Silestone Countertop

[applefreak 1]

Hi, now exploring material to use as kitchen countertop

had decided on blue pearl granite but silestone seems to solve the problem of needing sealants

anyone?

[raincole 0]

What's silestone?

[applefreak 1]

it's a synthetic material which is made of mainly quartz

check out www.buildersshop.com.sg for more info

Edited May 30, 2007 by applefreak

[flyersummer 1]

what's cost like for the silestone countertop?

[applefreak 1]

haha, i have absolutely no idea

wanted to ask around to see if it's good before going down to the showroom

but if i'm not wrong it's around the price of corian tops i.e. $140 - $160pfr

[compassvale 0]

definitely a good alternative to granite,

can it be seamless for long lengths?

wanted to get granite for countertop as well but cos of the visible seams,

finally went for corian.

but if silestone can be seamless at long lengths, then really worth considering for you

[flyersummer 1]

yup.. that's what I was thinking abt...

[JuzChris 1]

A quartz counter top is commonly known as "engineered stone," made by combining 93% quartz (an element in granite) with resin n pigments in a process that binds the medium permanently.

End result a countertop dat has similar properties to granite, i.e. high heat, scratch n chemical resistance.

Silestone being the dominant player in the market, other player like Cambria, Zodiac & etc all produce quartz counter tops. Most of these companies uses the same process n produces basically the same countertop wif the only differences being in the colors available.

Quartz counter top hv many colors to choose fm whereas granite simply affords the largest array of patterns n colors of any material available. Although Quartz counter r all made to look like granite, purists note dat quartz counter tops lack the depth of color, variety of color n unique patterns of movement dat characterize granite. This also means dat Quartz counter top hv the colors consistency that few granites can offer so there's never a problem matching slabs. Also, many ppl prefer a uniform pattern dat is exactly the same over the entire surface.

It really boils down to wat u like. It's hard to beat granite's classic appeal, but u won't notice a difference in the performance or feel of quartz counter tops when compared to granite. The Q is do u like the "look" of man-made quartz. Cost is not really an issue when comparing to granite since u'll pay abt the same for engineered stone.

Hope this helps

[applefreak 1]

thanks for the in-depths explanation

really helps coz i can't seem to find much about such comparisons on the net. only thing that sites keep saying is that quartz no need to seal, as good as granite blah blah. but what is the difference actually no much information

love the granite look and noticed that silestone offers quite a good array of patterns(?)

actually my contractor is offering granite to me at a low price so quartz is almost 1.5x the price

guess i'll have to go down to the showroom to look at the actual thing before i finalise on the material

all i can say is for granite - blue pearl is really nice

saw verde-butterfly but bf say the dark spots not nice

emerald pearl is nice too, but blue is my bf's fav colour so...

[Riley 0]

What's silestone?

I found some good information about silestone at http://www.typesofcountertops.com/silestonecountertops.html

Hope it helps.

[forkie 0]

It has been so long but DID any1 use Silestone ?

Any comments on it ?

Currently i am asking my ID to check out this material as I am quite keen to use it for my kitchen/Vanity tops.

Seems likely this may be more expensive then granite but the properties of this material seems pretty hassle free !

[Rasp 0]

It has been so long but DID any1 use Silestone ?

Any comments on it ?

Currently i am asking my ID to check out this material as I am quite keen to use it for my kitchen/Vanity tops.

Seems likely this may be more expensive then granite but the properties of this material seems pretty hassle free !

Hi forkie,

I am also interested in silestone. Please share your experience about it.

Thanks.

[forkie 0]

Hi forkie,

I am also interested in silestone. Please share your experience about it.

Thanks.

Nothing much to share at the moment cuz even though I had confirmed using this material as my kitchen/vanity top.

I am still in the midst of selecting the color right now. I did see a few samples, tried scratching it with keys and stuffs. Pretty much satisfied with it as it only have a few little scratches which can be wipe/polish off easily.

Was hoping if the supplier have more range of colors that i saw from online. I will make a trip down on coming weekends to take a look on the other samples.

[Rasp 0]

Nothing much to share at the moment cuz even though I had confirmed using this material as my kitchen/vanity top.

I am still in the midst of selecting the color right now. I did see a few samples, tried scratching it with keys and stuffs. Pretty much satisfied with it as it only have a few little scratches which can be wipe/polish off easily.

Was hoping if the supplier have more range of colors that i saw from online. I will make a trip down on coming weekends to take a look on the other samples.

Thanks for sharing.

Great to hear that the material had passed your scratching test.

Seems like this is not a popular choice as not much people sharing their experience on using them.

Where do you go to see the sample? Are you engaging your contractor/id to do up the place or you go direct to the silestone supplier? Hopefully you can find 1 that fit your kitchen cabinet.

Lastly, care to share the price of using silestone? Thanks!!

[forkie 0]

Thanks for sharing.

Great to hear that the material had passed your scratching test.

Seems like this is not a popular choice as not much people sharing their experience on using them.

Where do you go to see the sample? Are you engaging your contractor/id to do up the place or you go direct to the silestone supplier? Hopefully you can find 1 that fit your kitchen cabinet.

Lastly, care to share the price of using silestone? Thanks!!

Well..... the reason most people did not use this material is the cost i think.

The price is pretty much on par with granite, higher even.

Actually i ask my ID to check with his supplier if they have silestone. So he got me some samples and let me test. I still have 4 pc at my place right now.

Even this material pretty much as durable as granite... ( hopefully coz i only read it in online no confirm cases of owners using it yet ) The color definitely lose out to granite.

Looks dull if compared to granite. Granite have deeper color which is much nicer.