The reason that engineered quartz is so tough is that it’s man-made. Manufacturers mix up natural ground quartz with polymers and resins to create engineered quartz—and polymers and resins, which are plastic components, seal its pores. They also make it more flexible and thus less likely to crack than natural stone countertops are.

Here are some qualities that quartz has that make its durability stand out from the rest:

It’s extremely scratch resistant.
It never has to be sealed because it is nonporous.
It’s a flexible stone, thanks its resins, so it’s not in danger of cracking.
It’s not likely to stain.

The fact that it’s nonporous is a big part of the draw of quartz countertops. Not only does it not have to be sealed, it’s also much more difficult to stain. If liquids can’t seep into any pores on quartz’s surface, there’s no place for them to make a stain. The same can be said for germs and bacteria. Quartz countertops are very sanitary because there are no pores for bacteria and germs to make a home in.

As you can see, there are plenty of ways that resins benefit quartz countertops. But there is one aspect of them that holds quartz back. Because resin is a type of plastic and because plastic doesn’t react well to heat, quartz is not as heat resistant as natural stone countertops. This isn’t to say that it will automatically scorch when you place something hot on its surface, but we do recommend always using a hot pad or a trivet.