Counter tops Corian vs Silestone

[Judy]

We've been in our Florida house with the granite kitchen counters for over a year and haven't sealed them yet. The big problem is that you have to wash them first and then let them dry for 24 -48 hours before you put the sealer on. How do you avoid using your kitchen all that time?
(Yes, I did say we just got Silestone. That's in our place in Colorado)

 

[Rose Pink]

We've been in our Florida house with the granite kitchen counters for over a year and haven't sealed them yet. The big problem is that you have to wash them first and then let them dry for 24 -48 hours before you put the sealer on. How do you avoid using your kitchen all that time?

I avoid my kitchen as much as possible. It's called take-out.

 

[copper]

That makes sense - I don't have any cast iron cookware and the lighter weight stuff doesn't seem to do that. I don't usually cook anything at higher than 375 degrees eithers, so I guess that's why I have avoided scorching.

What would you cook at 500 degrees?

We do prime ribs at 500 degrees. 8 minutes a pound then turn the stove off and let set for two hours. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[Cat]

We've been in our Florida house with the granite kitchen counters for over a year and haven't sealed them yet. The big problem is that you have to wash them first and then let them dry for 24 -48 hours before you put the sealer on. How do you avoid using your kitchen all that time?
(Yes, I did say we just got Silestone. That's in our place in Colorado)

Judy, our sealer said nothing about this. It just says, "Start with a clean countertop..."

So I cleaned it, wiping it dry immediately after washing down with a damp cloth (not soaking wet.) Sealed it twice, allowing the sealer to soak in the recommended time, and dried when time was up.

 

[Whirl]

Go Silestone, if not Granite. So much more up to to date. I think Corian is past its prime and in ten years you may wish you chose granite or silestone which is more likely to still feel current. The soaring demand for Granite, and thus a product like silestone, which essentially solves the one downside of granite --having to seal i-- is why Corian is trying to keep up with "granite-like" products and darker colors ( which I hear reports of showing wear).

Just my personal conclusions from recent kitchen design adventure;It can be daunting.

 

[Present]

We've been in our Florida house with the granite kitchen counters for over a year and haven't sealed them yet. The big problem is that you have to wash them first and then let them dry for 24 -48 hours before you put the sealer on. How do you avoid using your kitchen all that time?
(Yes, I did say we just got Silestone. That's in our place in Colorado)

There must be different kind of sealers because mine were installed and sealed in the same day and I was able to use the counters within an hour. I've had them for about 3 years and they still look great despite heavy, heavy use!

 

[Present]

Go Silestone, if not Granite. So much more up to to date. I think Corian is past its prime and in ten years you may wish you chose granite or silestone which is more likely to still feel current. The soaring demand for Granite, and thus a product like silestone, which essentially solves the one downside of granite --having to seal i-- is why Corian is trying to keep up with "granite-like" products and darker colors ( which I hear reports of showing wear).

Just my personal conclusions from recent kitchen design adventure;It can be daunting.

The "having to seal" it thing is over stated, I am a heavy kitchen counter user and haven't sealed mine in about 3 years. When the guys came the first time, they just swiped the sealer on, wiped it down and let it dry for an hour. Start to finish maybe an hour and 15 minutes including dry time!

The granite looks rich, wears great, is care-free, and if you shop around...much cheaper than silestone!

 

[mrsstats]

After looking and pricing we have decided to go with Silestone. Now we need to decide on the color. We have a dark brown stone look vinyl with medium oak cabinets. We now have an ivory counter, which looks good. Should I stay light or go darker?? Thanks for all your comments on the Silestone vs Corian.

 

[itchyfeet]

This is a very interesting forum that answers a lot of questions about kitchen remodeling: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/kitchbath/
There is also a gallery portion which shows members' remodeled kitchens - lots of fun to look at the various styles.

 

[Big Matt]

When looking at the floor-counter-cabinets you should be either dark-light-dark or light-dark-light. Sounds like the lighter color would do the trick given your floor and cabinets.

After looking and pricing we have decided to go with Silestone. Now we need to decide on the color. We have a dark brown stone look vinyl with medium oak cabinets. We now have an ivory counter, which looks good. Should I stay light or go darker?? Thanks for all your comments on the Silestone vs Corian.