Look: Engineered Stone Countertops! Austin

Look: Engineered Stone Countertops!
Austin

Around for awhile but picking up steam in recent years, the newer and better look of engineered stone products are making waves in the countertop world. Many designers and homeowners are saying out with granite, and in with engineered stone...

It seems everywhere we look in Austin, engineered stone countertops are all the rage. In fact, there are at least a few buses here in the city with giant full-side Silestone advertisements. Made mostly of real stone, like quartz, engineered stone is a composite product more durable than its completely natural stone counterpart.

Resistant to heat, stains, scratches and wear it’s also easy to maintain. While it might not look as stone-like as actual stone, it comes in a ton of colors to coordinate with traditional homes or more modern rooms. And, priced at $45-$125 per square foot installed, it can fit into most anyone’s budget. Silestone, Ceasarstone, Dupont’s Zodiac, Cambria and Okite are some of the bigger brands selling engineered stone, and prices as well as available colors differ from company to company.

What are your thoughts on engineered stone? Have you used this product in the past? Share your opinions!

Comments (12)

we just had our silestone countertops installed... couldn't be happier. we like the terrazzo-like look

posted by redneckmodern on October 9th 2008 at 7:46am
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We have Silestone (Stellar Snow) as well and I'm very happy with them. They are beautiful and also a bit green which is another nice aspect.

posted by Gigi818 on October 9th 2008 at 8:04am
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i just had silestone grey expo installed it it looks just like polished concrete. gorgeous.

posted by rkpoon on October 9th 2008 at 8:13am
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i think theyre gorgeous. much prettier than granite, which i've never been a fan of.

posted by jln3681 on October 9th 2008 at 8:21am
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We fell in love with Silestone's Stellar Snow counter top but couldn't fit it into our budget.

We compromised and instead used Silestone Stellar Snow 24"x24" tiles finished off with Schluter brushed aluminum trim (see link below). Since Stellar Snow has flecks of silver in it, it looks fabulous and cost us $11 a sq. ft. (last year) instead of a whopping $79 a sq. ft.!

I recommend that as an option to all budget-conscious Silestone lovers!

http://www.schluter.com/

posted by modtramp on October 9th 2008 at 9:13am
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My kitchen is scheduled for an overhaul in about 18 months (assuming the economy improves). I've been eyeballing this stuff for a couple of years. I hate granite.

posted by kimg924 on October 9th 2008 at 9:13am
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I'm planning an overhaul for my kitchen on the same schedule as kimg and have been planning to use engineered stone.

posted by madampince on October 9th 2008 at 10:12am
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I have zodiaq installed in my kitchen.

http://baltimorerowhouse.blogspot.com/2008/02/under-cabinet-lights-crown-molding.html

I went with quartz because it is lower maintenance, more durability, and looked close to the "concrete" look I was looking for.

posted by baltimorerowhouse on October 9th 2008 at 10:48am
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I recently upgraded to Silestone countertops in white zeus and am amazed at the transformation. My kitchen is so gorgeous and modern that I can't understand why I didn't do it sooner. Granite...bleech.

posted by lorettalynn on October 9th 2008 at 11:44am
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Quartz / Engineered Stones are a great product for apartment applications because they do not require the care and maintenance that stone prodcuts require. Zodiaq just came out with 4 new recycled content colors that are really beautiful. www.replacementcounters.com/surfaces

posted by replacementcounters.com on October 13th 2008 at 5:53am
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sorry that link was supposed to read http://www.replacementcounters.com/surfaces.aspx

posted by replacementcounters.com on October 13th 2008 at 5:55am
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you can also just start at our home page http://www.replacementcounters.com

posted by replacementcounters.com on November 25th 2008 at 11:27am
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