Silestone or granite?

We're facing that same decision. Sister-in-law has granite. No problems and looks great.

But all that we read says quartz is better. Don't want Corian.

The decision depends greatly on my visit to the Texas Lottery Commission to get what's coming to me. My truck is gassed up and ready to roll as soon as the call comes in.

Decisions are easier when you have lots of money.

Spring "Between A Rock And Another Rock" Chicken
Spring Texas USA

I built a house about 18 months ago and was torn as well. I went with Cambria which I believe is pretty much the same as silestone, just a different brand name. I believe the colors available through Cambria are much better also. It is a natural quartz counter top.

First off, it is still as beautiful as the day we moved in. You can bang it up, put hot pans on it, whatever - and not damage it. It never needs any special care or sealing, and never gets cloudy with any type of cleaner. I used the same material for a secretary desktop, the butler's pantry counter top, and a fireplace surround. It is really a great product and I am very happy with the decision I made.

There may be cheaper or more trendy options, but in my opinion the quartz is the way to go for beauty and durability with no maintenance.

We put in granite 2 years ago. We don't have any kids and the maids clean it once a week and it still looks like new. I haven't done any maintenance. My mother has silestone and I prefer the look of the granite. Of course with granite you have to go to a yard a pick out your slab(s). We did it on one of the coldest and windiest days that was not fun.

My neighbor sells both and recomends Silestone over Granite.

We are in the midst of making the same decision.

Current thinking is granite due to the colors/figuring.

Spacey

I have granite and I am real rough on counter tops. Granite is the second hardest stone to man kind. Diamond is first of course. That might get a little pricey LOL. We like the granite alot and easy to clean.

PBM

We looked at the same issue about 3 years ago when we did a do over on the kitchen. Both are acceptable products for a residential kitchen. However, then we compared the look of the granite and quartz products side by side decided on the granite. For durability it's a toss up. For maintenance I would say quartz but the time it takes to seal a granite countertop is about 5 minutes a year. For overall looks I would say granite. If you watch some of the programs on HGTV and the people walk into the kitchens and look around I have never heard one say "oh wow--Look it's a quartz composit countertop".

Bottom line I don't think you can go wrong here--just personal choice.
Larry

I recent had mine done and chose granite.

In my wife's opinion, silestone is just not as pretty as granite. Additionally with competition, granite has come down in price. However, silestone is pretty much the same.

This made silestone more expensive when we were looking.

Greg

FlaPoolman wrote:

You have a Butler??
Pat

Nah, just a pantry in case we hit the lotto and can afford one.

Always trying to be one step ahead.......

The sad part is the butler's pantry was quickly turned into my liquor cabinet and the place I generally dump my pockets every day after work.

We gutted and redid our kitchen about six years ago and looked at all the different counters. We went with granite for a number of reasons, most of which centered on aesthetics...Silestone looks nice, but its uniformity practically screams "manufactured." It was also more expensive than granite.

Yes, granite requires maintenance, but as other posts have alluded to it amounts to about 30 minutes a year of spraying on a sealer, waiting a few minutes and wiping it down. It's a lower-impact workout than dusting your living room.

I'd say it comes down to which material's appearance you like more.