Quartz engineered stone countertops are a very hard and permious stone. Second only to diamonds in its hardness. It is quarried out of the earth. It is ground up into pieces. Then it is mixed together in a heat layer and held together in a resin, much like an epoxy. Like granite, it will have seams. But its seams will be less noticeable than most granite. Unlike granite, its look is consistent. Each piece is similar. Like granite, it stands tough use. Quartz is heat resistant so while you can set the hot pot on the counter, you can not leave it there very long. Heat can react to the resin and leave a burn mark. Quarts needs no sealing or maintenance.