Contact main Consentino showroom in your area so they can show you a "best" solution for a NONE shiny more natural finish Silestone quartz. I know they make it, I just cannot give you any specifics off the top of my head since I've not specified it yet.

A good stone place should be able to supply engineered stone (aka "quartz") in a honed finish. Just ask them!

I am 2/3 the way through our kitchen remodel. We used Cambria Quartz. It is a fantastic product. It comes in many colors. Ours is New Quay. I absolutely love it. Paid $67 sq ft installed. Adding another piece on island, for even less.

Here's a close up.

SILESTONE has several colors with come in a leather finish. Nice.

When we remodeled our kitchen last year the installers brought the "leather" finish when we ordered the polished. I saw the problem after they installed one long counter top and alerted them. After they investigated they agreed it was their mistake but left the counter in place over the weekend to give us a surface for a few days. After 3 days with the leather Silestone we were so VERY happy we never chose the leather surface! I had considered it for that beautiful matte finish but had read it took more care and more care-free was what I was wanting. Well, it looked horrible all the time! I tried to keep it clean too just to see what it was like and it was difficult to deal with getting it a uniform appearance. Care instructions on website say to wipe it down daily for best appearance and I will add don't ever touch it or put anything on it either. The installers commented that it is a surface best used for desk tops and non wet environments or if you have so much extra time on your hands that the designer trendy look it provides is worth the maintenance hassle. The polished Silestone has been wonderful and we love it!

To Carolsheila....please do not confuse "designer looks" with materials and applications being promoted and sold by large manufacturers and retailers. Most trained designers are very careful and discerning when it comes to specifying the right product for the right use. We have to buy liability insurance and step up and get paid for final invoices so, we tend to be careful about being clear what we are specifying for our clients.

I have a client with a HONED granite top that we used for her dining table that I had built and yes, HONED granite needs to be sealed every other year or so depending on use but, so far it works fine as a table top now going on 4 years. Not sure where the push or idea about having none shiny surfaces is coming from but, I'm sure the products may vary from manufacture to manufacture as to how they are going to perform. Designers are tired of shiny, shiny counters and for good reasons not necessary to explore right here but, there are pluses and minuses to every finish and every finish and material has different housekeeping and care issues.

Also, beware that "terms" like leather and honed may be being used loosely by a seller when they mean completely different things to the fabricator and therefore the architect or designer. I would never do what I have learned is a "leather" finish for a kitchen countertop but, what I have been shown is "leather" finish from my stone fabricator and what Silestone is calling "leather" may vary. It would need to be researched. Anyway, my point is "designer finish" should not be used as a disparaging term but, more as a term to distinguish a "specialty approach" or none-standard selection. A wrong application of a material or finish rests with the original "specifier", seller and fabricator. Not picking on you by any means just standing up for "professional specifiers" to make a general point to consumers.

Good for this houzzer to be sure and give as much explanation as possible when she continues her research for a NONE shiny counter surface of some kind. Beware of terms being used unless you are very, very familiar with industry standards. Ask good questions of any countertop seller. Also, have real samples to show sellers what you want so there is no question about what you like. I would get a sample that is at least 6" x 6" to have with me and show if I were working on this countertop project as a project of mine.

FYI....Some terms to explore as applies to natural stone; polished, honed, matte, leather, brushed and then of course there are finishes and treatments proprietary to various shops and fabricators. To complicate things further we now have the man made quartz sellers using terminology historically used by stone masons. Buyer Beware and do your homework is all I can say.

To sieglerdesign: I did not mean to disparage professional designers with the term "designer trendy look". I used it in GENERAL broad terms since it is what is COMMONLY heard as the "look" we all need to strive to attain and feel most of us common people understand that term in those regards. I am aware in general that there has been a trend toward "matte" finishes for several years now. I went for a matte porcelain floor tile preferring non shiny on every surface myself. I like how matte finishes give a richness to a surface without reflecting every thing around that surface. You said that designers are tired of the shiny, shiny so not sure how me saying a matte surface is a designer trendy look is not valid. For those of us that can't afford a professional designer to point out the ups and downs of different surfaces we can only rely on the manufacturer and word of mouth from others and now blogs :) The Silestone website last year used the term "Leather" as one of their finishes and it was the one we received in error. Now I see they have a "Suede" finish, maybe it is easier to maintain? The question here was in regards to wanting the ease of a "quartz", and she did specify "a quartz product" not "of some kind" counter-top in a "not shiny" appearance and that is exactly what I, as an average homeowner living with both surfaces, had experience with so I felt qualified to give my honest personal opinion. I did do my homework in choosing a surface for my home. My homework informed me that I did not want a natural surface since it does require periodic, although not often, maintenance and I wanted the easiest surface to maintain with ZERO sealing ever! I'm not lazy it's just the to-do list grows enough without adding extra maintenance, so if choices allow otherwise I'm taking the easy route as long as it's aesthetically appealing to me even though maybe not the most popular or trendy. I was so over the granite craze years ago and always correct people who visit when they say they like my granite counters. I inform them that they are not granite but man made quartz composite. So I'm kind of a terminology freak too! My homework also informed me I did not want a Silestone finish unless it was polished. Silestone, granite and laminate were our only three choices with our installer. Sometimes to save money our choices are more limited. I appreciate the education in terminology from your perspective. Maybe this site isn't for average homeowners with daily experience to give opinions and only for professional designers to answer questions? If that's the case than I apologize. This is my first comment ever on Houzz, well now this is my second, since it seemed my experience was so in line with the question and hoped my single hands-on experience with one product line would be of some help. I enjoy looking through the questions and seeing the comments...it's fun! Well, looking is fun at least. Good luck with your new home csforsythe!

Thank you all for your comments. Today we are going to the shop where they will cut and finish my quartz for installation. Maybe they will let me throw some dirt and water on some selections to see which one cleans up best, ha! The process of building a new house is daunting for sure. So many choices. Do feel so blessed to be able to do it! Thanks again for the lessons.

carolsheila....no apologies needed! The category of comment "Design Dilemmas" is open to everyone. Everyone has input to offer and after 20+ years I am still learning new things all the time. I just wanted to clarify the difference between a product and the APPLICATION. There are many bad applications or wrong applications of good products.

Yes, I did say designers are tired of super shiny surfaces and this I feel is true but, this is different from doing what is right for a client's situation. Just know that the best designers who consider themselves "professionals" and who want referrals and good repeat business strive to the "right thing" first and intentionally avoid trends and manufacture's promotions pretty consistently until clear on the right specification for the right situation. Its a huge part of our job! And, it can be daunting and challenging to stay on top of the hundreds and hundreds of products in the market place!

To a trained and experienced designer I think the term "designer" as used in the retailing marketplace in general means "NONE standard" or "specialty". In other words not the mass marketed item immediately available off the floor or off the shelf or from the warehouse in the back.

to csforsythe GOOD LUCK! I think you will love your quartz. I like it very much based on client's that I have seen purchase it. Am still curious about the other finishes besides "polished" but, I guess more buyer information and experience on that will shake out in the next few years or so!

Thanks for more clarification sieglerdesign and taking the time to explain!

I'm understanding your point more, I think...just because a manufacturer creates a product that follows a trend, maybe begun by designer influence, it is not the fault of designers when that notion or trend is used in an inappropriate manner. Therefore when I referred to a "designer trendy look" I can see where a professional designer would never knowingly create a look that had such an inherent maintenance issue for the end user and how it IS a disparaging term in the manner I referenced it! Sorry. Designers pick the correct surfaces and finishes and less than knowledgeable homeowners sometimes choose the wrong ones thinking it's the next best thing :) Also terms can mean different things across materials and product lines so be sure to know what that term means for the product you choose not in its general sense.

So my statement should have read : or if you have so much extra time on your hands that you personally appreciate the look it provides, when properly maintained, and agree is worth the extra hassle. My experience taught me that Silestone's non-polished surface (which was referred to as "Leather" on their website) was not a good choice for my kitchen counters and I would strongly caution that particular product's use in a kitchen.

Silestone's matte finish is now called "Suede" and it has this note: "Please be aware that the Silestone Suede Series has a luxurious finish that may require extra care & attention".

to carolsheila BRILLIANT.....beautifully said! I salute your perception and ability to express accurate meaning. It is my deepest most heartfelt belief that someday when more women are mainstream in the construction business, that overall the construction industry and INTERIORS specifically will greatly benefit from their insight, communication and language skills. You are great example! This is not a put down of the male gender who of course make GREAT and AMAZING contributions to this field and I could not do my work without them!
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Rather my wish for more women in the construction field is based more on a personal belief that since "women hold up half the sky" and life is best when they do.....that in any industry where women number so few that when their numbers grow in that industry then that industry will have a better balance at meeting human needs. This idea not as eloquently or smoothly expressed as I would prefer, since I'm short on time but, I am totally confident you will get my meaning!

PLEASE Keep on commenting and contributing to HOUZZ. HOUZZ needs your good mind and humble spirit. Its been my pleasure to know you through your writing and its to my enlightenment to hear your experience.

carolsheila , i couldn't agree more with you, user experience is the most important than the color / finish style.