In the late 1980s, Breton S.P.A, a privately held company in Treviso Italy, introduced a composite material made of crushed stone bound together by a polymer resin glue they named Bretonstone. Bretonstone or Engineered stone as it is known technically, is also commonly referred to as Agglomerate or ‘Quartz Surface’. Quartz surface comes in sheets or slabs that are produced from a factory, which are then cut and polished by fabricators, and assembled at the worksite by installers as finished products.
Quartz surfaces products are gaining in popularity and are sometimes preferred over granite products because engineered stone requires less maintenance. The colour and texture of its surface is more consistent than natural stones making it easier to control. It is typically stronger in flexibility and hardness, and less porous, than natural stone. Its polyester resin binding agents allow some flexibility, preventing cracking under flexural pressure making it easier to manhandle. It is also more resistant to mould and mildew then traditional stone making it more hygienic. It is uniform in structure leading to inherent strength making it easier to fabricate, whereas natural stone may by-nature contain fissures, cracks, or weaknesses in structure.
Breton S.P.A manufactures the equipment that produces the quartz surfaces and supplies these equipments to companies who produce and market Quartz surfaces brands such as Zodiaq, Silestone, Caesarstone and Technistone. To avoid conflict of interest, Breton S.P.A does not produce quartz surface materials for sale.
Although Breton S.P.A is the original and dominant supplier of quartz surface production equipment, there are now several other companies producing similar equipments in China, Keda Stone Machinery being the largest and most established.
By 2012, China had become the biggest producer of quartz surfaces in the world. There are more than 100 quartz surface producers in China today, and the number is increasing. Most of these producers are OEM contractors who produce quartz surface on a contractual basis for other companies or brands of quartz surfaces. Similar to what iPhone and iPad is doing.
iQuartz is born out of this tectonic shift in quartz surface production technology and trend. Quartz surface products used to very expensive and limited in choices of colours and textures. iQuartz aims to change that.
At iQuartz, our brand promise is to bring to you quartz surface products that are of the most updated colours and textures, using the most efficient practical technology, and at a value that is priced right.
