite beauty of marble exactly. Furthermore, this is the more eco-friendly option as sintered stone is recyclable and is composed of natural minerals and binders. There are no harmful chemicals or resin involved. It also does not emit carbons during its manufacturing process. Marble can be ground up and used in concrete, so it is recyclable too. But it is not as eco-friendly because it’s a natural stone that has to be mined out of the earth. In other words, it’s a finite, non-renewable resource.
When it comes to aesthetics, marble is the clear winner. The unique veining patterns and colour variations of natural marble make it the perfect choice for luxury countertops, flooring, and other surfaces in the home. Its history and cooling effect also give it an advantage. Marble also has a timeless appeal that will never go out of style. While the colour will darken and more etchings will appear on your surface as time passes, some people prefer this because of its organic change.
Are you interested in learning more about Marble Sintered Stone? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!