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Granite Or Silestone?


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#1 ilovefolsom

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Posted 11 August 2006 - 08:43 PM

Does anyone have experience or opinions on granite vs. silestone? We're considering putting new countertops in our kitchen and are considering the two options. It seems silestone is more durable, comes with a warranty and doesn't require maintenance, while granite does require maintenance, has no warranty, and is vulnerable to stains and water spots but can be polished to a higher sheen and has a deeper, more natural pattern. Any thoughts or advice? Thanks!

#2 CataBird

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Posted 12 August 2006 - 11:26 AM

QUOTE(ilovefolsom @ Aug 11 2006, 09:43 PM) View Post

Does anyone have experience or opinions on granite vs. silestone? We're considering putting new countertops in our kitchen and are considering the two options. It seems silestone is more durable, comes with a warranty and doesn't require maintenance, while granite does require maintenance, has no warranty, and is vulnerable to stains and water spots but can be polished to a higher sheen and has a deeper, more natural pattern. Any thoughts or advice? Thanks!



Here are a few questions to help you make your decision:

'How long are you planning on living in your current home?'

'Are you willing to put up with paying for professional maintenance of your Granite counter tops on a regular basis just to get a "deeper, more natural pattern?"'

'Do you know how much this "professional maintenance" work costs, exactly how often you'll need to have it done, and whether the costs will remain the same over time?'

'How important is that "deeper, natural pattern" when it can so easily be stained and damaged (which might reduce its longevity, depending on how long you will put up with seeing those stains and damage)?'


If I were you, I would compare the cost differences between paying ONCE (and probably more $) for the SileStone countertops verses paying a lot of $$ for the Granite countertops, plus paying extra $$ over time to keep them looking good. Then, determine which look is worth the price you'd pay.
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#3 mylo

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Posted 12 August 2006 - 12:51 PM

I like Silestone, if it were in a house I was looking to buy, I would be happier than hearing it was Granite.
"Ah, yes, those Gucci extremists and their Prada jihad!" --ducky

#4 ER2002

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Posted 13 August 2006 - 02:40 PM

QUOTE(ilovefolsom @ Aug 11 2006, 09:43 PM) View Post

Does anyone have experience or opinions on granite vs. silestone? We're considering putting new countertops in our kitchen and are considering the two options. It seems silestone is more durable, comes with a warranty and doesn't require maintenance, while granite does require maintenance, has no warranty, and is vulnerable to stains and water spots but can be polished to a higher sheen and has a deeper, more natural pattern. Any thoughts or advice? Thanks!



Well I have silestone in my house now. I have also had silestone installed in a previous home as well. Initially I researched the heck out of all the countertop options, specifically looking for kitchen countertops.
I checked out a handful of companies who installed silestone specifically (important), did the price comparisons, colors, experience, customer service and educated myself about silestone. I had it installed in a previous home which ended up being a 2-3 week remodeling because they have to disconnect all the plumbing, appliances and tear out of the existing countertops which at the time was tile. Other than the inconvenience of not having a workable kitchen for over 2 weeks, the results of what I had imagined in selecting silestone countertops was beyond perfection. Then having a new home built here in Folsom years later I inquired about wanting silestone for my countertops throughout the house. All I got was a blank stare from design people. The choice seemed to be tile, corian or granite. No thanks! We again researched a few companies dealing with silestone and had the kitchen countertops and bathroom countertops changed out to silestone. Silestone is a beautiful engineered quartz now available in many more colors than when I initially chose years before, more edgings available and they install in thick and denser stone making it look more the depth of granite. But even better for me is the very low maintenance required with silestone. The only real thing that can damage silestone in daily use is accidentally having a diamond drag across the stone or another piece of silestone. Silestone cutting boards, trivets etc can scratch but are nice accents too. It's great in the bathroom for easy cleanup, no chemicals, etc. Always looks clean and brand new. Visitors always compliment my "granite" countertops and really haven't heard much about silestone around here even today. Any more questions, I can help you out. I know I scoured every where in my initial research and it would have been nice to see or know someone who had silestone. The pros of silestone out number the cons for me personally. The cons are the expense and can be more than granite and the time between tear out and installation seems to be a good 2 weeks. Also the silestone in my kitchen is on 3 separate counters and the only seam is on a countertop that goes around the sink and down a long countertop down the wall. If I hadn't seen them install the silestone, it would be very difficult to detect where the lone seam is in the entire kitchen. All in all, silestone is the best of the best for kitchen countertops in my opinion.

#5 CataBird

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Posted 14 August 2006 - 07:03 PM

I'm with you, ER2002!

SileStone is the way I would go, if given the option. Sure, it costs more, but that's because you dont' have to seal it every year or have stains or burns buffed out every so often.

Then again, I'm one of those people who would build the 'greenest' home available--I prefer manufactured products to raping the earth of its natural resources.

I'm glad to hear from someone who actually has SileStone--you just reinforced my desire to own SileStone some day!!!

Thanks!
--CataBird

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#6 titusan

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Posted 15 August 2006 - 01:47 PM

We have Caesarstone (same idea as Silestone - just a different brand). I recommend it.

#7 realtor

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Posted 29 September 2006 - 10:52 AM

I just wanted to throw in my 2 cent suggestion. During tear out and installation they will usually leave the plywood on the counters unless you're having them reshaped. What I did was to get some contact paper and put it on the plywood so you can have a clean surface to set things on during the between time. I actually had my husband hook up the sink (he supported it underneath) so the kitchen didn't have to be completely out of commission. Good luck...just make sure to pick an earthtone...bold colors other than black, white or tans will look dated all too soon.

#8 austinscott143

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Posted 22 September 2013 - 07:17 AM

Choosing the right stone for your counters? Silestone and Granite have their own ups and downs so to pick what is right for you is to simply know your preference, your style, your taste and your budget. According to some research, it shows that they all are resistant to bacteria and easy to maintain as well. Silestone use plastic to make them formable, stain resistant and resilient substances, while Granite is a natural stone made by mother nature. Granite is more resistant and durable  when it comes to scratches compared to Silestone. Normally the prices will vary upon their quality, design, sizes, durability, and availability. If you want to get free quotes and to compare prices here's what I can share http://www.myinstalledcountertops.com.
 



#9 AMETHYST PRODUCTIVITY

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Posted 22 September 2013 - 10:19 AM

LOVED our Silestone in our last house. 


Kimberly Purcell
Productivity Consultant - Amethyst Productivity

 





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