Durable, practical and beautiful
Sintered stones essentiallgeneration on from Quartz tops, perfecting the blend of man-made processes with natural minerals to create a surface which is more resistant to chemicals, abrasion, scratching, impact & thermal shock.
Made of minerals, clays, feldspar, silica, and natural mineral pigments, sintered stone will not emit toxic fumes into the environment when exposed to fire or extremely high temperatures. Since it is a natural composition, it is both fully recyclable and can be made from recycled products.
What is Sintered Stone?
Like Quartz, Sintered Stone is a manufactured product made from a base of natural stone. Depending on the manufacturer, Quartz has a base of 88%-95% natural quartz stone, mixed with pigments, polymers and resins which is what bonds the slab together.
Sintered Stone is different in that it is made entirely from natural materials which are formed into incredibly strong and durable slabs which have countless applications. This process is called sintering.
What is Sintering?
The sintering process uses extreme heat and pressure to bond a material together without melting it with the resulting product being much stronger than the individual parts. We see sintering process in industry and nature, and the easiest way to visualise how it works is to imagine taking a handful of snow and compacting it into a snowball.
When making slabs of Sintered Stone, the raw materials are compacted under a huge pressure of up to 400 bars (5800 PSI!). After that, they are baked at a temperature of 1,200ºC, creating a slab of incredibly strong and versatile stone.
What are the Properties of Sintered Stone?
Sintered Stone is full of incredible benefits which make it one of the best materials you can buy for dining tables and other home products. In comparison, Granite has a higher heat resistance than quartz but is porous so requires sealing, whereas Quartz has a high stain resistance but a lower heat resistance as the resin can scorch.
Sintered stone has the benefits of both Granite and Quartz without the negatives. Its main properties are: