Silestone vs. Granite Counter-tops - The True History

So you need to upgrade your kitchen or bathroom with a new counter-top, but you're uncertain what your alternatives are. Chances are you have heard about marble and granite. All things considered, they've been used for myriad development purposes for centuries and you always see granite and marble countertops in luxury homes.

But what about Silestone...isn't it much better than granite?

Well, this will depend on which you think is way better. However, Silestone and other producers of engineered quartz stone counter-tops, including Zodiaq and Cambria could have you think their product is a significant upgrade from granite.

Engineered stone countertops are quartz that is mixed by a man-made product found in granite with a resin to make a surface with properties very nearly identical to granite. Silestone and all the other programs make essentially the same product, that will be widely considered to be a superb countertop surface.

But, these companies try to make mountains out of molehills in an effort to sell their product and compete against granite that will be and has bee the most widely used and proven surface type.

Myth #1: Sealing granite is a horrible, dirty task.

This matter has been blown way out of proportion with advertising. It is often shown as a benefit and you might get the feeling that granite is faulty and must be sealed with over and over to protect it.

True, there is no need to implement a granite sealer to an engineered stone counter top. And hello, that's good, but applying a granite sealer is truly a very easy and infrequent 'wipe on, wipe off' procedure. It's not an important job and for all practical purposes it is not a determining factor when you compare Silestone vs. granite.

Also, it generally does not take a closet full of particular chemicals to defend your granite and keep its luster as Cambria and other engineered rock counter companies recommend on their websites. Hello, to their credit they're just trying to effectively market their product.

A small secret about most granite.. . .

You can do nothing but clean it with a sponge for years and it would still look gorgeous. Slight, easy maintenance performed periodically will, but, give you peace of mind and enhance the best in your granite and natural stone. And the same could be said about quartz. Care and cleaning is equally simple for either surface.

Fantasy #2: Again with the closing.

You might also read that you should seal granite to preserve it is shiny shine. Not the case. Sealing is for stain resistance. Both natural and synthetic rock counters are polished by buffing and grinding the floor in to an easy sparkle.

Myth #3: Granite contains bacteria.

Silestone also tries to maintain their product avoids bacteria while granite 'contains' bacteria. That is completely false. Studies show that both granite and quartz are among the safest and cleanest surfaces on the market today, but one isn't superior to the other.

So Which Counter-top Is Best?

Well, once you remove the nonsense and you realize that man-made quartz countertops and granite perform equally well and that the care and cleaning of each surface is basically the same, the choice between granite and Silestone, Cambria, Zodiaq or other quartz counters usually boils down to color, sample and perceived value for most buyers.

Color and Value

Granite enjoys a greater 'respect' due to it's natural individuality and is therefore, of greater value in the minds of all homeowners and buyers. New granites seriously the industry all the time from different countries supplying hundreds and possibly thousands of different colors and designs to choose from.

The cost of quartz vs granite and other manufactured stone companies present 20-50 color alternatives that have fundamentally the same repetitive pebbled appearance. The benefit here is the fact that you never have a problem matching a pattern or color at a seam, which often is a problem with granite. Naturally, you could end-up with the exact same countertop as your neighbor, which will maybe not happen with granite as each piece is exclusive.

More details are available on this website.

Therefore, whether you choose engineered stone or granite you'll get a fantastic counter surface. Just don't listen to all the advertising hype and decide your product-based about what color and pattern you want best.