Hi,
I have the shiny Ceasarstone in Desert Limestone, and I like it, although it's only been in for about 3 months. I'm sort of surprised that I have to scrub with a sponge to get some marks off. (Colorful stains, like ketchup, come up easily but things like scuff marks are harder to remove.) For that reason, I'd be reluctant to get the honed version. (Have you tried staining and then cleaning a honed sample?) I also wanted to put hot pots on it, but in practice, I don't really do that very much. There's one advantage to the formica - it feels and looks softer than the quartz (at least the shiny version). I sometimes feel that I have to place dishes carefully on the counter so they don't break. But maybe I just need to get used to it. One big advantage of the quartz is you can get any kind of undermount sink you want. (You may be able to with the formica, also, but it's not so straightforward.) I love brushing crumbs directly into the sink when cleaning up.
Well, I'm not sure I helped. I will say, though, that everyone who sees the countertops loves them. Good luck! Rose

A very good friend has had Silestone for 10 years now (not sure name of color but it is a medium tone beige stone-looking color); her's looks like new and I know for a fact that she isn't a careful cook. No nicks/chips, seam problems, or stains. Her's isn't honed though--that's a newer finish. She loves, loves, loves her Silestone. HTH.

Thanks to both of you. I'm not worked about placing objects on it. I had granite before so I'm used to that aspect of it. More concerned about the staining.

The issue of scuff marks does concern me. If placing a pot on top, it's possible to have that happen. The limestone is light colored, so maybe I'd go with the darker color instead if I wind up chosing this.

As for the honed finish, good idea of bringing a piece home. They have several in the store, I'm sure he would let me borrow one if I ask. Or not even bother with changing the surface. IMHO, I didn't see that much of a difference in the two with these particular colors.

Thanks again!

I have a cs similar to lagos blue, called ginger, medium toned; it's been in for 2 years and I only have a few small scratches around the sink edge, the size of a piece of thread really.

My island is very close to patio doors, hence has a lot of reflection and I have to really dry it after wiping, it shows marks more than a speckled granite would.

This has always been one of my favorite kitchens on the forum. It was completed years ago so I'm not sure if you can reach this person to ask how it's held up, but they have honed Caasarstone. Just look at the pictures ... beautiful!

Here is a link that might be useful: Bosche's kitchen

dmom, I remember that beautiful kitchen also; her album's been deleted or is missing, I would have loved to see that caesarstone up close.
She posted it in 2004, last comment I could track was in 2008.
If Bosche is still around, she would be the perfect person to tell us how the honed caesarstone held up after almost 6 years.

A year in and my light colored Nougat Ceasarstone is holding up fine. The only time I had a potential stain was a slight rust stain from a tin can left near the sink overnight and the area must have been wet. I had to scrub a bit to get it off. It did feel like if I scrubbed too much that the shiny part could be damaged.
You know that it is not like granite though, as it can not tolerate the heat of putting pans from the oven/range directly onto the surface.
It works in my house, but not sure I would use it again in another house.