Flooring University: Quartz Tile 101
Spartan VP of Sales Joe Blodgett dropped a slew of knowledge on Quartz Tile in our Flooring University series. We are breaking it all down here for your learning pleasure.
What is quartz tile?
Quartz Tile is a flexible resilient floor covering that can handle heavy traffic, usually used in education, healthcare, and government facilities to outperform VCT and save money. Over time, quartz can be one of the best cheapest floors you can install.
Comes in all the colors!
Much like other vinyl flooring products, quartz tile is available in a wide variety of colors and styles from solid to a flecked terrazzo look. There are lots of neutral families available along with loud bold colors to compliment designer color schemes.
What is in it to win it?
The main component of quartz is powdered silica crystal, the main component in sand, held together with vinyl. Vinyl binds nicely with quartz, making the tile very flexible. These components make quartz much less absorbent and more crush resistant than the calcium carbonate used in VCT.
How does it compare?
Quartz and VCT look similar, both are used in high traffic facilities, but perform very differently. Quartz is generally tougher and less susceptible to expansion and wear. The biggest advantage is that quartz doesn’t need a finish, but is still easy to clean with a mop and PH neutral cleaner, without the need to be stripped and refinished several times a year.
Super high PSI!
PSI is the pounds per square inch force it takes to indent a material. Quartz tile has an incredibly high PSI at 3500. Combined with its flexibility it makes for a tough floor as Joe gingerly demonstrates above.
Cost and Savings.
Quartz may cost more upfront than VCT, but with the ability to go without a finish, it takes less than a year to start saving money, from then on the savings stack up.
Different but Familiar.
VCT and quartz perform very differently but install similarly. Finding an installer is generally easy as quartz is glued, laid, and rolled just like VCT. No special skills are required to install quartz and anyone familiar with VCT will be happy to know it goes down the same way; trowel adhesive, lay down, and roll.
Quartz tile can look great and clean easily in a high traffic area for years to come. Our people love it because it solves so many common complaints about warping, shrinking and wearing floors, AND can stay within a budget, even returning savings to the customer in less than a year. More project references here.