Should White Quartz Countertops Be Sealed?

Many consumers choose variations of white quartz because of its predictable patterning, beautiful colors, durability, and because of a plethora of misinformation about quartz.

As the author of this blog, I've spent more than 30 years in the stone industry, and 25 of those years as the owner of a stone fabrication business. We had a full-time service department that maintained all types of natural and engineered stones.  I've since retired from the fabrication business, but I'm still heavily involved within the industry.

It is common for us to receive questions on our product pages through emails and comments on our blogs. I plan to answer some of the questions related to sealing quartz, stains, and related issues on this blog.

Today we received an email from a customer that recently had a white quartz countertop installed in her kitchen. Having questions about quartz care and maintenance, she reached out to us with an email. 

Does Quartz Need to be Sealed

From The Customer: "Leigh P"

"We just installed new white quartz countertops. The company we used said that it is man-made and therefore doesn't need to be sealed. I just read that I should never "seal" quartz countertops. I was told that sealants can dull the shine over time. Now I'm confused and have a couple of questions.

• Should I seal my quartz countertops?
• Can I use Supreme Surface Granite, Quartz & Marble Treatment to make them more protected, shiny and bright?" 

From Our Stone Pro: 

It is true that engineered stone countertops, or “quartz" countertops, are man-made. However, this has nothing to do with the rate of absorption or durability. Should engineered stones such as quartz countertops be sealed? In my opinion white quartz should be sealed with a sealer made for quartz surfaces. However, you can't use just any sealer because of the possibility of an adverse reaction.

Do Not Use Common “Penetrating Sealers” on Quartz Countertops

Quartz counters are made from a natural stone aggregate and unsaturated polyester resin. The resin can have an adverse reaction with a solvent based sealer. This is one reason why I wouldn't recommended sealing quartz countertops with common penetrating sealers, "NOT" because they "won't" or "can't" stain.  

As you have discovered, quartz counters do not shine like a polished granite. It is not recommended to use a standard type of polish on quartz surfaces, because many standard types of polish contain wax that can build up, flake off and show wear over time.

Chemicals That Cause Damage to Engineered Stones, AKA Quartz Countertops

According to popular brands such as Silestone, Cambria, TechniStone, Zodiaq and more, consumers should avoid using products that contain:

• Abrasive solutions
• Strong alkaline 
• Acid cleaners
• Free radicals
• Oxidizers

Discover "The ioSeal™ Advantage on Quartz"

• An additional level of protection against: stains, hard water spots, calcium and limescale buildup
• Safe to use on unsaturated polyester resin, natural and engineered stones
• Surfaces become smoother, more reflective
• Colors become more vibrant
• Helps protect against UV rays and fading
• Supreme Surface® Granite, Quartz & Marble Treatment with ioSeal offers a safe and simple solution to clean, shine, protect, and preserve quartz countertops, all in one spray.

Helpful Links:

• How To Remove Hard Water Spots from Quartz Countertops (Article)
• How to Seal Granite Countertops: What to Know (Article)
• White Haze On Granite Composite Sinks (Article)

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in September of 2017 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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