diff -u b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Database/Driver/pgsql/Schema.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Database/Driver/pgsql/Schema.php
--- b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Database/Driver/pgsql/Schema.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Database/Driver/pgsql/Schema.php
@@ -312,7 +312,7 @@
         $return[] = 'substr(' . $field[0] . ', 1, ' . $field[1] . ')';
       }
       else {
-        $return[] = $this->connection->quote($field);
+        $return[] = '"' . $field . '"';
       }
     }
     return implode(', ', $return);
@@ -329,10 +329,10 @@
     $return = array();
     foreach ($fields as $field) {
       if (is_array($field)) {
-        $return[] = $this->connection->quote($field[0]);
+        $return[] = '"' . $field[0] . '"';
       }
       else {
-        $return[] = $this->connection->quote($field);
+        $return[] = '"' . $field . '"';
       }
     }
     return implode(', ', $return);
@@ -423,7 +423,7 @@
       return FALSE;
     }
 
-    $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} DROP COLUMN ' . $this->connection->quote($field));
+    $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} DROP COLUMN "' . $field . '"');
     return TRUE;
   }
 
@@ -439,7 +439,7 @@
       $default = is_string($default) ? $this->connection->quote($default) : $default;
     }
 
-    $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} ALTER COLUMN ' . $this->connection->quote($field) . ' SET DEFAULT ' . $default);
+    $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} ALTER COLUMN "' . $field . '" SET DEFAULT ' . $default);
   }
 
   public function fieldSetNoDefault($table, $field) {
@@ -453,7 +453,7 @@
   public function indexExists($table, $name) {
     // Details http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.3/interactive/view-pg-indexes.html
     $index_name = '{' . $table . '}_' . $name . '_idx';
-    return (bool) $this->connection->query('SELECT 1 FROM pg_indexes WHERE indexname = ' . $this->connection->quote($index_name))->fetchField();
+    return (bool) $this->connection->query("SELECT 1 FROM pg_indexes WHERE indexname = '$index_name'")->fetchField();
   }
 
   /**
@@ -466,7 +466,7 @@
    */
   protected function constraintExists($table, $name) {
     $constraint_name = '{' . $table . '}_' . $name;
-    return (bool) $this->connection->query('SELECT 1 FROM pg_constraint WHERE conname = ' . $this->connection->quote($constraint_name))->fetchField();
+    return (bool) $this->connection->query("SELECT 1 FROM pg_constraint WHERE conname = '$constraint_name'")->fetchField();
   }
 
   public function addPrimaryKey($table, $fields) {
@@ -497,7 +497,7 @@
       throw new SchemaObjectExistsException(t("Cannot add unique key @name to table @table: unique key already exists.", array('@table' => $table, '@name' => $name)));
     }
 
-    $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} ADD CONSTRAINT ' . $this->connection->quote($this->prefixNonTable($table, $name, 'key')). ' UNIQUE (' . implode(',', $fields) . ')');
+    $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} ADD CONSTRAINT "' . $this->prefixNonTable($table, $name, 'key') . '" UNIQUE (' . implode(',', $fields) . ')');
   }
 
   public function dropUniqueKey($table, $name) {
@@ -505,7 +505,7 @@
       return FALSE;
     }
 
-    $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} DROP CONSTRAINT ' . $this->connection->quote($this->prefixNonTable($table, $name, 'key')));
+    $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} DROP CONSTRAINT "' . $this->prefixNonTable($table, $name, 'key') . '"');
     return TRUE;
   }
 
@@ -560,7 +560,7 @@
     $field_info = $this->queryFieldInformation($table, $field);
 
     foreach ($field_info as $check) {
-      $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} DROP CONSTRAINT ' . $this->connection->quote($check));
+      $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} DROP CONSTRAINT "' . $check . '"');
     }
 
     // Remove old default.
@@ -571,7 +571,7 @@
     // the typecast does not work for conversions to bytea.
     // @see http://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/static/datatype-binary.html
     if ($spec['pgsql_type'] != 'bytea') {
-      $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} ALTER ' . $this->connection->quote($field) . ' TYPE ' . $typecast . ' USING ' . $this->connection->quote($field) . '::' . $typecast);
+      $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} ALTER "' . $field . '" TYPE ' . $typecast . ' USING "' . $field . '"::' . $typecast);
     }
     else {
       // Do not attempt to convert a field that is bytea already.
@@ -580,7 +580,7 @@
         // Convert to a bytea type by using the SQL replace() function to
         // convert any single backslashes in the field content to double
         // backslashes ('\' to '\\').
-        $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} ALTER ' . $this->connection->quote($field) . ' TYPE ' . $typecast . ' USING decode(replace("' . $field . '"' . ", '\\', '\\\\'), 'escape');");
+        $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} ALTER "' . $field . '" TYPE ' . $typecast . ' USING decode(replace("' . $field . '"' . ", '\\', '\\\\'), 'escape');");
       }
     }
 
@@ -591,7 +591,7 @@
       else {
         $nullaction = 'DROP NOT NULL';
       }
-      $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} ALTER ' . $this->connection->quote($field) . ' ' . $nullaction);
+      $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} ALTER "' . $field . '" ' . $nullaction);
     }
 
     if (in_array($spec['pgsql_type'], array('serial', 'bigserial'))) {
@@ -602,18 +602,18 @@
       $this->connection->query("CREATE SEQUENCE " . $seq);
       // Set sequence to maximal field value to not conflict with existing
       // entries.
-      $this->connection->query('SELECT setval(' . $this->connection->quote($seq) . ', MAX(' . $this->connection->quote($field) . ')) FROM {' . $table . '}');
-      $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} ALTER ' . $this->connection->quote($field) . ' SET DEFAULT nextval(' . $this->connection->quote($seq) . ')');
+      $this->connection->query("SELECT setval('" . $seq . "', MAX(\"" . $field . '")) FROM {' . $table . "}");
+      $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} ALTER ' . $field . ' SET DEFAULT nextval(' . $this->connection->quote($seq) . ')');
     }
 
     // Rename the column if necessary.
     if ($field != $field_new) {
-      $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} RENAME ' . $this->connection->quote($field) . ' TO ' . $this->connection->quote($field_new));
+      $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} RENAME "' . $field . '" TO "' . $field_new . '"');
     }
 
     // Add unsigned check if necessary.
     if (!empty($spec['unsigned'])) {
-      $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} ADD CHECK (' . $this->connection->quote($field_new) . ' >= 0)');
+      $this->connection->query('ALTER TABLE {' . $table . '} ADD CHECK ("' . $field_new . '" >= 0)');
     }
 
     // Add default if necessary.
@@ -623,7 +623,7 @@
 
     // Change description if necessary.
     if (!empty($spec['description'])) {
-      $this->connection->query('COMMENT ON COLUMN {' . $table . '}.' . $this->connection->quote($field_new) . ' IS ' . $this->prepareComment($spec['description']));
+      $this->connection->query('COMMENT ON COLUMN {' . $table . '}."' . $field_new . '" IS ' . $this->prepareComment($spec['description']));
     }
 
     if (isset($new_keys)) {
@@ -632,7 +632,7 @@
   }
 
   protected function _createIndexSql($table, $name, $fields) {
-    $query = 'CREATE INDEX ' . $this->connection->quote($this->prefixNonTable($table, $name, 'idx')) . ' ON {' . $table . '} (';
+    $query = 'CREATE INDEX "' . $this->prefixNonTable($table, $name, 'idx') . '" ON {' . $table . '} (';
     $query .= $this->_createKeySql($fields) . ')';
     return $query;
   }
diff -u b/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Database/SchemaTest.php b/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Database/SchemaTest.php
--- b/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Database/SchemaTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Database/SchemaTest.php
@@ -47,6 +47,13 @@
           'not null' => TRUE,
           'description' => 'Schema column description.',
         ),
+        'test_field_string'  => array(
+          'type' => 'varchar',
+          'length' => 20,
+          'not null' => TRUE,
+          'default' => "'\"funky default'\"",
+          'description' => 'Schema column description for string.',
+        ),
       ),
     );
     db_create_table('test_table', $table_specification);