[JenAjd]

Anyone have, or considered Silestone (spelling might be wrong)?? I've thought it's attractive and don't think it needs sealing!

[GTTPF]

I wouldn't believe that you could leave the countertops and sink out. I don't think that you could get a CO to close. Maybe you can in FL but I would be surprised. Good Luck!

[angiefox10]

Originally Posted by JenAjd

Anyone have, or considered Silestone (spelling might be wrong)?? I've thought it's attractive and don't think it needs sealing!

I think Silestone is quartz. Maybe not?

[renos]

I just had Duncan Stone who advertises on this site install granite counters and an under counter stainless sink in our kitchen. Price was reasonable and their work was very professional. They left the jobsite as clean as when they started. Would highly recommend them .

[NoSnow]

We just met with our design team in Sept. and chose granite in the kitchen and laundry.Now you actually go to wildwood and pick your slabs as to which level you prefer. It was actually quite a lot of fun. Said to my lovely bride that this was like picking out a wedding ring. If possible take someone with you who knows something about granite. It is such a beautiful stone. Can't help you with your price question but we did enjoy choosing our own slabs.

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Originally Posted by JenAjd

Anyone have, or considered Silestone (spelling might be wrong)?? I've thought it's attractive and don't think it needs sealing!

Originally Posted by angiefox10

I think Silestone is quartz. Maybe not?

Quartz-based countertops are manufactured under a variety of brand names: Caesarstone, HanStone, Silestone, and Zodiaq to name a few.

Bill

[swimdawg]

Originally Posted by Bill-n-Brillo

Quartz-based countertops are manufactured under a variety of brand names: Caesarstone, HanStone, Silestone, and Zodiaq to name a few.

Bill

I have Zodiaq quartz for my countertops up north. I had many choices of color....upwards of 50, I bet. They are easy to maintain but they don't have that "one of a kind, special" look of granite.

I opted to go for granite for my home in TV and I love the look.

Quartz countertops are mostly made of synthetic material....& they do have a bit of sparkly quartz pieces throughout. They are nice....but not as "interesting" as granite.

I am very happy with my granite countertops....and I like look better than the quartz countertops that I have up north.

Both are very nice.

[CaptJohn]

Time to renew this thread. I have ugly pink and white ceramic countertops that the previous owner did and will try this. Can't be uglier than what I have. Thanks for the link Frank.

[faithfulfrank]

Happy to help. I also did the vanity in our guest bath. I have more pics if any are interested. It might not be for everyone, but it was a great solution for us.

Not everyone loves or wants a $50,000 kitchen with granite or other materials. Like I said, I'll redo the kitchen down the road, but did not want to live with the pink until then.

I heard somewhere the average Villager buys 3 houses in TV and lives there 7 years. I also read somewhere the average lifespan of kitchens is like 12-15 years between major renovations. If that is true it might not be the wisest decision to do a $50,000 kitchen remodel.....

For the record, years ago I was in the kitchen business, selling those $50,000 kitchen remodels...

Respectfully, Frank.

[CFrance]

When we had granite installed in our condo in MI, the company came and made a template of the countertops. They took the new sink back to the factory with them and did all cutting and sink cutouts there instead of in our home. There was no granite dust mess in the house.

[MLBellis]

There was a story on the news about granite caused cancer.... you may want to google & research it!!!


Granite Countertops A Health Threat? - CBS News

[bdabob]

My wife and I close on our new home this coming Friday and will have the laminate counter tops removed and replaced with granite on the following Monday (kitchen and 3 bathrooms).
Our decision was based on having more choices for the granite. The options available at our design team meeting didn't enthuse us.
It is slightly more expensive but worth getting the granite of our choice.
Not sure about the disruption but our installer claims he should have it complete in one day.

[graciegirl]

There are Formica choices that are awesome these days. It is the simplest replacement for countertop and very user friendly and not overly expensive.

We have granite here and had it in our old house in Cincinnati. All it really is is huge thin pieces of polished rock. Period. There is a lot of hype about Radon, and it being an easily contaminated surface, but I am guessing that that information is hyped by the competitors who sell other surfaces. Granite has become a status symbol and hugely popular.

We didn't ever have to have them redone in Ohio, and the safest and best way to keep them sparkling is to wipe them off with a clean cloth full of soapy water and dry them with another CLEAN CLOTH. We always use a cutting board or boards. We had Black Galaxy in old home and it was gorgeous but a LOT of work to keep looking nice, because it showed every touch of the hand and water spot because it was very DARK.

The new one is a lighter mix of brownish colors and you really have to remind yourself to check for crumbs.

I always liked to collect pretty rocks when I was a kid. I think most granite is just beautiful and it was hundreds of thousands of years in the making.

[jimbo2012]

If your worried about radon, just get an in home test kit.

Too many people have these, likely a myth, if the test is negative sell the kit to your neighbor.

[kgentile1010]

The choices they have for the Formica in the new designer houses is pretty nice. We also decided to do the granite later since I want to get the kitchen in first and then see what granite I like with it. My choices were from all different models, so don't know how it will look yet when it comes together. I picked Formica -- Butterrum Granite for my countertop. I think there are a lot of nice choices for Formica.