thnx. Kind of attracted to quartz (from silestone) recently after reading more forum threads. Will visit builders design centre soon at changi south to compare. Someone mentioned the price between granite and quartz is almost the same.

U go to silestone, u can look for Jessica...she more experience.

U go to silestone, u can look for Jessica...she more experience.

thnx you .. will do.

thnx you .. will do.

When down to silestone today, didnt manage to find to Jessica (on-leave) but got entertain by her colleague named CK. He did a good service of guiding me & wf around their showroom (4th level). Gave free sample of the selected silestone. Quite patience, even initiate to show us around on tiles+marble+limestone+granite, plus some tip on what the latest "in" design nowaday

wow silestone quartz is really different. standard (plain) around $150 pfr / 20mm thick, premium $190 (with shining/polished), leather look (230++), platinum (260++). Total countertop (10ft) alone already cost me (with installation, silicon etc) around $2700. btw, silestone is from spain & max length is around 3m, so extra will have to join then u get extra line on your countertop. why 'cos cant get into hdb lift unless u owned landed property.

FOC 80mm - backsplash

cut hole - $80

cut hole for undermount sink - $100 'cos need to mould edge

No discount. Granite around $2000+/-.

Earlier visited classic furniture at tg katong mall, served by Patrick. Not pushy. Did some recommendation on 10ft.

carpentry (Wall 7ft + Base 10ft) with shining laminate - $2750

countertop granite (145pfr X 10ft) - $1450

glass backsplash (6mm tempered, $50pfr x 10) - $500 , other than white/black color add $5pfr

FOC item - 3 hettich drawers + 1 cutlury tray + handles + hinges blum motion

Total = $4700 (before 6/7% discount - but i guess that is to cover the GST)

Does this sound like a reasonable deal ? but classic dont carries silestone :(

pfr = per foot run

Edited April 13, 201016 yr by dbkungfu

yup i agree w born_again. granite will be more stain-free and easier to maintain

Granite and solid surface counters are fairly comparable in price. But I will go to granite countertops. Granite countertop is unaffected by extreme temperature but solid surface may initiate cracks. Granite will not scratch under normal bar top and kitchen counter use but solid surface will scratch under normal countertop conditions and requires regular maintenance to remove scratches and maintain its original appearance. Granite, for the most part, is a very maintenance free stone. A simple to apply sealer can be used if desired. Granite can withstand exposure to non-abrasive household cleaners while solid surface can burn when hot pans or cigarettes come in contact. Scratches occur during regular use and removed with sandpaper. Abrasives cleaners will scratch.

Solid top have heat issue but they can be polish. The beauty of solid top is that there will be no visible joint.

Granite have stain issue, as granite by nature absorb liquid, that's why most id will recommend dark colored ones.

I was comparing this two type of top for rather a while, and finally end up with quartz, which have $$$ issue

anyone have experience with your granite top being "rough"

like.. its not smooth when i run my hand against it. There are parts of it which feels a little chipped on the surface.. rough...

i asked my ID.. he said its part of the grain.. but im not too sure..

some parts i even see deep scratches.. but reading the posts above.. shdnt it be quite hard to scratch? thats why we choose granite..

anyone have experience with your granite top being "rough"

like.. its not smooth when i run my hand against it. There are parts of it which feels a little chipped on the surface.. rough...

i asked my ID.. he said its part of the grain.. but im not too sure..

some parts i even see deep scratches.. but reading the posts above.. shdnt it be quite hard to scratch? thats why we choose granite..

Anyone used quartz? I was introduced to this material by my ID..

anyone have experience with your granite top being "rough"

like.. its not smooth when i run my hand against it. There are parts of it which feels a little chipped on the surface.. rough...

i asked my ID.. he said its part of the grain.. but im not too sure..

some parts i even see deep scratches.. but reading the posts above.. shdnt it be quite hard to scratch? thats why we choose granite..

granite tops shld be polished and sealed after installation, as the cutting process will expose the edges, etc. it's possible the workshop did not polish yr worktop piece, so it feels "rough"? in situations such as yrs where the id didn't seem too concerned, u shld ask 1 or 2 friends to be present to take a consensus view - whether indeed the worktop feels rough.

i suggest u ask the id to get his men to polish the granite surface again.

cheers

Edited March 13, 201115 yr by BlueFly

Anyone used quartz? I was introduced to this material by my ID..

quartz is actually the raw mtrl used in many branded tops - such as caeserstone and silestone. used to be that home owners looked at compressed stone as no-better-than plain ole terazzo 20 yrs ago - silestone was not in the mkt then - when the defacto flooring mtrl was terrazo. pricing then was about the same for both. Now home owners seem to regard compressed stone as "up there" on the same or higher level to natural stones i.e. marble and granite. Strange how ppl's perception has changed.

BTW, have you considered cement for yr worktop? Now, we all think and regard cement as the mtrl-of-choice for ppl on a low budget.

But wait! Take a look at these photos: here and here and here. They will blow u away !!

cheers

Edited March 14, 201115 yr by BlueFly

would it be hygienic to do baking such as kneading of dough on granite tops?

i found in wikipedia, granite will release some chemical reaction and affect our healty.

Beware, my friend....

in term of pricing...

normally granite is higher price than solid surface....

but if you using such LG, SAMSUNG's brand with 100% acrylic....

the price is high like SKY....

much more expensive than granite.....

still wonder why....

because of natural, hardness, and durable....Granite is preferable.

Personally i will recommend granite over solid surface as it's natural stone.

Which type of granite to choose?

I would recommend black galaxy granite.

I've a video on solid surface. Here you go: