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As someone who works in the home building industry (and a licensed Realtor), I generally prefer SileStone (Ceasarstone, etc). Yes, it costs just as much as granite, but it has some advantages. I like the fact that it doesn't hold bacteria as much as granite.
One of the things I think people should consider is the value of your home before you go out and select a very expensive counter top. If you have a home above 300K,. I think at the very least you should have some form of solid surface, and quartz would be preferable. Now if you have a home with a high price tag, then granite is essential in order to sustain in value, but I would make sure that I did maintenance on it REGULARLY.
If you're goint to rent your home, don't install corian - between granite, silestone and corian, corian can get damaged the easiest - for example tenants using the counter as a cutting board and putting slice marks into it or putting hot pots on it. Between silestone and granite - it's a personal preference. Even though silestone says it doesn't stain - we installed silestone in a rental property and when the tenants moved out, we noticed a couple of stains in the countertop that we couldn't get out and weren't sure what made the stain, but we never sealed it after they installed it because we were out of town. I've also heard people say that granite stains... so it really depends on how you take care of it. If you're thinking of replacing your countertops and then make it a rental, I'd actually install formica and then replace it when you get ready to sell. It would be a lot cheaper than installing silestone or granite and then having to replace it if there are stains when the tenants move out plus you can say "new countertops" when you sell the house.
great advice on th laminate. however, crian is so great because ti can be refininsed after every tenant. you are right though that its a soft surface and will scratch. but again just sand it and polish after each tenant. also sliestone and granite could both chip. granit more so than silestone as it is softer and more suseptible. corian can cip for that matter also. However corian is the only one that can chip BUT again it can be repaired seamlessly as installers can fuse a new piece to the old seamlessly. one more thing is tha INSTALLED. hope that helps a bit more.
As someone who works in the home building industry (and a licensed Realtor), I generally prefer SileStone (Ceasarstone, etc). Yes, it costs just as much as granite, but it has some advantages. I like the fact that it doesn't hold bacteria as much as granite.
One of the things I think people should consider is the value of your home before you go out and select a very expensive counter top. If you have a home above 300K,. I think at the very least you should have some form of solid surface, and quartz would be preferable. Now if you have a home with a high price tag, then granite is essential in order to sustain in value, but I would make sure that I did maintenance on it REGULARLY.
soooooo right thank you for posting...
are you listening KDOG?
soooooo right thank you for posting...
are you listening KDOG?
Both of you guys are merely parroting Silestone and Corian marketing propaganda. There's not one shred of proof of bacteria problems with granite, otherwise the internet would be rife with them. Surely, in this litigious society, if granite counters posed a health problem, you would be able to find just one lawsuit, or warning from the CDC, surgeon general's office, consumer reports or SOMEWHERE that substantiates that claim. But you can't do that, can you? No, the only place that claim is found is in Silestone and Corian marketing propaganda.
Silestone by far and away. When we were doing some remodeling I "tested" granite, silestone, corian, and tile using a serrated knife, hot oil, and red wine I could do some sort of damage to everything EXCEPT the silestone. Corian was the worst damaged. Tile second. Granite stained and I could scratch it (lightly though). I couldn't do ANY damage to the Silestone. We had it for 5 years and it looked like new the day we sold the house. When it comes time to remodel this kitchen (it has granite) it will be Silestone.
Silestone by far and away. When we were doing some remodeling I "tested" granite, silestone, corian, and tile using a serrated knife, hot oil, and red wine I could do some sort of damage to everything EXCEPT the silestone. Corian was the worst damaged. Tile second. Granite stained and I could scratch it (lightly though). I couldn't do ANY damage to the Silestone. We had it for 5 years and it looked like new the day we sold the house. When it comes time to remodel this kitchen (it has granite) it will be Silestone.
silestone is a truely awsome product. when I buy my home I plan on redoing it in siletone myself. I have worked with many materials and I too think that silestone is superior. Interesting that you did the tests to granite and corian and you are right corian will scratch with a key let alone a knife but its reparable. oil I know to be one of the worst in staining granite and anything acidic like citus juice... BE CAREFUL. there are great sealers out ther on the market so if you cherish natural products as I do and can't resist buying granite...SEAL IT. granite can pit with havind an empty glass fall on it from as low as 18" away. thats the typical distance from your wall cab's to your counter top. Sealers will not help here if this were to happen. AND there is no great repair for granite. meaning that it WILL be visible.
I have dropped a 6" x 6" piece of granite and silestone from about 48" onto a concrete slab 4" thick. the granite piece not only split in two it also took a chunk out of the corner measuring 1/2" x 1/2". the silestone piece took a chunk out of the concrete slab about 1/2" x 1/2" the stuff is super dense. the way its fabricated is they take real natural quartz chips and mix it with a cementiciouse epoxy mix. the mix goes onto a conveyer belt 6" thick and is pressed by hydrolic press down to about 1 1/4". makes the stuff super hard. I can also tell you that you could pour a concrete mix with the proper admixture to strengthen the concrete and get a slab that would be way stronger than granite and even silestone. so although we can not duplicate mother nature. hence the beauty of granite... we sertainly CAN fabricate counters stronger.
House shopping is obviously one of those obsessive compulsive germ phobic people who actually compromise their health with excessive germ fighting. Just wiping down any counter with water so there is no visible dirt gets 95% of all germs. Add any sort of surfactant to the water and you get 99% of the germs. Plenty clean enough for health. What does this person do? Lick the counters? Get a grip.
House shopping is obviously one of those obsessive compulsive germ phobic people who actually compromise their health with excessive germ fighting. Just wiping down any counter with water so there is no visible dirt gets 95% of all germs. Add any sort of surfactant to the water and you get 99% of the germs. Plenty clean enough for health. What does this person do? Lick the counters? Get a grip.
As I was going through this thread I was wondering when someone was going to point that out
The house that we're in now came with Silestone and so far it's nice. It can be a bit harsh to breakables, though!
The house that we just sold had ancient Formica so we had the counters redone with laminate again. Looked fine and didn't seem to affect the selling price.
For the original poster: I'd go for hardness, myself - Silestone or granite. Corian's fine but I feel the other two are enough better to justify minor cost differences. It was very nice not to have to worry about where I set the turkey when it came out of the oven on Thanksgiving day The normal spots were all full up but the counter worked just fine.
This thread started as a comparison of the merits of Corian vs silestone.
It seems to have morphed into a kitchen design critique.
Certain members also need to keep in mind that the Terms of Service does not allow trolling, baiting or personal attacks.
This the House forum, people, not Politics. Surely the discussions can be kept polite and civil and on topic.
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The normal spots were all full up but the counter worked just fine.