Like your granite countertops?

I went with Silestone instead of granite. What I didn’t like about granite, during my research, I don’t actually own it, was that it is pourous and oils can seep into the stone and stain it. Silestone is hardstone and that can’t happen to it. Also, you have to seal granite every couple of years and you don’t have to with silestone.

I have had both and am in love with my Ubatuba counters. When wiped clean they are stunning. Expect to pay anywhere from $24—$70 per s.f. depending on the color.

I have granite, and I am happy with it. I have never had a problem with staining as @chyna mentioned is part of the marketing the quartz products use like Silestone. Not that I am negative about Silestone, I would consider it for a house or apartment in the future. Silestone tends to coordinate best with a more modern decore, while granite has a more varied pattern, you can get granite to go with almost any decor. With both I wonder about radiation, I would love to putt a geiger counter in my kitchen.

@Cruiser Haha, ubatuba was very popular in a community I lived in in FL. I had dark counters once, and they looked great, but when working in the kitche I realized I really prefer lighter counters, it made the whole kitchen darker to me. Although, one problem was that kitchen was not next a window.

@JLeslie I understand the part that makes your kitchen darker but …working in the kitche I realized I really prefer lighter counters Why is that?

Also, radiation???

@Porifera Granite and other stone counter tops have a background radiation, because they are from the ground and may have radioactive minerals.

@Tropical_Willie Oh thank you, didn’t know that. Will do some research too. My whole house has granite floors!

Have loved my granite countertops ever since they were installed years ago. Price per square foot can vary by vendor, by color, by type, as well as what other work you might be having done (floors, cabinets, fixtures, etc.)

One cost-saving measure you’ll see is that you can by thinner slices of granite… however, the most common thickness is 1 inch.

Also, the edging you choose affects the price, too. The more ornate, the more expensive.

@Porifera And you can get radon poisoning in your basement.

@Porifera The black is dark already, and then I guess it also absorbs light, so the whole kitchen feels dark to me. I guess if you have light cabinetry, or a lot of light in the kitchen period it compensates. My cabinets were cherry, black countertops, and long brushed silver handles, it was beautiful, the first impression, but working in it I felt like it was dark. It wouldn’t stop me from buying a house or apartment if they were in there I loved the place overall, but I probably would not pick it again for myself.

We recently had granite counters installed, and I love them. Our old counters were really old, like from the 1950’s. They were so ugly and dated! We chose a black granite. Our kitchen gets lots of sunlight AND we have white cabinets so it does not look dark at all. We replaced the knobs and drawer pulls, put up red cafe curtains, and my husband painted the backsplash to look like tile with red accents. The entire effect is so much nicer and more modern.

I don’t know about the cost because my husband worked out a trade with the owner of the granite company. We did have to buy a new sink and faucet, but it’s an undermount sink and I can’t even describe how much I love it. Again, the entire thing is more sleek and modern than before.

@jleslie Actually the stain happened to my brother’s granite in his bathroom when an oil lamp got dumped on it and made a puddle, so that wasn’t a marketing ploy.

@chyna I didn’t mean it was a ploy or worse a lie. I just meant that it is part of how they market the product.

I have black granite bench tops and love it. It looks beautiful and like @MissAusten because my kitchen has a lot of natural light, it doesn’t feel dark. Haven’t had any problems with staining either.

I’m in the home building business. We offer laminate, granite and quartz (Zodiaq). Most folks ordered the granite. We had to give them the pep talk about staining, chipping and scratching. I wish I had a dollar for every warranty call we got regarding chipping and cracking from dropped items on the top. And, then there is the scratching and staining issues. Yes, granite does stain.

Some folks moved to quartz thinking it was indestructible. It can chip and scratch, too. You do need a cutting board when you are chopping your veggies. As of today, quartz is winning the popularity contest. Good luck. Both products are great.

@ram201pa What about the other two questions that the OP asked? One was about price and the other was about process time.

Found this comparison chart

@Pied_Pfeffer We have found that the price is comparable (granite vs. quartz) and it all depends on which level of grante you want. Also, the lead time to template and install are the same for granite and quartz. At least that’s how it works with my vendor.

I have granite and I love it. I can’t tell you anything about price or installation because our house had it when we moved in. It was one of the things I loved after living with an old 50’s looking (in a non attractive vintage way) laminate countertop for years in our rental house.
The granite I have is a mix of colors:mostly beige and brown with bits of black. I can attest to the fact that it can stain though. For a while we put a marble cutting board next to the sink and we’d put the dishes on a towel to dry. Water got under the cutting board and over time it started to darken the granite. Luckily we realized it in time and stopped doing it. Eventually the granite went back to it’s orignal color with no stain.

MissAusten That sounds so great! I love the color scheme of black white and red for the kitchen.