指导to Countertops: Engineered Quartz
Durable, maintenance-free, and available in almost any color, pattern, and texture, manufactured-stone countertops dominate the market.
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台面材料的新国王是工程化的石英,将石骨料和树脂的混合物压缩并被热和压力压缩成一个非常坚固,耐用的板。因为固体含量来自各种各样的来源,包括岩石,矿物(包括石英)和玻璃,“工程石英”更为恰当地称为“工程石材”。
该过程是在1960年代由意大利公司布雷顿(Breton)开发的,此后已获得全球许多公司的许可。专家建议与使用Breton方法的知名制造商一起去,并避免使用简单的两部分(AB)树脂铸造的仿冒版本,从而导致柔软,耐用的产品。一个好的台面经销商或快速的网络搜索将告诉您哪些品牌提供了真实的东西 - 可说的公司包括Radianz,Silestone,Ceasarstone,Ceasarstone,Cambria,LG Viatera,Pentalquartz,Daltile,Daltile,MSI和Corian Quarz。
工程石英
价格:$$-$$$
优点:Very durable, low-maintenance, nonporous, sanitary, scratch- and stain-resistant, can simulate many other materials
缺点:Heat-sensitive, difficult to repair
工程石英中的固体含量来自废物产品,包括90%以上的混合物,使工程石英台面成为相对绿色的产品(其他7%至10%是各种聚合物和树脂,有些是自然派生的)。
These engineered slabs are tough and nonporous, requiring no sealers and little to no maintenance. Better yet, they can be formulated and textured to simulate almost any other countertop material, from calm, monochromatic tones to marble, granite, soapstone, poured concrete, and even patinated metals. And like solid-surface materials, the colors and patterns go all the way through the slab, so scratches won’t reveal a contrasting substrate.
Last but not least, because engineered quartz is a consistent, manufactured material, what you see in slab samples is what you’ll get in your home. This makes it easy for designers and homeowners to plan the look of the kitchen from the very outset of a project, instead of waiting until cabinets are installed to see what’s available at the stone yard.
这套无与伦比的优势将工程化的石英置于台面世界的顶部,在许多情况下以较低的价格为客户提供耐用,无维护的表面的天然石头外观。
Watch out for heat
这种看似完美的台面材料并非没有缺点。主要的是材料混合对热的反应方式。尽管加热时固体含量相对稳定,但树脂却大大膨胀。这有两个主要后果。
The first is that engineered stone countertops are difficult to repair. When the slab is heated by power-grinding and -sanding, the polymers expand and the solids don’t. So after the surface cools, the polymers shrink below the solids, leaving a pebbly surface. This can be overcome with specialized methods, but they require more skill, knowledge, and labor.
The expanding resin can also lead to damage. While a very hot pot or pan is a bad idea on almost any countertop, direct, prolonged heat (from a countertop pizza oven, for example, or even a crock pot) can crack an entire slab of engineered quartz. That’s because the affected area will expand expand while the surrounding areas won’t. That said, heat pads and trivets are al you need to protect your investment.
The heat sensitivity, combined with a lack of UV blockers, make engineered stone unsuitable for use in outdoor kitchens that receive direct sunlight, which will yellow and fade the colors and could even warp the whole slab.
Asa克里斯蒂安娜is a contributing editor to精美的房屋建筑杂志
Main image courtesy of Sardonyx Design. All other photos courtesy of Precision Countertops in Portland, Ore.