Materials

Reply to: I have samples of both the Silestone soapstone and the Corian Nero (quartz) soapstone. The Silestone looks like a suede type finish, and in my testing it shows fingerprints so bad that I won't dream of using it. The Corian Nero seemed to be much better, but my sample is pretty tiny and much smaller than the Silestone so it's hard to get a fair comparison. In the end I decided to go with real soapstone.

Q

Reply to: The Corian Soapstone looks really good. The Silestone skews very blue grey under fluorescent lights, but it's pretty. Is all Zodiaq now going to be rebranded under Corian? There is no more Zodiaq quartz? Will Corian now be backing the warranty? Trying to see how this all works.

Q

Reply to: Corian does have a marble-look! It's called "Rain Cloud" and it's lovely. The key with any countertop material is your fabricator and installer. If one shows a hesitation to use a particular product that you want, look for someone else! I love the look of Neolith and did look into it for my own kitchen remodel. It's gorgeous stuff, but I could not find a single experienced fabricator in my area and I had no intention of being his "learning experience" with such a very costly material. So, I kept my 31 yr old Corian Glacier White countertops and added to them in one area. Perfect match as it's still the same product! I've been happy with them for a very long time and have no regrets 2 years from my remodel. They wear like iron and are timeless. Heat through a trivet? What was being put down - cast iron right from the stove on a high burner? Nothing can endure that - it would scorch wood! A bit of common sense is required in any room and particularly in a kitchen. Don't cut on any counter surface. At the very least, it will dull your knives badly; at the worst, it will leave scratches/gouges. Don't leave spills for a long time. With Corian, one could leave a bad spill for the entire summer and it would clean up when one returned; not so with many other surfaces. Have children/teens? Teach them to respect their own home! If they abuse it, make them pay to have it repaired. They do NOT get a pass due to youth! If the child is out of the high chair/playpen, then he should be able to follow simple instructions.

Q

Reply to: I think both quartz colors look nice with your cabinets. I can't speak for the Silestone, but I have Caesarstone honed pebble in my kitchen. I've had it for two years and I've had no issues with staining, pitting, or any major issues whatsoever actually. I do see fingerprints occasionally, but only in certain lights and from certain angles. But they don't bother me since they aren't super obvious, and they wipe away easily with the sponge. And less occasionally I see metal marks (again only in certain lights and from certain angles), which are shiny silver marks. I find them kind of pretty. They wipe away w/the Soft Scrub mentioned below. Cleaning is a breeze also. I usually just use a wet sponge, but CS recommended using a 50/50 mix of water and vinegar for regular cleaning. You can also use Soft Scrub liquid gel w/bleach (only the specific one CS has on their website). Apply it to a sponge, don't put it directly on your counter, then wipe.

Q

Reply to: Quiltgirl1, I am having the same struggle picking a countertop, and am also very interested in the Silestone Charcol Silestone. I live 2 hours from any showroom, so if you happen to see any in person, or if you do use it in your kitchen, I'd love to see a photo! It looks very black on my computer monitor, but I wonder if its more grey in real life. SInce I'm so torn between black and white, I might just go with a mid-grey colour. SIlestone Serene looks pretty: sort of a light grey with subtle white veining. perhaps the grey would match nicely With your marble counter?

Q

Reply to: Hwierenga, here are some pics of the Silestone Honed Charcoal suede finish. In one of the pics the sample is on a black poster board. You can see that it is a soft charcoal rather than a deep black. cheri, my kitchen has two large windows, one faces east and the other south. The soapstone look is so classic and looks nice with the marble, but still am up in the air. I probably will end up going with it because I cannot find another that looks good with the marble and the walnut baking area.

Q