Caesarstone Raven vs. Silestone Marengo/Arden blue?
jennifer42
9 years ago
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sixkeys
9 years ago
susanlynn2012
9 years agoRelated Discussions
granite versus quartz countertops
Comments (48)cloud_swift, I remember your gorgeous counter photos! Thank you for your always clear explanations. I admit I was not thinking of quartzite when the OP mentioned quartz. You are quite right that blue quartzite (quartz is rated harder than granite, I believe?) has no issues with etching and staining as the softer blue granites do. Again, that points up the weakness in the stone industry. The names aren't consistent, and neither is the quality of the stone itself (no matter what type) nor the installers. It remains a "cottage industry" in many respects, which is why YMMV, as reported in many a discussion thread here. I think it's great that we have so many choices these days, even if it does drive one slightly crazy!...See MoreHelp need advice Granite vs. Quartz
Comments (21)Like I said up thread, I have both quartz and granite in our kitchen: granite on the island, and a white quartz on the perimeter. The granite is pretty busy with a lot of movement. Even so, because of the highly reflective polish, it's easy to see smears. Oddly enough, it totally hides crumbs and other kitchen detritus (I just wiped a black ball point pen off that was hiding in the pattern!). We've had it less than a year, so we haven't had to reseal yet. The quartz isn't as highly reflective, which I like (my husband wanted the high gloss on the island). The more uniform color let us go with a busy mosaic backsplash, which we couldn't have done with our busy granite. It seems more "smear" resistant than the granite, and the light color makes it easier to keep clean, because I can see when and where it needs wiping down. As far as staining, I haven't had trouble with either surface. Two days after install, I left a box of blackberries on the quartz overnight, not realizing a pool of juice had soaked through. That left a shadow, but it came off immediately with a little Soft Scrub. And as far as heat, as I said, I'm kind of paranoid. It's not that hard to use pot holders, cutting boards and trivets, so that's what I do. Both surfaces have great qualities, it comes down to what you want to see in your kitchen....See MoreQuartz counter top questions
Comments (35)When people say that quartz looks like "fake" stone it always makes me scratch my head. For me, I love it because it is clean and uniform--if I wanted "real" stone with the variability that comes with real stone, I'd choose granite or marble. Saying it looks like fake stone is like saying that cork looks like fake wood. Two very different materials, two very different looks. Neither one is better--it's what style you prefer. Exactly! But I have found that many people try to sell quartz counters saying they look like granite but are better/easier/tougher (which I think has already been addressed above). Some of their colours do appear to be in fact imitating the look of real stone. I don't think they do well at that, but I totally agree with you that it's a great choice if you want a uniform or clean look or their vibrant colours....See MoreThoughts On Dark Grey Kitchen Cabinets?
Comments (32)I'm a big fan of grey. My bathroom is predominately grey. Floor is a grey porcelain slate look in 18x18", wall paint is a light grey color (Seattle Rain I think?), and wall tile is a 1x3 inch ceramic mosaic in 3 shades of grey with light grey grout. The cabinet is a cherry laminate so I didn't go grey with the cabinet, but I love the feel of the bathroom with all that grey and polished chrome hardware. As I always say, it's pretty masculine, but I love masculine design. We have a glass block window in the shower that lets in a lot of natural light and that helps. For the kitchen, the floor is an interesting cross between grey and brown. We had decided on Silestone Gedatsu for the counter, then picked out the floor tile. Then I started to second guess the Gedatsu and looked at some greyer Silestone samples (Grey Expo, Unsui and Kensho). The Grey Expo just was not right at all. The Kensho was tooooo blue and the Unsui just felt too not right with the floor. Actually, the Unsui matches the floor pretty closely. I guess that was the problem, it was too much of the same color in the room and we didn't think we'd like so much of it on the counter, although I do think Unsui is a great color. So, we went with the Gedatsu! It's dark. Chocolatey brown. I hope it's not too dark. I really liked it the best out of everything we looked at. It's being installed on Thursday. I hope you do your grey kitchen :) And check out the Unsui Silestone! It's a really cool color....See Moresixkeys
9 years agoYour welcome! I just had mine installed today in fact. I've attached a picture of Raven and Coastal Grey samples right next to each other. I can't remember which is which (have to check my notes), but it probably doesn't matter sine they are so similar.
susanlynn2012
9 years ago
jennifer42
9 years agocentaurs2
9 years agopolkadotz
9 years agoI realize this thread is from ages ago, but thought i'd post in case someone was researching. I chose Silestone Marengo. I love it so far! We've had it for about a month. The color is a nice soft gray, not too cold. Really happy with my choice.
jennifer42
9 years agoluettaw
9 years agocentaurs2
9 years agosusanlynn2012
9 years agopolkadotz
9 years agosixkeys
9 years agoHere is the coastal grey with a metallic grey Silgranite sink and a marble backsplash. I agree that the cinder is a great match. I was looking for some contrast. Pardon the construction dust!
This post was edited by rebecca3142 on Sun, Nov 23, 14 at 19:45
bkeithaz
8 years agoSteph Cav
5 years ago
SHarper
5 months ago
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jennifer42Original Author