Countertops- Silestone vs Granite

HI D R

My vote goes to the Silestone. That's what we have and love it. The granite is very pretty, but does require extra maintenace that Silestone does not. It looks great and is not as expensive as granite. Hope this helps.

Price is about the same, go with granite. I have silestone and after 5 years I wish i had Granite. you cannot cut on SS like you can with granite.

Sealing Granite is EASY and you can do it yourself.

Just another option to throw out there - we have quartz and love it! It's a natural product like granite. You don't have to seal it. You can cut on it, put hot pans on it, and it doesn't break or crack as easily as granite does. It's beautiful. Just a thought. Have fun making your choice, and enjoy your new kitchen!

I know you asked about these two... but aren't there other options? Maybe one of the designers on here will give some feedback. I worry about both of these going out of style. I know people say it never will.... but I'm a skeptic.

I like the idea of installing an eco-friendly countertop. I love the home tv shows where they show alternative materials. Just a thought....

I am a design consultant and help folks daily with this concern. Granite is a natural stone and it is not possible that every color and marking in one present sample piece will be present in another. Natural stone will scratch (black granite have a higher tendency of showing scratching). Natual stones such as granite are also porous materials and if not routinely sealed can permanently stain. Most buyers still go with the granite because of the higher shine vs a dull finish of the silestone and there are more color choices vs the available silestone selections available. I would highly suggest whatever product you go with you use cutting boards and hot pads!!

I have had both Silestone and Granite countertops. Personally I like the look of the granite countertops much better, it is a natural product unlike Silestone which is manmade. As far as price difference goes, granite tends to be cheaper depending on the color you choose. I have granite countertops in my bathrooms and have sealed them once in three years, and it only took about 30 minutes total to seal them.
Please be careful with placing hot items on any countertops as the sudden temperature change can cause any stone countertop to crack. I found this out the hard way when I put a pot of boiling water on my Silestone countertop and it cracked. : (
I had my Granite countertops installed by a company called Countersource, their website is www.countersource.net, there is a lot of information on there in reference to the different options. Good luck to you.

We are updating our newly purchased home with the possibility that we could be moving in a year or two. Our realtor is great, does remodeling and builds new homes, too. I asked him about granite vs quartz (silestone) and he said 3 cm granite. I guess people are more familiar with the granite, although quartz does better in "Consumer Reports." :)

the look of the granite is much better because in natural stone and silestone in manmade and not last long like granite if you want granite my husband is a installer/templer for a granite shop and can give you good price

I don't know about Silestone, but I really don't like my Granite. It is a real pain to keep it clean and polished. No granite cleaner disinfects, and you aren't supposed to use Lysol or other disinfectants on it. I can and do put hot items directly on it and never have a problem there. It also is fine for cutting. Sealing it was easy. It is just a case of giving it a good wipe down with a sealant.