From the research I've done, Silgranit is 80% granite and Swanstone is 80% quartz. As to the difference in the binders, I'm not sure. I know Silgranit seems more popular here, but I love the Swanstone Ascend model, so I'm planning to use that sink. I've really only seen them used in more modern style kitchens, but given the flat finish, the dark granite sinks might blend in really well with your honed counters. True period style would probably be cast iron.

One word of caution, cindy49 - The Silgranit site (last time I checked) said that bleach use should be avoided or at least kept to a minimum.

I'm one of the happy Silgranit sink owners. Mine is the gray / silver color and its' a dream to clean in and to keep looking good.

I love love love my silgranit sink from Blanco. Yes it can be chemical sensative, but I don't like having harsh chemicals in the sink area anyway. To clean I just use antibacterial dish soap and a cloth. The water spots wipe right off and it looks amazing. We're working on a colonial fixer and it's one of may favorite updates so far.

I'll be watching this space, too ;o) because I have a biscuit silgranit sink waiting to be installed Friday!

I read up on it, and read that Bar Keeper's Friend is recommended to remove any stains or spots. That sounds easy!

Lukkiirish, what do you mean, "Chemically sensitive"? Can you elaborate, please? Thank you!

Lynn

What about Elkay's e-granite sinks? Does anyone have any feedback on them or a comp. between them and Blanco's silgranit?

I have the gray Blanco silgranite sink. It is very easy to to keep clean. No water spots.

I have heard that in addition to bleach, you can't clean paint brushes as paint or the cleaners for them can be too harsh for the surface. My sink is black, so it is less prone to stains anyway. There has also been a thread that talks about some of the composite sinks cracking when shipped and/or when hot boiling water is poured directly on it. Even though it says it is heat resistant, a Blanco representative told another poster in the forum that cold water should be running into the sink when pouring boiling water down the drain which I always do.

I'll be honest, initially I was a little worried when I first had my sink installed, after all I was replacing a stainless steel sink & faucet that were only 2 years old and had not done well at all. But after having it in for about 6 months now, I could not be happier.

I have had an Astracast [composite] white sink for 10 years. The side with the disposer looks a little rough (when it has not been recently cleaned) because I did not read the manual that said to NOT use abrasive cleaners on it, and I used to Soft Scrub the dickens out of it. I also bleached it as the stains would set in because I dulled the polished bottom with my reckless scrubbing. I don't know what material it was made of (in 1999), but they are now made of a granite composite. I loved my sink because it had these grayish flecks in it that went so well with my new (at the time) laminate counters. The side with the strainer basket still looks white and nice. I did not abuse that side as much. There has been hair coloring in that sink and we have poured boiling water down the drain--without running cold water, we have washed paint brushes repeatedly, and poured untold amounts of chemicals down the drain. The drain (which was a plasticky white--what did I know?) has cracked, but the sink has not. One thing it does do, though, is show black marks from pans. That is why I used Soft Scrub on it so much. Those black marks drove me nuts.

My hubby did manage to drop a sharp knife on it *just right* and it it made a little chip, which he covered with some sort of epoxy. Because of the pattern on the sink, you can hardly see his little fix. Unfortunately, he did that when the sink was fairly new, so I was plenty *shall we say* irritated with him!

I am going with another composite sink in our remodel. An apron-front single bowl quartz sink. I am now aware of what NOT to do in one of those sinks, and the first thing I did was purchase one of those sink grids.

I wouldn't be able to live with my white silgranit if I couldn't bleach it.

So Mondragon, you bleach your white Silgranit? Does the white discolor easily? I was heading toward the black but then changed the counter top selection and now need white. It's between the Silgranite and white cast iron (single bowl.)
Thanks!

I love how my Anthracite Silgranit sink looks in my soapstone countertops -- or more accurately, how it just disappears into them and is really inconspicuous.

Mine's been installed and used heavily for almost 3 years now, and it looks as perfect as the day we opened the shipping box! I've never used any harsh chemicals or abrasives on mine because there's never been the need for anything harsher that dish soap and a plastic scrubby. Normally, I just spray it down after doing the dishes and that's IT.

I've heard that grout and cement products are absolute No-No's for these sinks, with paint also a potential problem -- but those are easy enough to avoid.

If you're comfortable shopping online, you can find great prices on the Blanco sinks. OR, if money or different shapes are an issue, the granite composite sinks at Home Depo ('Pegasus' brand) are also made by Blanco. I can't say with certainty that they're absolutely the same quality as those sold under the Blanco label, but they are manufactured by Blanco.

HD now carries them in 'espresso' as well. Not the 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 though...

Thank you all for the feedback. I'm quite sold on the virtues of the Silgranite sink. Per Sweeby's comment, I was looking at the Anthracite Blanco when my counter top selection was a darker, soapstone-like appearance and liked the idea of the sink "disappearing" into the counter. (Sweeby, let's talk soapstone at some point as an aside.) But now the honed granite favorite du jour is a little lighter and the black may be too distinctive but I suspect it would work. White cast iron (I won't do fireclay) looks very nice with the light marbling in this granite but I'm not sold on the white Silgranite for some reason. I wish I could find it at a showroom but I could only see little square samples of colors in my area.

"but I'm not sold on the white Silgranite for some reason."

IMO, the white just doesn't have the same texture-appeal that the anthracite has. Somehow, the anthracite's combination of color, texture and sheen just 'works' in some wonderful way. To me, the white looks somehow 'artificial' in a way the near-black doesn't. Totally personal preference, but there it is....

Totally agree with you Sweeby - the white looks more like utility sink material but then again I only saw a small square plus it may look great with certain color counters -- hard to tell from a 2" x 2" sample. It's good to know you're happy with the anthracite. It's between that and the Kohler white cast iron sink even though I'm sold on the Silgranite and think it will be easier to maintain. Btw, I almost went the copper route (with aged patina finish.) But I then got scared off by gauge research, denting and price -- some do look great though and copper has anti-bacterial properties. If you've posted pics of your kitchen let me know where they are so I can admired it. It sounds like you've gone through a kitchen project similar to mine. Thanks!

My husband cleaned his paint brush in the Blanco granit sink and after he cleaned

up there up there are still some paint spots. How do I remove these safely without damaging the sink and how do I get rid of my husband. Oh, yes it was latex