Corian v. Granite v. Silestone counters (kitchen remod...)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had off-white Corian. Stained with every little thing: wine, turmeric (use a lot in our Indian cooking), tomato sauces. Didn't like it at all.

I now have granite and it is very easy to take care of. Nothing stains, easy to clean. I've lived in this house 9 years and never had to reseal it so I don't know what theyr'e talking about with that! I use a granite cleaner once a weak that I get at Strosniders. It works beautifully.

I have the same color Corian but I like that it stains easily, I've had dark counters where I let the stains build up until they got harder to clean. With this color, you can't slide by ... gotta keep it clean.

[Anonymous]

We have granite that does not need to be sealed. I can't remember what they call it but it had a coating applied before we got it. We've had it for five years and it looks brand new. The only thing I worry about is that acidic substances (lemon, tomato) can supposedly damage it, so I clean up a lot if I am working with those. But I'm sure I've spilled some over the years and I don't see any damage.

[Anonymous]

I wrestled with the same question a couple years ago and went with granite. I loved the quartz but it was more expensive. I thought I'd hate the granite and think it would look dated but it still looks beautiful and relevant.

[Anonymous]

I would avoid Silestone since it is treated with Microban which is made up of triclosan. There is much debate as to the toxicty of these material. I don't know the answer, but the other quartz countertops (Caesarstone, Cambria) are the exact same except they are not treated with it, so why install something that could be highly toxic when there are safe alternatives?

We recently renovated our kitchen and I considered all of these counters. I think granite and quartz are equals in terms of maintenance. With the lighter colors of both, you could have potential staining but not with darker colors. I personally don't like granite. I think it's overdone and already looks dated. However, if you like the look, I'd go with granite because it's considerably cheaper than quartz. I was really impressed with the Corian I saw and was tempted by it. However, if resale is something you're considering, Corian still has the reputation of being the "cheap" choice. It can also melt if you place hot pans on it, which we sometimes do.

[Anonymous]

I have ceasarstone and I really like it - it looks great.

[Anonymous]

Silestone is great. And I am not licking my counters, so am more worried about bacteria hanging around than I am about having some substance in the counters that kills bacteria. On CIA counters - can use them and they are decent, but my advice would be to make them lay out the pattern of the counter first, before installations, showing you where the seams will be. And if you don't like how any seam looks after installation, ask them to come back and correct it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Silestone is great. And I am not licking my counters, so am more worried about bacteria hanging around than I am about having some substance in the counters that kills bacteria. On CIA counters - can use them and they are decent, but my advice would be to make them lay out the pattern of the counter first, before installations, showing you where the seams will be. And if you don't like how any seam looks after installation, ask them to come back and correct it.

The the Microban in your counters (that is suppose to help fight bacteria but studies show it is actually causing the bacteria to mutate into antibiotic-resistant strains instead) is emitted into the air, which I assume you breathe. I'm glad to hear you don't lick your Silestone, but you're not avoiding the triclosan this way. The American Medical Association has recommended a ban against household use of triclosan and its use is restricted in countries such as Canada and Japan. It's a nasty chemical. I certainly wouldn't want counters installed with it in my house. For this reason, I'd either stick with granite or choose another brand of quartz.