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Silestone Countertops: Pros and Cons

If you're deciding between countertop materials, you have a lot of options, including Silestone, which is one brand of quartz countertop manufacturers. Learn the advantages and disadvantages of installing Silestone in your home.

What Is Silestone?

Granite or Silestone? That's what many homeowners remodeling countertops asks themselves. But what exactly is Silestone?

Silestone is a man-made material crafted from natural quartz and other raw materials to create an extraordinarily durable surface. It's used for countertops in kitchens, baths and even flooring and wall siding applications, according to SilestoneUSA.com.

Silestone like granite, have similarities, according to SilestoneUSA.com. Both materials are extremely resilient, they are beautiful with unique patterns and add to the value of your home.

The Pros of Installing Silestone Countertops

There are ample advantages to using Silestone in your home:

Warranty: This brand has a 25-year transferable limited warranty, according to SilestoneUSA.com.
Non-porous: Silestone is a non-porous surface which means it resists stains caused by coffee, wine, lemon juice and other food and non-food products.
Scratch-resistant: It's highly resistant to scratches because it's made of quartz, one of the hardest materials in existence.
Impact-resistant: It's also highly resistant to impact damage because of its hardness.
Sealing: Since it's non-porous, Silestone never has to be sealed like granite or marble.

Maintenance:

Antibacterial: Since Silestone is non-porous, the material is more hygienic than most countertop materials.

The Cons of Installing Silestone Countertops

No material is perfect, including Silestone or any other quartz material. There are some cons to using the material for countertops, including:

Cracks: If you put something of extremely high heat directly on the countertop, it could cause the material to crack, according to Cosentino.com, which owns the Silestone brand.
Bleach Bleaches and other harsh cleaners that may include bleach, could damage the surface or cause the material to degrade, according to Cosentino.com.
Cost: The cost of Silestone countertops can be more expensive at times than granite.
Installation: You have to find a contractor who can install Silestone correctly so it looks seamless.
Repair: There are times when a dish or other object hits the edge in a certain way to chip the Silestone, which may be difficult to repair.

How Do I Get Samples?

You'll find Silestone countertop samples online or in-store, but you'll have to pay for them. For example, a 4x8 quartz countertop sample in Calacatta Gold costs about $20 on HomeDepot.com.

Head to SilestoneUSA.com and search for a distributor near you. Call and ask for Silestone samples you can buy or borrow.

Silestone Countertop Colors

Silestone's array of countertop colors can be see on the SilestoneUSA.com website.

For more help in choosing one of Silestone's 90-plus colors, click on SilestoneUSA.com's Color Assistant tool, which is like an online color chart. Choose in this order:

Hue/color: Choose from light gray and white to dark gray and black and everything in between.
Style: Then choose your style, such as plain, veined, fine or course grain.
Finish: Choose from a polished, suede or volcano texture.
Visualizer: Design your kitchen with an online visualizer tool to see how the color, style and finish could look in your home.

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