I recently put in Cambrian Black Antique. I don't know about your Silestone, but we have been thrilled with our stone selection. I thought I would mention it because it has the dullness of soapstone, which is the look we wanted. No fingerprints, no streaks, and no dust. With the sample, I couldn't chip it with a screwdriver, couldn't scratch it, and it didn't take up any stains.

If that is the darkest black color, I was told by a sales lady at The Countertop Store that it will show fingerprints quite a bit. She even put her fingers on it and punched down and it did show dark areas...kinda like a sweaty mark was left. You should ask around, check it out and make sure it will be okay for you. HTH.

Thanks for your responses. nightowlrn, I'm assuming you mean you put in granite or is it the Cambria quartz product? I get so confused with some of these names! I have also toyed with the possibility of a honed or antiqued granite and will investigate it further. Let me know if you have quartz or granite, if you see this. I'll definitely investigate whichever it is you are so happy with! If it is granite, does it have a smooth surface or is it slightly "bumpy" when you run your hands over it?

Pupwhipped, thanks for your response as well--I'll definitely look for a sample of it before deciding on anything, based on your experience in The Countertop Store.

Thanks so much :)

It is a granite. If has texture to it, but I wouldn't say it is rough. It is gray and black with occasional flecks of copper that catch the light in a very appealing way for us. It is easy to clean. I saw Absolute Black honed and that showed my fingerprints when I touched it.

If you do a search on this forum for Cambrian, you will find what others think about it.

Here is a quick shot of it. The under cabinet lights are on, so you can see it doesn't have the reflective qualities polished black would have. Our GE Profile induction cooktop just melts right into it. It is below the smaller cutting board. We haven't selected a back splash yet. I didn't have a sealer put on it and I clean it with soap and water.

ooohhhh, nightowlrn, I like that granite! I responded to this question cause I had looked at the leather silestone that OP had written about. Now seeing your granite, that just might be perfect for me. I will have creamey cabs with a rust glaze, and want a countertop that is not shiny. I thought I would try to get a brown color counter of some sort but this might be nice as it has copper colors in it. Thank you for posting your pic. Nancy East, good luck with your countertop search. I think it might be the toughest decision of all.

I don't know what it was called, but I saw an antiqued brown granite that was quite attractive. The copper flecks in my slab are not pronounced; just occasional. You can see one in front of the large cutting board. I would suggest you find a whole slab to look at if you are specifically looking for flecks because mine could be unusual.

I would STRONGLY suggest you stay away from any of the Leather Silestone counters. I know of a designer who had spec'd it as an Upgrade in a new construction condo tower. Only 1 buyer chose it over granite, in a dark brown. This counter shows everything! Oil, fingerprints, etc... We have tried everything short of repolishing the entire surface to get this cleaned and ultimately it is going to be replace with granite. The Condo buyer was extremely upset that the designer offered it but didn't mention the drawbacks of choosing it. A large local countertop shop in WA has decided to drop the leather line entirely because even though Silestone will stand by their warranties, the warranty is so one sided in the manufacturers favor that they rarely get the issue taken care of whithout it coming out of their pocket. Just my experience from the GC side. Good luck in your hunt!

Thanks for the info, coysmum, in the condo. Very good info to know. I did find a sample today of the stellar night Silestone in leather finish and was able to take it with me to try it out. Granted, it's a 4x4 tile, but I've been using it under my bowls and such all afternoon (I own a bakery so it's getting lots of spills, fingerprints, greasy marks, etc.) and so far, it's cleaning up beautifully. I also have a sample of the "regular" stellar night and it's much more difficult to get the streaks off of and keep clean looking. I wonder if the leather finish is more difficult to keep clean over time. I'm definitely keeping this tile for a few weeks and hoping to find a bigger piece to really give it a workout.

The countertop guy who let me take home these samples said that the leather finish has the same properties as regular Silestone (nonporous, Microban coating, etc), so that was at least encouraging. He did say that honed granited has much more of a propensity for being porous--is that true? I hear so many differing opinions these days, that I always like to hear from different people.

Ugh--this is so ridiculously hard. I love being able to tailor my kitchen to my needs and wants but wow, it's a bit overwhelming sometimes, isn't it!?

I totally agree regarding the Silestone Leather series, stay away. We have had endless problems and it is being replaced becasue we were not fully informed about maintenance issues and the softness of the product.

Sandyse, What maintenance issues are you referring to? Did you have the leather series installed in your home? If so, what color did you have? I'm really scared reading these posts and will probably steer clear now, but just curious now about your personal nightmare and sorry you had to go through it. Is Silestone reimbursing you at all?

Hi,

When I was choosing my counters my top 3 runners were black leather finish Silestone, soapstone & antique black granite (jet mist, cambrian black, nordic black - there are several names/varieties). I decided on the soapstone b/c I also heard a lot of negative things about the leather finish Silestone. It also priced out almost the same. The leather finish Silestone in black is the most expensive of the Silestones - at least when I was looking and it was only going to be about $100 cheaper that soapstone! Hope that helps. If I had to do it again I might decide on the non-shiney black granites just b/c I have had issues with quick fading of my soapstone and it requires more maintenance (oiling) than I would like. I still LOVE the look. It is stunning.

Thanks!

I went to a model yesterday that had a dark brown Silestone. I told the lady the truth, that I was just there to see what countertop they had. She laughed and told me that I didn't want that one. She said she was forever wiping fingerprints from it.

I have the Silestone Leather Series in Amazon Grey and am very disappointed with the amount of work it takes to keep it looking good. It shows streaks, dish rings, fingerprints, etc. I have yet to find a cleaner that brings back the original finish. I understand Silestone is no longer making the product. Has anyone had any luck with getting their counter top replaced by Silestone. It seems this product is defective if the finish is permanately marred by normal kitchen use. If anyone has any advise I'd appreciate it.

The soapstone at my local Expo was only $58 a sq. ft. installed. I believe they said it was for a 3mm stone. I can't vouch for the quality and may even have some concerns about the quality of workmanship upon fabrication/installation since I belive that they use an assortment of local granite yards who (IMHO) would have less experience working with soapstone. You also can't pick out slabs prior to paying. So if you pay, and they don't find a slab you love at the yards they use... then what? An attractive price nonetheless and I thought a worthy FYI.

Greetings from Spain. Don't buy Silestone Leather!!!!.It looks wonderful but does not stand up to normal everyday work top use. It stains and it is impossible to remove any marks on it. (I have tried everything. I had a whole house refurbished here in Spain (and it's made here!!) The bench tops (Amazon Leather) have been a great disappointment. Also I have all the rest of the bathrooms (4) done in Tigris Sand Leather. Tops of the vanity units were fine but I wanted all the shower niches and the shelf tops , bath edges etc done in the same colour. They came back different...much darker. (They told me it was Tigris Sand and there was nothing else like it so it must have been.) I was told by the builder that because it wasn't 8mm thick like the vanity units (it was 4mm) they couldn't make the same colour!!! Its a terrible company and I wouldn't buy any from them again. It took months to get the order through so I had to accept what was given to me. Otherwise I would have been waiting for Kingdom come!!

OK - I'm officially scared away from using Silestone leather in my kitchen (in black tebas) -- what alternatives should we look at with a similiar look, less maitenance? Thanks everyone.

We are finishing a remodel and choosing some tops. Silestone Leather finish is the ONLY thing I liked for my built-in desk (I decided against a wood desktop, but don't want something too hard and shiny looking like granite or Corian).

Reading this, now I'm scared. For those of you who've had bad luck in kitchens, do you think I would have just as much bad luck on a built-in desktop? Other than putting a drink down without a coaster, I can't see it getting too much exposure to oils and liquids...

Honestly, I don't know what I'll do if I have to eliminate the Silestone..