granite vs silestone countertops

[Kama89]

We had black granite installed earlier this year. When trying to decide which wasy to go (silestone or granite) although I LOVED the look of the granite, I was a little worried about cleanup, water stains, etc. I started leaning toward Silestone but DH was adamant about the granite. I have to admit, it's absolutely gorgeous, and cleanup and sealing is nothing. We did run across one problem, and... unfortunately I'm still learning how to deal with it. The dreaded water stains. Just days after installation I had water stains around the sink even though we'd been careful about wiping. NOTHING was taking the stains up. We called the fabricator and they suggested fine grade steel wool. YIKES! No way! Took me two or three months to get up the courage to try it. It works!! Like magic! Scrub and spot reseal and it's good as new.

Having said that... with little ones in the house, I think I'd have to recommend silestone or... at the very least, a lighter color granite. The black shows every little spot and mark until you clean. In my case, I'd probably still choose the black again even knowing what I now know, because it really is just so incredibly beautiful but then again it's just me, DH and 16 yr DS so it's not difficult to stay on top of.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Having said that... with little ones in the house, I think I'd have to recommend silestone or... at the very least, a lighter color granite. The black shows every little spot and mark until you clean. In my case, I'd probably still choose the black again even knowing what I now know, because it really is just so incredibly beautiful but then again it's just me, DH and 16 yr DS so it's not difficult to stay on top of.

I have Uba Tuba and it's very stain resistant. I'd heard that the lighter granites were more prone to staining, which is something that I need to educate myself on, because I want Santa Cecelia in my master when do the remodel.

I have Absolute Black in my half bath and while it doesn't stain, it does show every single speck of dust imaginable!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Very nice kitchen.....can we see more pics?? Pics of the range? What are the dimensions of your Kitchen?

People on here are probably so sick of seeing my kitchen, but with all the kitchen threads I keep posting them anyway!

My kitchen isn't that big and it's really hard to get a full shot of it all at once, because of the island. The wall with the range, is all new cabinets.

Before the remodel, there was a Jennaire on the island, that took up all the available counterspace and the new cabinet wall, had a wall oven, microwave and then a built-in desk. The only counters I had available, were the ones by the sink. I hated it!

I spent many hours standing in my kitchen trying to devise a way to gain more space and one day it hit me. Get rid of that stupid cooktop and get the slide-in range. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my island now! I also gained pots and pans drawers which I really like.

Also.......that poor dog!!!

Eh, she loves it.

 

[Kama89]

I'd heard that the lighter granites were more prone to staining, which is something that I need to educate myself on,

Well, I guess that does make sense really. I guess I was thinking more about these blasted water spots that are making me crazy and that they at least might not show up as much on a lighter color.

Absolute Black is what is in our kitchen! Dust, finger prints, water stains, you name it. Ugh. BUT! The clean up is a breeze, so in all honesty, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It keeps me on my toes, at least I know the counters are always nice and clean. Uba Tuba... we wavered between that and the Absolute Black for weeks!

 

[clarabelle]

I have granite -Baltic Brown and I love it. Easy to clean and it looks shiny and pretty. Some of the darker granites don't need to be sealed anyway. I can't imagine it not holding up to small children (ours are 8 and 11)

Before I bought my appliances and my counter tops I did tons of research.
Not ONCE did I come across any info about the top mounted dishwasher thing.
No one ever said a word- granite fabricators, installers, GC -no one ever asked what kind of dishwasher I had or mentioned any difficulties with installing them.
Back to your decision:
Take some samples home of what appeals to you and try them out. Get them dirty -set down glasses on them -stuff like that and see which ones you like.

 

[Kama89]

Your kitchen is absolutely gorgeous!!! Just beautiful!!

Bonehead.... She's a doll!!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Well, I guess that does make sense really. I guess I was thinking more about these blasted water spots that are making me crazy and that they at least might not show up as much on a lighter color.

Absolute Black is what is in our kitchen! Dust, finger prints, water stains, you name it. Ugh. BUT! The clean up is a breeze, so in all honesty, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It keeps me on my toes, at least I know the counters are always nice and clean. Uba Tuba... we wavered between that and the Absolute Black for weeks!

There is another black granite that looks like it has stars in it. Galaxy, I think? Talk about bling!

My arm got so tired of patting myself on the back, once I realized that I actually chose one of the least expensive granites out there. I tend to gravitate towards things I can't afford.

For once, I picked something based off of looks, that was "cheap" - and I use that term lightly, because it still ate our lunch.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Your kitchen is absolutely gorgeous!!! Just beautiful!!

Bonehead.... She's a doll!!

Thank you and thank you! She's my baby and she's at the vet right now. I sure miss her.

 

[luvdzne]

A huge problem with Granite is that you have to buy a dishwasher that is side mounted because you can not drill into the granite to install your dishwasher. Typically only the high end dishwashers have the ability to be top mounted.

We have granite and our dishwasher is top mounted.

 

[Cthia]

We just remodeled our kitchen last year. We went with silestone in the kona beige color. We liked that it matched so close to the color of the cabinets and picked up a hint of the stainless steel appliances. For our backsplash we used tile.

The backsplash

Completed

 

[DisTeach1]

For those that asked the question about the backsplashes earlier, we just ran the silestone up the wall about 6-7 inches or so, so I guess the Silestone is our backsplash. I think most people don't do this, and I'm not sure why-I love it. I'd love to post pictures, but I don't know how, but know you first have to post them on a public site, which I've never done.

Anyways, I do agree that Silestone is very "uniform", but to me it is very glossy. Brazilian Brown Silestone is the same pattern as Baltic Brown granite.

For some reason, my husband wouldn't even consider granite, after looking at the quartz, even though Baltic Brown granite would have been cheaper than the Silestone!

 

[Kama89]

my baby and she's at the vet right now

Oh no! Nothing serious I hope!

Black Galaxy! Yes! That was my original choice actually, but when we set a sample next to the cherry cabinets we chose, I really didn't care for it. The bling was distracting. It was considerably more expensive if I recall and didn't really blend well with the wood, so out it went. Like you, I was thrilled when I realized I was dismissing the most expensive option for a change (didn't do that with the cabinets ) but no matter what color you choose granite has a way of putting a major dent in the wallet doesn't it?

 

[Kama89]

Cthia, what a beautiful room! It's very cheerful and cozy.

About the dishwasher issue... the top mount issue is news to me as well. No one mentioned that to us when choosing ours... based on cthia's pictures, I think we have twin dishwashers.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Cthia, your kitchen is beautiful! Your cabinets are really pretty!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Oh no! Nothing serious I hope!

Nah, just a routine teeth cleaning, but they had to drag her off in a choke collar, with her looking back at me the whole time. I lost it. I'm the biggest pansy when it comes to animals.

Black Galaxy! Yes! That was my original choice actually, but when we set a sample next to the cherry cabinets we chose, I really didn't care for it. The bling was distracting. It was considerably more expensive if I recall and didn't really blend well with the wood, so out it went. Like you, I was thrilled when I realized I was dismissing the most expensive option for a change (didn't do that with the cabinets ) but no matter what color you choose granite has a way of putting a major dent in the wallet doesn't it?

Granite does put a dent in the pocketbook, but not as bad as cabinets! OUCH! They are sooooo expensive!

 

[vetrik]

We are looking at redoing our kitchen in the next few years, and have been researching our options.

My parents installed Silestone in their last house, and now have granite in the new house they just built. They liked the Silestone for the easy maintenance, and they did like the look, but my mom would not have been happy with anything but granite in the new house. She went with Tan Brown, and it is beautiful. I love the variations and designs in granite.

My DH works for a lumberyard that designs and sells kitchens, and he is pretty set on going with Cambria for our kitchen. http://www.cambriausa.com/
I guess it is similar to Silestone, but he likes the look of it better. The owner of the company, who could have done any countertop he wanted, just redid his whole kitchen in Cambria.

We did just buy a new granite vanity top for our bathroom in Absolute Black - I love the look of it, and I can't wait to get it installed.

 

[Meriweather]

We just remodeled our kitchen last year. We went with silestone in the kona beige color. We liked that it matched so close to the color of the cabinets and picked up a hint of the stainless steel appliances. For our backsplash we used tile.

The backsplash

Completed

Kona beige is what I am considering. It looks great!!
I'm excited. I love to bake and so anxious to get this done.
I have lived with tile for years and that is a PITA for baking and such.

I want to run the silestone up for the backsplash......I see one person mentioned doing it? Not too distracing.
My backsplash is now tile, the same as the countertop....I want to run it up to the bottom of the cabinets like it is now.
Good? Or no?

 

[DisTeach1]

Yes, I'm the one who has used the Silestone as the backsplash and love it. In fact, at our wet bar, it goes up probably 24" before it hits the cabinet. I think it's better coordinated than having a tile as a backsplash, which I don't like. I think Quartz is a great alternative to granite, and am really happy with it. In fact, we are going to do something with our fireplace and outdoor BBQ with the same Brazillian Brown soon.

Oh, and also, I just looked, and behind the stove the Silestone goes up quite a ways before it hits the exhaust fan. I really like it behind the stove-It looks great and it's easy to clean.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

We did just buy a new granite vanity top for our bathroom in Absolute Black - I love the look of it, and I can't wait to get it installed.

Here's my bathroom with Absolute Black. I love it too! We have it on the vanity top, and as inserts in the travertine in the shower.

 

[Cthia]

Thank you for the compliments. It has been quite the remodel for us, still on going.

We may have not gone with the silestone backsplace due to the kitchen guy telling us not to, either due to looks or cost, I don't remember. I know that I didn't want to have a wall space there since the old kitchen had a backsplash and I hated it.

The tiles we picked can be washed done, nothing can stain on them like spaghetti sauce, etc. That was a big thing for me considering how my DH cooks.