Quartz vs. Granite Countertops in Florida: Cost and Durability

Neither quartz nor granite is the better countertop for every Florida kitchen. Quartz is generally sold as needing no sealing, but its makers' care guides say it isn't heatproof and warn against direct sun. Granite is natural stone that a stone distributor and a stone-industry test rate as more heat tolerant, and whether it needs sealing depends on the slab.

On price, it's close to a tie. Our Florida planning range covers both at $55–$130 per sq. ft. installed, an estimated $2,200–$7,200 for a typical kitchen with 40 to 55 sq. ft. of counter, and published figures disagree on which material costs more. Let where the counter goes, how you cook and the slab you like decide, not the label.

Quartz vs. granite at a glance

We found no source on how either material handles salt air indoors, so we haven't rated them on it.

What quartz and granite cost

Our planning table uses one installed range for quartz and granite together:

The countertop row is the one that matters here; for the cabinet rows, see kitchen cabinet replacement cost in Melbourne. Like our other ranges, this one generally doesn't include permit fees, HOA application fees, sales tax charged separately or repairs found once the old tops come off. How we estimate costs explains where the ranges come from.

What published figures show

We didn't find published countertop prices for Melbourne or the rest of Brevard. These 2026 figures from outside Florida price quartz and granite separately, and they don't agree:

• They point in different directions. Both regional sellers start granite lower than quartz, while the national guide puts granite higher at the top end. The Virginia retailer says premium quartz brands sit at the high end and domestic granite is the cheapest option.
• Check what a per-foot price covers. The same retailer puts installation alone at about $30–$50 per sq. ft., so a slab-only price and an installed price aren't comparable.
• They aren't Florida quotes. They're marketing and cost-guide figures from other markets. They mostly overlap our planning range, though two dip below its low end and the national guide's top figures sit well above it.

Example budgets (illustrative estimates)

These are estimates, not quotes. They use only our planning range, multiplied out at the low and high ends and rounded to the nearest $100. Real prices depend on the slab, your layout and the fabricator.

Scenario 1: L-shaped kitchen, no island. Assumptions: 40 sq. ft. of quartz or granite, same layout, existing cabinets stay, removal and plumbing not counted.

• 40 sq. ft. × $55 = $2,200, and 40 sq. ft. × $130 = $5,200
• Estimate: about $2,200–$5,200

Scenario 2: kitchen with an island. Assumptions: 55 sq. ft. of counter including the island, otherwise the same as Scenario 1.

• 55 sq. ft. × $55 = $3,025, and 55 sq. ft. × $130 = $7,150
• Estimate: about $3,000–$7,200 rounded

How much the slab matters. On 50 sq. ft. of counter, every $10 per sq. ft. between two slabs or two quotes adds $500 (50 × $10). Each material's published range is wider than the gap between the two materials, so the slab you pick can move the price as much as the choice of quartz or granite.

What to ask for in a countertop quote

• Whether the price is installed, or slab plus fabrication and installation
• Removal and disposal of the old tops
• Sink, cooktop and faucet cutouts, and the edge profile
• Who disconnects and reconnects the sink, faucet, disposal and cooktop
• The backsplash: full height, a short stone splash or none
• Where each seam will fall, marked on the layout drawing
• For granite, whether sealing is included and which sealer is used
• The fabricator's workmanship warranty and, for quartz, whether the maker's warranty depends on who fabricates and installs it

If two quotes still look far apart, see why contractor quotes differ.

Need a contractor for this project?Request a kitchen remodel estimate

Heat: plan on trivets with either one

Quartz. Quartz makers' care guides describe quartz as heat resistant but not heatproof. One recommends a hot pad or trivet under electric frying pans, slow cookers and roaster ovens. A quartz supplier tells owners not to set hot pots, pans, electric frying pans or oven trays straight from the stove or oven onto quartz. We didn't find a maker that publishes a temperature limit for quartz.

Granite. The Natural Stone Institute describes granite as heat resistant, but it discourages direct, localized heat because a strong temperature difference within the stone can start a crack, and it recommends trivets. A stone distributor that sells both materials says quartz is less heat resistant than granite.

What one test found. In a hands-on test published several years ago on the Natural Stone Institute's consumer site, a hot skillet left a black quartz sample hazy and lighter, while the granites showed only minor or temporary marks. That site promotes natural stone, so treat this as an industry test, not independent research. Either way, give a slow cooker or electric skillet a trivet or heat-resistant board.

Sealing, stains and cleaning

Granite

The Natural Stone Institute says most granite countertops don't need to be sealed, though many benefit from sealing. Lighter, more porous granites may need more coats, and some very dense dark granites need no sealer at all. A stone distributor adds that how often to seal depends on the density of the slab.

The Institute's home test: leave some hot water on the surface for 10–20 minutes, then wipe it off. If the stone has darkened, it's still absorbing moisture and may benefit from sealing. The Institute also says granite is largely acid resistant (etching is mainly a marble, limestone and travertine problem), that it can absorb liquids left on it for long periods, and that mild dish soap and water are enough for cleaning.

Ask your fabricator whether your slab will be sealed before installation, with which product, and how often they suggest re-testing it.

Quartz

Quartz is generally sold as needing no sealing. One quartz maker says its countertops never need routine polishing or sealing and can be cleaned with warm water, a soft cloth and mild soap. A stone distributor describes quartz as non-porous and says it doesn't need sealing to protect it from stains. Brands differ, so read the care guide for yours.

No sealing doesn't mean no rules:

• Cleaners. Another maker tells owners not to use acetone, harsh chemicals or abrasives, which it says damage the surface. Check your brand's care guide before using bleach or disinfecting cleaners.
• Stains under warranty. That maker's warranty excludes staining, along with scratches, chips, chemical use, physical impact, normal wear and tear and acts of nature.

Scratches, chips and warranties

In the same stone-industry test, both quartz samples dulled when scrubbed with an abrasive cleanser, and the black quartz scratched more easily. The two granites generally did better. We didn't find an independent test of scratch or chip resistance, so use cutting boards on either surface.

Read the warranty before you choose a quartz product. One maker's lifetime warranty goes to the original owner of a single-family home and covers defective material fabricated and installed by its authorized professionals, so keep the paperwork showing who did that work. Another, as noted above, excludes stains, scratches and chips. For granite, ask the fabricator what its workmanship warranty covers and for how long.

Sun, lanais and outdoor kitchens

Indoor quartz and direct sun. One quartz care guide says direct sunlight can cause color change and warping, and a quartz supplier tells owners to avoid outdoor use and direct sunlight. One major quartz maker says most quartz makers produce indoor-only surfaces, which UV rays fade and weaken over time outdoors. The Natural Stone Institute's consumer site claims engineered quartz can begin to fade or yellow within weeks of direct sunlight. That's a competitor's claim, but it points the same way as the quartz makers' own warnings. The caution applies anywhere a counter gets direct sun, such as a summer kitchen on a screened pool lanai or a bar top beside a sunny window.

Outdoor-rated quartz. The same major maker sells a separate outdoor collection that it says uses a UV-resistant resin, with its own outdoor warranties and a rated temperature range. These are the maker's claims, and we didn't find outdoor terms from other quartz makers. Get the maker's outdoor guidance and warranty for your exact product and location in writing before you order.

Granite outdoors. We didn't find an industry-body or independent source on how granite holds up after years of direct Florida sun. Ask the fabricator about outdoor use of the specific slab, which sealer they'd use outdoors and how often to reapply it, and what they'll warrant.

An outdoor kitchen usually involves more than the counter. A gas line, new circuits or a sink is gas, electrical or plumbing work, which needs a permit whatever the job costs. On the barrier island, the appliances, cabinets and fasteners also face salt air; see protecting Space Coast homes from salt-air corrosion.

Seams and choosing the slab

If your layout can't be cut from single pieces, the fabricator will need seams. Before you sign, ask to see each seam marked on the layout drawing, and ask whether any will run through or right beside the sink or cooktop cutout. With patterned granite or veined quartz, ask how the pattern will be matched across each seam.

With granite, you're buying a specific piece of natural stone, so look at the actual slab or slabs your counters will be cut from, not a small sample, and ask whether you can reserve them. With a veined or patterned quartz, ask to see a full slab.

Which one suits you?

Quartz may suit you if the counters are indoors and out of direct sun, you'd rather not test and reseal, and you're happy to use trivets and stick to mild soap.

Granite may suit you if you put hot cookware down often (the sources we found rate it as more heat tolerant, though you'll still want trivets), you want to choose your exact slab of natural stone, and you don't mind a water test now and then.

For outdoor kitchens and sunny spots, the quartz guidance we found advises against ordinary indoor quartz. Choose an outdoor-rated quartz with an outdoor warranty, or ask a fabricator which granite or other surface they recommend for that exact spot and what they'll warrant.

If budget decides, pick two or three slabs you like in each material and compare installed quotes for the same layout. The published ranges overlap too much for either material to be reliably cheaper.

Permits and other Florida project notes

Permits. Replacing countertops in the same layout usually doesn't need a building permit in Florida, as our kitchen remodel permit guide explains, but we didn't find a Brevard County or City of Melbourne rule on countertops alone, so ask before work starts. Moving the sink, adding an island sink or a gas cooktop, or adding circuits is plumbing, gas or electrical work, which needs a permit. Florida's $7,500 permit exemption doesn't cover those trades, and the City of Melbourne's building page says the same.

County or city. Brevard County issues permits only for unincorporated areas such as Viera, Suntree and Merritt Island; in those areas, an interior remodel that adds no square footage goes under the county's Residential Renovation permit. Melbourne, Palm Bay, Rockledge and the beach towns such as Melbourne Beach and Indian Harbour Beach issue their own. See our Brevard County permit guide.

Condos and flood zones. Condo associations often have rules on contractor insurance certificates, working hours and elevator reservations, which matter when large, heavy slabs arrive; see HOA and condo approval in Florida. If new counters are part of a bigger remodel in a FEMA flood zone, the whole project's cost counts toward the FEMA 50% rule.

Common mistakes

• Treating quartz as heatproof. Its makers say it isn't. Slow cookers and electric skillets belong on a trivet.
• Putting indoor quartz in direct sun, including on a screened lanai, without the maker's written outdoor guidance.
• Sealing granite on autopilot, or never. Do the water test first.
• Comparing per-foot prices that include different things. Use the quote checklist above.
• Skipping the warranty fine print, including who must fabricate and install the product and what's excluded.

Estimate your kitchen

To price countertops on their own, choose "New cabinets and countertops only" under "What are you pricing?", set the cabinet length to 0 and enter your countertop area. The calculator can also price cabinets by the linear foot or a whole remodel by level.

Next steps

1. Measure your counters, or ask the fabricator for the measured square footage, so you can check quotes against our range.
2. Decide where each counter goes: the main kitchen, an island, a sunny breakfast bar or an outdoor kitchen. Direct sun can rule out ordinary indoor quartz.
3. Shortlist slabs in both materials, and read the care guide and warranty for each quartz product.
4. Get written quotes for the same scope, using the checklist above, and check permits if the sink, gas or wiring is changing.
5. Plan the rest of the kitchen with kitchen remodel cost in Brevard County and our kitchen and bath topic hub.