Quartzforms is a German brand specialising man-made stone slabs that are perfect for worktops, wall covering, and flooring. Their stone slates are formed with agglomerate, that uses a base of 92% quartz, 7% resin powder, and 1% pigment, and are formed by the Brentstone process. The brand is produced by Marmo Arredo, a global interior design company who’s gallery of products includes slates that resemble more traditionally used stones, such as marble and granite. Quartzforms is not only a less expensive alternative to them, it is harder and more consistent than any stone used for workspace surfaces found in nature.
Quartzforms: The Process
The process by which the slabs are produced is very simple; following the outline of the Brentstone process, Quartzforms procures the necessary materials (in this case quartz) from mines. Typically clear and one of the hardest mined elements, quartz is perfect for the application to interior design. In fact, quartz has been used in conjunction with silica to make glass for centuries. At a Quartzforms plant in Germany, the quartz is broken down into small, translucent pebbles, and once down to the right size, they are combined with resin, which holds the quartz together, and powdered quartz. Pigments are then added to the blend depending on the type of slab being made, and the slab is heated to melt the aggregates together. Along with the added pigment, impurities found in natural quartz gives it is range of colours from completely clear to opaque or brightly coloured which resemble more expensive stones, such as emeralds. Afterwards, the slab is calibrated and polished in a machine until it is smooth.
The agglomerate produced by Quartzforms is advantageous to interior design and architecture, especially compared to marble and granite, in a multitude of ways; It never needs to be treated by the end customer to resist water or common household acids, the surface is virtually indestructible in the domestic sense, it resists stains, scratches, and wear better than any other material commonly used. Quartz is one of the hardest, densest minerals in nature, so in order to damage the surface one would require machines and either diamonds, topaz or sapphires. Needless to say, it is extremely unlikely for damage to occur from everyday use, and the only maintenance required is making sure the surfaces are kept clean.
Who What Where?
Marmo Arredo’s Quartzforms products can be located on four continents: Europe, Asia, North America and South America, and there is an additional distributor in New Zealand. There are locations in 19 countries altogether, making them accessible to the some of the more populated first world regions. In April of 2014, Quartzforms showed off more than 50 different applications for their product at the Salone Del Mobile (a furniture and interior décor fair) in Milan, Italy, during which 19 companies elected to have Marmo Arredo’s elegant surfaces in their displays. Quartzforms worktops do not usually come highly pigmented with bright colours, and instead, the brand chooses to imitate other stone in natural, neutral colours. The surfaces they used at the fair, although understated in customer companies’ displays, were very sleek, keeping with the more modern themes presented by the other companies. There were a range of neutral coloured worktops: beige, black, white, and eggshell, most of which were veined with different minerals to look like granite and marble. Quartzforms also makes counter tops with pebbles of quartz that give it some colourful aspects.