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I am in the market for a bathroom vanity counter. I want to go with something nice such as Corian, Quartz, etc... I want something SUPER low maintenance. I am looking for a rather small size (50 x 20) just under.
Anyone have any suggestions on brand or experience with these type surfaces?
I tend to stay away from natural stone tops like Granite mainly because they need to be sealed and their patterns tend to be too busy for me.
Would prefer to avoid the Home Depot/Lowes for this purchase especially if I can get a quicker turnaround and lower price.
I have silestone in the kitchen and love it. I also have granite in two of the bathrooms and hate it, lol. Not really sure where to tell you to go. My friends family owns Yorktowne Cabinets in Willingboro on Route 130 and a couple other locations. The company name is Kitchen Design Company, but they also do bathrooms. I know they sell and stock a few different counter types and material. At the very least it may be worth a call, their number is 856-871-4200. Ask for Alex and let him know "NJGOAT" recommended them, he knows who I am.
1. MAINTENANCE. I know a lot of people will say it's no big deal to seal them a couple times a year and keep up with it, but it's a pain I don't like dealing with and even sealed you can still get stuff on them that you need to go through a 72 step cleaning process to get rid of. Kids + blue marker + granite = blue granite.
2. It's ubiquitous. Everyone has it or wants it and that's actually a big turn off to me. So many people have commented how beautiful our "granite counters" are in the kitchen and then get a weird look on their face when I tell them it's silestone.
I like silestone for the following reasons:
1. MAINTENANCE...there is none. The product is completely sealed and 100% stain resistant. It's also treated with an anti-microbial compound that resists bacterial growth, real handy for a bathroom/kitchen. I can literally wipe it down with anything and not have to worry about hurting it.
2. It looks fantastic and comes in a decent enough variety that you can easily match whatever you want. There is no hunting for the "perfect" slab, you just say which color/design you want and the dimensions and your done.
3. If anything ever happened to it and a section was damaged, or I built an island, or wanted to expand the counter top, I could easily match what I already have. You simply can't do that with granite. I can buy the exact same color/pattern today that I bought a year ago.
Overall it comes down to personal preference, but I think silestone gives you all of granites benefits with none of the drawbacks. The only knock I can think of is that it isn't granite. Granite still carries a little bit of swagger even though it has become as common as laminate floors. There are people who just swear that they need the natural look and love picking out "their slab" and love the fact that no one else on Earth has the exact same thing they do. Me, I want a product that looks good, works good and doesn't require me to do anything special to keep it that way.
I agree with Silestone, especially in the bathroom. Out of the assorted bathrooms I have marble, silestone, granite, and one Zodiaq (DuPont's engineered quartz answer to Silestone which is also an engineered quartz). I prefer the engineered quartz for maintenance. Silestone is unique in that some of the solid colors have recycled, crushed mirror flakes that catch the light, which sets it apart from the Zodiaq. The marble offers the most maintenance and care in handling, since anything that drops on it could cause problems, not to mention a propensity for stains, etc.
Cosentino, manufacturer of Silestone, also makes a pre-sealed granite and marble, so those might be worth a look in your area. The Zodiaq is also very easy to maintain, but if you don't want a stone look, I'd go with the Silestone as it comes in many colors/textures.
Unfortunately, I don't know any fabricators in the South Jersey/Philadelphia area, since I doubt the firms I know in the NYC and DC areas would be able to fabricate and install a counter in your area. One has a location in Delaware, but it's Seaford, which is probably 100+ miles from you.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
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