What is the useful life of quartz countertops ?
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Originally posted by @Enes A.:
Would yOriginally posted by @Genny Li:
Originally posted by @Enes A.:
Originally posted by @Genny Li:
It's basically a lifetime surface unless you damage it. It doesn't wear like laminate.
I think you are referring to natural quartz and not the composite engineered ones like what I have.
No, I'm not. The natural stone is actually QUARTZITE, not quartz. A good quality quartz, which is natural stone plus a binder, has a lifetime lifespan. It will yellow slightly over time, but it's still pretty much lifetime. People take it out because they get tired of it or they mistreat it and damage it.
Would you have a formal source that confirms that ? I have looked at the original study by the nhchi (https://www.nachi.org/life-exp...) and it does not mention quartz. Some manufacturer are saying it's natural stone and adopt the 100y life expectancy... but it is not natural stone as you mentioned it.
It seems like you will only be satisfied by people agreeing with you. You've already determined the answer you want. You might have a leg to stand on if you say it was your landlord's choice to use a less standard quartz that can't be matched and that you only owe for replacing that one piece of quartz. Trying to claim a depreciated cost vs cost of replacement isn't going to get very far. Quartz countertop technology is from 1963 and there have been no age/wear related failures since then.
I warn my tenants not to use bleach on the quartz or put hot things on it, just to make sure.
21 Replies
Originally posted by @Gail K.:
What Is The Life Expectancy Of Popular Countertop Materials? | Flemington Granite
I think your article talks about the natural stone quartz which is not man-made and is as durable as granite and marble. The one I have is engineered quartz.
Originally posted by @Enes A.:
Originally posted by @Genny Li:
It's basically a lifetime surface unless you damage it. It doesn't wear like laminate.
I think you are referring to natural quartz and not the composite engineered ones like what I have.
No, I'm not. The natural stone is actually QUARTZITE, not quartz. A good quality quartz, which is natural stone plus a binder, has a lifetime lifespan. It will yellow slightly over time, but it's still pretty much lifetime. People take it out because they get tired of it or they mistreat it and damage it.
Would yOriginally posted by @Genny Li:
Originally posted by @Enes A.:
Originally posted by @Genny Li:
It's basically a lifetime surface unless you damage it. It doesn't wear like laminate.
I think you are referring to natural quartz and not the composite engineered ones like what I have.
No, I'm not. The natural stone is actually QUARTZITE, not quartz. A good quality quartz, which is natural stone plus a binder, has a lifetime lifespan. It will yellow slightly over time, but it's still pretty much lifetime. People take it out because they get tired of it or they mistreat it and damage it.
Would you have a formal source that confirms that ? I have looked at the original study by the nhchi (https://www.nachi.org/life-exp...) and it does not mention quartz. Some manufacturer are saying it's natural stone and adopt the 100y life expectancy... but it is not natural stone as you mentioned it.
Originally posted by @Enes A.:
Would yOriginally posted by @Genny Li:
Originally posted by @Enes A.:
Originally posted by @Genny Li:
It's basically a lifetime surface unless you damage it. It doesn't wear like laminate.
I think you are referring to natural quartz and not the composite engineered ones like what I have.
No, I'm not. The natural stone is actually QUARTZITE, not quartz. A good quality quartz, which is natural stone plus a binder, has a lifetime lifespan. It will yellow slightly over time, but it's still pretty much lifetime. People take it out because they get tired of it or they mistreat it and damage it.
Would you have a formal source that confirms that ? I have looked at the original study by the nhchi (https://www.nachi.org/life-exp...) and it does not mention quartz. Some manufacturer are saying it's natural stone and adopt the 100y life expectancy... but it is not natural stone as you mentioned it.
It seems like you will only be satisfied by people agreeing with you. You've already determined the answer you want. You might have a leg to stand on if you say it was your landlord's choice to use a less standard quartz that can't be matched and that you only owe for replacing that one piece of quartz. Trying to claim a depreciated cost vs cost of replacement isn't going to get very far. Quartz countertop technology is from 1963 and there have been no age/wear related failures since then.
I warn my tenants not to use bleach on the quartz or put hot things on it, just to make sure.
- Member since 2020 · 984 posts · 1k+ votes5y
It is going to be difficult to argue about the lifespan, or the life expectancy for any type of countertop. I see 60+ year-old Formica that looks like the day it was installed. Any type of quartz, imitation or nor, should last 100+ years when taken care of.
- Investor · Clairemont, CA · Member since 2011 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes5y
What is the damage specifically? Quarts is very similar to Terrazo, and both can be repaired to some degree. Because they are epoxy bonded aggregate you can bond new aggregate on top of a chip and/or polish down burns or other damage. If you broke a piece off, again it could be rebonded to the rest of the counter potentially.
And I'll disagree with the above, just because something could theoretically last forever doesn't mean the full replacement cost should be yours necessarily. Of course if you were willfully and arrogantly negligent I'd be less inclined to be gracious. But if you were a good tenant and a mistake happened I'd try to come up with a reasonable solution like you pay for a repair.
- Real Estate Investor · Williamson County, TX · Member since 2011 · 1k+ posts · 961 votes5y
I think a judge might look at the depreciation schedule tor taxes. So if I put quartz in a rental I depreciate it over 5, 10, or 28.5 years or some other number, look it up on the irs site. so if the quartz is 5 years old and depreciated over 10 years you'd pay 5/10 the price. But i agree with the poster who said there are people who can repair quartz. I can't see having to replace the whole kitchen unless you rebuilt your engine on it and stained it with motor oil or some such.
- 5yBjorn AhlbladPro MemberInvestor · Shelton, WA · Member since 2017 · 6k+ posts · 6k+ votes
Do you have renter's insurance? If yes, have an adjuster come out. If no, find out the age of the countertop. The useful life of an Epoxy countertop (Quartz-not quartzite) is about the same as laminate.
Originally posted by @Marian Smith:
I think a judge might look at the depreciation schedule tor taxes. So if I put quartz in a rental I depreciate it over 5, 10, or 28.5 years or some other number, look it up on the irs site. so if the quartz is 5 years old and depreciated over 10 years you'd pay 5/10 the price. But i agree with the poster who said there are people who can repair quartz. I can't see having to replace the whole kitchen unless you rebuilt your engine on it and stained it with motor oil or some such.
Quartz would be depreciated over 27.5 years. And I think the landlord is telling him he has to pay for the full quartz replacement. Not the full kitchen replacement. He is upset and so is overdramatizing it.
Quartz lasts over 100 years if taken care of. I replaced a quartz counter fairly recently that was 40 years old. No sign of ware. It was replaced because wife wanted a change. Happy wife, happy life (if it was just me, I would have kept it)
It was replaced with quartzite which is more fragile than quartz, but wife like the looks better.
I do not know how the counter was damaged but trying to go down the path of expected life span is likely not your best approach. The expected life of a properly cared for quartz counter is forever. In addition, just because items are depreciated for tax purpose over 27.5 years does not imply a life span of 27.5 years any more than replacing a water heater depreciated over 27.5 years implies the water heater has a 27.5 year expected life span.
Your best approach is to look into if it can be properly repaired. I would hope it can be properly repaired for less than replacement costs.
If you were my tenant and you truly destroyed quart counter such that it could not be properly repaired, I would be charging for a new quartz counter of similar quality. A properly cared for quartz counter should last forever. If you destroyed the quartz counter, you should be charged to replace it. Damage to a quartz counter (same for stone counters) is not normal wear and tear.Good luck
- Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes5y
Before anyone can answer this, we would need to know exactly what damage was caused. Did you chip it? Break off a corner? Crack it from front to back?
The DIY Landlord Book4.7243 Reviews Originally posted by @Enes A.:
The damage was made with lye. Now there is a 5inches diameter white stain on the countertop. All experts said that it cannot be repaired..
Tenant insurance said it doesn't cover chemicals.
Definitely not normal wear and tear.
I am a little surprised that it cannot be repaired. I am not surprised that the insurance is indicating it is not covered. Ask them to provide the section that indicates that chemical damage is not covered. I had AAA indicate that a breakdown at a certain location was not covered. The section they referred to referenced 4x4 roads and not publicly maintained road. This was neither. It was a paved forest service maintained road to a very remote location. No where did it say such remote locations were not covered but I do understand why they wish it was not covered as it was likely over 1.5 hour each way. I am not saying this is the case with the chemical damage but I would verify that it really is not covered.
This damage is definitely not something that the LL should be expecting to pick up the cost. You damaged it. It is right that you pay for replacing it assuming it cannot be repaired.
Good luck
- Investor · Clairemont, CA · Member since 2011 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes5y
While the chemical burn may go deeper than just at the surface I would still think this could be repaired. Even concrete floors can be cut and polished, so with the correct tools to cut the surface back I'd assume this could be repaired as well. It may take polishing a large area so the 'low' spot isn't visible, but I believe it is at least do-able. Counter installers do essentially the same thing when they cut sink openings and then polish the resulting edges for an undermount sink.
Originally posted by @Matt Devincenzo:
While the chemical burn may go deeper than just at the surface I would still think this could be repaired. Even concrete floors can be cut and polished, so with the correct tools to cut the surface back I'd assume this could be repaired as well. It may take polishing a large area so the 'low' spot isn't visible, but I believe it is at least do-able. Counter installers do essentially the same thing when they cut sink openings and then polish the resulting edges for an undermount sink.
But who would be able to do that ? No store or contractor I contacted (and I contacted plenty!) knew/wanted to do the job...
- Member since 2020 · 984 posts · 1k+ votes5y
Originally posted by @Enes A.:
The damage was made with lye. Now there is a 5inches diameter white stain on the countertop. All experts said that it cannot be repaired..
Tenant insurance said it doesn't cover chemicals.
As a landlord, I would not be happy about a 5 inch lye stain, but poop happening in the landlording business is an expectation. Offer your landlord $200 and if he doesn't like that then let him take you to court, or if he withholds your security deposit then take your landlord to small claims court.
There is a normal amount of wear, dents, chips and discoloration that is an expectation with countertops. In your case, it just happens to be on a little larger scale. A 5 inch lye stain may be larger than we landlords like, but if you did not ruin the entire appearance of the kitchen then maybe it is not so bad and your landlord is being a pill.
WIll a toaster or microwave cover the stain? If something covers the stain then it is not so bad and I would take the matter to court if you have to.
I think the life expectancy of a kitchen granite top should be the same as the life expectancy for kitchen cabinets and while I think 40 years is a good guess. I don't know anyone who replaces cabinets and uses the old countertops.
- 5yBruce WoodruffPro MemberContractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
@Account Closed
C'mon man, he ruined the countertop. A 5 inch stain on a slab ruins it. Put a toaster on it?
A good countertop fabricator may be able to cut out a slice and find a similar piece....I doubt it but maybe......
This may cost you $1000.....
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