The battle is on. Many families are taking a close look at the disparities between installing a granite countertop vs. installing a silestone countertop. Their brilliant finish and longevity has folks ripping out there old laminate and running to stone. Granite and silestone have many similarities, but which surface is better. By looking at three categories; price, durability, and appearance you will soon have a better idea on which stone is right for you.
First lets take a look at the price factor. While variables include everything from the type of finish you get to the type of color you choose, one is cheaper than the other. On the whole, silestone is the cheaper choice. One of the main reasons for this is because there are more color choices with granite. Just ten years ago, silestone only had twelve different color choices. Today there are over 50 colors you can choose from.
When it comes to cleaning, silestone is the easier of the two to maintain. Because it is non-porous, Silestone does not need to be sealed. Granite, marble and limestone, on the other hand, must be sealed on installation and resealed regularly to prevent staining. Silestone is a maintenance-free star compared to solid surfaces that may require rigorous maintenance to clean up tough stains, scratches and scorch marks. You can use household cleaners like Formula 409 to clean both surfaces.
Also keep in mind that silestone is tougher surface than granite. Silestone contains Quartz, which is behind only diamonds, sapphire, and topaz in hardness. This means that very little will scratch your surface. However, it is not out of the ordinary for a hot pot or pan to crack the surface of your silestone due to thermal heat. Granite has a much higher tolerance to heat, and will not crack as easily.
Overall, granite and silestone both have their strengths and weaknesses. At the end of the day it really all depends on what you are looking for. If you are willing to sacrifice a little higher price to have a greater color selection then you will want to go with granite. If money is an issue and you’re more concerned with maintaining a clean kitchen, then you are more of a silestone person.
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Friday, September 21, 2007
Silestone vs. Granite
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5 comments:
I'm not sure where you are buying your granite, but from what I have been pricing, silestone is about 30% more expensive then granite.
Silestone, like other engineered stone brands, is a mixture of quartz sand and unsaturated polyester resin. Polyester resins are unstable when heated and can release toxic components like styrene in very small amounts. However, continued exposure, can increase, specially in children, the chances of liver troubles.
Very odd Article indeed. Silestone is usually more expensive and Granite is made up of mostly quartz and alkali feldspar. Silestone is made up of ground up quartz, granite, silica and polyester resin... that's in the plastic family. Also granite does no stain as easy as most think and does not need to be sealed as ofter as Granite Sealer companies recommend. Interesting read at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granite
Another positive for ES countertops is that chips that can occur in either product from dropping heavy and sharp items on the surface can be repaired much more easily and effectively with ES than granite
I installed silestone over 8 years ago and have never regretted it...My counter tops still look brand new...I will install it in my new home as well...The new color choices are great.
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