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gidge816

Countertop confusion!!! Marble? Silstone?Caesarstone? Help!

Gidge816
10 years ago

My boyfriend and I are first time homeowners and have bought a fixer-upper that needs a totally new kitchen. I have chosen a light grey cabinet and plan on a whitish black splash and I think marble goes beautifully with both. I hear so many marble horror stories and I cook A LOT and to be honest the marks and stains would bother me and I would probably become a slave to keeping the countertop pristine (which I hear is impossible) What is a great substitute? So far I've seen Silestone lagoon and like it but can anyone recommend another close second to marble? Can someone with marble or a marble substitute share their experience? Pictures would be greatly appreciated since I haven't found much..

Comments (7)

  • Peke
    10 years ago

    Quartzite or whitish granites. My Sea Pearl is stainproof.

  • Gidge816
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    @peke thank you so much for the pic! That looks beautiful, I will definitely look into that option. Is it quartzite and the color is "my sea pearl"? Thanks for your response!

  • mlweaving_Marji
    10 years ago

    I just chose a slab of Quartzite called White Cristallo this week, and it's a sparkly white where the crystalline structures of the stone are visible. A very cool white, and I saw slabs that tended to blue-white and slabs that tended to a Ming green-white.
    I'm using Sea Pearl in my master bath and it's very grey/green on the scale of whites.
    Somewhere I've got a link to an article that compares the white quartz products.
    The quartzites wont give you the warmth and soft whites of the marbles, the quartz products won't give you the sheer beauty of the natural marble. but I'm in the same boat with you, I love to cook and I'm not willing to baby my counters and not wanting to put up with the staining and etching.

    Go look at several stones, and several slabs of quartz, and maybe you'll fall in love too. I'm so enamored with my white cristallo that I'm not even sad about not having marble anymore.

  • Gidge816
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    @mlweaving- thanks so much for your response! That's beautiful I have never heard of that option it looks really pretty! My boyfriend is trying to convince me to stick with marble bc the marble subs are so $$. Trying to research the price point of the white cristallo... Is it comparable ?

  • homebound
    10 years ago

    Marble is prone to damage, and they will be more visible when polished. Avoid it in a kitchen.

    Take a look at silestone lyra, as well as other quartz and granite slabs. Also, be sure to shop around at your stone countertop fabricators. Costs can vary significantly.

  • Gidge816
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    @homebound thank you! Will definitely keep that in mind! I like silestone Lyra and lagoon.. Those are actually the two I keep looking sat.. Where I have been shopping they are a lot pricier than marble and that's what is bothering me bc I can achieve the look I want with the real thing for a better price
    ! I can't believe how difficult this decision is.

  • Gooster
    10 years ago

    Be sure to check out the Kitchen forum and read the threads on Rocks by karin_mt. You will need to do something call the scratch test and the etch test on samples. Some quartzite are actually mislabeled marbles. Others can be difficult to fabricate. Price-wise most are at or above quartz, if they are truly quartzite.

    Some other names to look out for include Princess White (white/grey/blue) and White Macaubus (white/grey/cream with some rust) and Taj Mahal (white/grey/cream/tan).