Silestone is an engineered stone material and is ideally suited for use in kitchens and bathrooms. Silestone kitchen countertops in San Antonio actually are stone, about 93 percent of the material is ground quartz; the remaining seven percent is the binder which holds the material together. Included in the binder is a coloring agent which allows the homeowner the luxury of having a very durable countertop as well as one which matches the kitchen décor perfectly. Silestone is well known for its durability and for being very hard; quartz, next to diamond, sapphire and topaz is the hardest material found in nature and the only one of the four used for countertops.
Many natural stone tops, granite included need to have the surface sealed otherwise the top will stain and absorb liquids. This is not the case with Silestone kitchen countertops in San Antonio; they have a highly polished surface that repels staining. Even with this being the case it is still suggested that spills be cleaned up when they happen because polishing and sealing do not prevent stains from happening, it resists stains and there is a big difference between the two.
Silestone countertops are available with a number of different finishes but as all Silestone is polished there is always a little shine to the material. Many homeowners shy away from a super high gloss finish as it tends to show every little fingerprint and mark. Although granite is a beautiful material, Silestone is thought by many to be even more so because the color and the consistency of the pattern is more regular than any natural stone. Because natural stone may have areas of intense color and other areas less so the material often looks very different, especially where it is necessary to join two slabs.
A strong selling point of Silestone is its durability. This material can take just about anything that an active family can dish out. This counter material is not only stain resistant, it also resists heat; acid so acidic foods such as oranges, lemons as well as vinegar are far less likely to damage it.
Because the surface is extremely hard it tends to resist scratches far better than natural stone which actually are quite soft in comparison. It may not be recommended by the manufacturer but it is hard enough that some homeowners actually use their Silestone kitchen countertops in San Antonio as a cutting board. Go to the site shawcoremodeling.com for more information.
