Granite is pourous and needs to be maintained compared to Silestone. The quartz countertops do nick with wear and tear which can be buffed out. Also they clame to be scorch resistant but I did have some miscoloring of the resin near the stove when I had a large pot near by. I would say that I would still choose quartz over granite.

I think quartz sounds like a better alternative for you also, as you mentioned a matte surface. I believe Silestone has some great matte finishes that are still sealed. Nu-Crete makes cement counters in beautiful colors that have a matter finish with a sealer built in. I like how their product reminds me of soapstone. You might want to check them out.
http://www.nucretedesigns.com/
Best, Mark

Hello,
That is a tough one. IMO, Silestone will not do a 1899 Victorian any justice- you have slate tiles and exposed brick elsewhere, why not stick with a natural stone for the counters as well? ( in keeping with the style of the home) Granite can have a honed finish, ( matte) which is very appropriate to your Victorian. Granite is pretty much indestructible, and I've NEVER seen an issue with staining. Just needs a sealer every now and then, like all natural stones. Yes, people still expect to see granite in kitchens when buying a home; it's not a fad, or just for the rich! Many granites now cost the same as other solid surfaces. Concrete ( as mentioned above) would also look great, is reasonably priced, but requires more care, and does crack, so you would have to be ok with that. There are many options-- good luck and post some pics!

The only thing I would add to the above thoughts is that NuCrete and professional concrete fabricators have generally switched over to fiberglass/concrete mixes that are lighweight buy extremely strong. The fiberglass is not visible. I've never seen cracks in this top of product. Also they are working with bases that are fully sealed in the mix prior to pour so they don't require aftercare. The sealer is not on top, but part of the product itself. I think as time goes on, more thought is being given to engineering higher performance out of some of the same materials we're familiar with.

Thanks for all the helpful info! I am thinking now of soapstone in order to get the natural stone and the matte finish but it is supposed to be much lower maintenance than honed granite. Decisions, decisions...

I think that would be a great choice for the period too.

Soapstone is a beautiful and appropriate choice-- Also very durable, won't show stains, but can chip. BUT if it does chip you can sand it down. ( Soapstone is used in chemistry lab tables, remember? : ) You can mineral oil it every so often. Pretty expensive vs. granite, but it does have a beautiful silky look and feel. Honed granite is a similar texture, ( like Black Absolute ) and is no more porous than polished, just shows fingerprints more!

Go soapstone...perfect.

I've had both granite and silestone. Silestone is far easier to care for. And the new colors are amazing.

I agree with the soapstone comments. It can be almost black to a dark green and has a beautiful matte finish. Good luck!

I wanted soapstone, but found a new matte finish by Sensa that is black with a texture. I don't care for the shine of the regular granite! I was talked out of the soapstone! My sister had it and it was very high maintenance. It is a beautiful look though.

We have granite on our counters and soapstone on the center island. I love the look of soapstone, but as others have mentioned, it is very prone to chipping and requires regular sealing. I had a professional fill about a half dozen small chips with a composite material. After buffing, they blend in pretty well, but now I have noticed new nicks. We recently remodeled the kitchen at our beach house and decided on caesarstone. It's beautiful, but we already have two small edge chips, so I am wondering how it will hold up over time. Good luck with your decision!

Granite is still the way to go for resale value. There are many different price levels and styles of granite to choose from. Go to a place that offers a large selection of full size slabs that you can really get a feel for how the stone looks in it's entirety. The natural look and feel of granite will add to the character of your historic kitchen and blend beautifully with the original surfaces!

Personal choice! I would not worry about stains unless you are comparing to travertine. Most of my clients choose granite because of its movement and natural beauty. When someone chooses Silestone or other quartz products, they are looking for consistent, minimal pattern.

I agree with Becky, it is a personal choice. In my opinion any solid stone surface counters is what is people or looking for as far as resale value. Quartz, Granite, Marble, or Soapstone are all great choices. I would take your time, set a budget, do research, and have a open mind of all your options. Going to a professional countertop company that has multiple choices of materials and a well educated staff will go a long way.
They will be able to provide you will pricing, features and benefits, and also some disadvantages of some of the materials used for counter surfaces.

Hope this helps you make a well educated decision.

Torry Manzo
Renaissance Kitchen and Home

Let me jump in here........
I say honed Carrera marble!

I got the impression that there was a concern about matainence and stainability.
Although Honed mable is a beautiful choice for a Victorian home remodel.

Granite, granite, granite! I've never understood why people buy the "fake" stuff when they can have real stone. I've had granite in every home I've lived in for the last 20+ years, and never had a problem with nicks, chips, stains, anything. (I don't set hot pots directly on it, however). My thought is that when I come downstairs in the morning, I want something that instantly inspires happiness -- and all the different granites I've chosen do that -- Uba Tuba, Juperana Dorado, another Juperana, and now Emerald Pearl. There are swirls and patterns and shiny gold bits and garnets... Just gorgeous. I know you say you're not looking for lots of pattern, but there is granite without all the fun bits I love. Since you want a matte finish, how about honed? Or the leathered look?

Just go to a huge stone yard and walk around. Take a wet cloth or sponge and clean the dust off the slabs and see what strikes your fancy. Wake up happy every day!

I just bought my first home a couple of months ago and the kitchen has silestone countertops and I LOVE them! They are extremely easy to clean, you just wipe it down with a damp sponge. Mine also don't show much dirt, etc. I think silestone is also considered green and nonporous, which is a big plus IMO.

You may have already made your decision, but we've been going through the same struggle as we try to decide on countertops for new construction. After doing a lot of research and browsing web sites and dealers, we've pretty much decided on quartz - either Silestone or Caesarstone. We like its ease of maintenance and its look.

I found this tool helpful in my search, so thought I'd pass it along!

Countertop Comparison Chart

Oops, guess html won't work! Here's the link for the Countertop Comparison Chart:
http://www.countertopreview.com/consumer-toolbox/countertop-comparison-chart/

A blog I wrote has a link for a comparison chart too https://designsbybsb.com/2009/01/on-the-surface-counter-tops/

BeckySue, I cannot see the chart, but would dearly love to!

last sentence of the blog gives a link 2012 updated file...

Yes, I clicked on it, but it's not working for me. Takes me to an inactive Cloud app.

We went with Caesar Stone (Quartz) and I love it.

my apologies - here is a live link http://www.atlantahomeimprovement.com/home-improvement-articles/home-renovation/choosing-the-right-counter-surfaces-for-your-home.html

Thank you!

I thought I'd put in a word for soapstone since that is an additional surface others have suggested you might consider and would go well with the period and style of the house. As long as you don't mind the limited color palette, soapstone is a great surface for countertops especially if you like a matte finish. That is the main reason we chose it over granite (in a classic white kitchen for a house built in the 1920's), and two years after the installation we are still extremely pleased with its beautiful, subtle finish and durability.

I find it amazing that anyone has had a negative experience with Silestone. I love it and don't have anything to complain about.

My favorite part is that I don't have to seal it. I'm terrible when it comes to doing chores that only have to be done once a year or so.

This site does a pretty good job of comparing the two countertops.

http://quartzkitchencountertops.org/silestone-vs-granite-countertops/

Siltstone is so much less time consuming to maintain than granite.
Here in fl it is also more costly. I recommend it to my clients who want consistency & ease .

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Both are solid choices, granite prices are more affordable than ever. You might think of getting the granite honed. Granite still has the edge in terms of resale.

http://www.granitevsquartz.com

Silestone, it's a no brainier. Wish I'd put it in my bathrooms, like I did in the kitchen. Granite requires too much work. Luv, luv my Silestone!

Granite is so tired. When you start seeing yards all over and near every highway... You know it's time to change. Resale? One person's most beautiful granite is repulsive to the next buyer. The colors and texture of Silestone and ease of care and durability make it the best choice by far. Au currant.

I definitely liked this site. Maybe you would like to pass by on my post. Keep on going!

I thought Silestone was the answer, since I really didn't like my granite counters, but on another site there were nothing but complaints. People recounting horrible experiences with Silestone's awful warranty, saying the company refuses to fix cracks and accuses people of standing on top of their counters (does anyone really stand on their counters?!). Any comments or experience with Silestone management?

i just don't get these comments about granite maintenance. I have had the same black granite on my island for almost 18 years. The island contains the cooktop. I am a big cook and use the area to the right of the cooktop for everything. Granted I don't cut on the granite, but that is to save my knives, not the granite. The granite gets grease splatters, sauce splatters, stuff from boil overs, and I'm bad about cleaning messes up right away. This granite looks just as good as the day we bought the house in 1998. All that said, I have never put a sealer on it although I assume the builder did. The only maintenance I have done other than cleaning with soap and water is to wipe it down with a stone cleaner once every year or so.

We put in Silestone in our kitchen 2 1/2 years ago. Had we been told that you could not repair it if it was chipped on the edge I would never have bought it. I don't know why it is so popular as it never ever looks as clean and beautiful as a great piece of granite. We now have a large chip out on the edge on our kitchen and have been told there is no way they can repair it with the same color and better to just leave it as it is. Such a disappointment. Don't bother, please. And it is next to impossible to get the slab of backsplash to ever look halfway clean - lots and lots of work. I would never buy it again.

Love my Silestone. Have had it for about 8 years and no complaints at all!

We've had our Silestone in our kitchen for 9 years and it is like new. Very low maintanence - like, nothing! Everyone thinks it is granite. It is not a repeated pattern at all. It is also renewable. In 20 or so, people will not believe we ripped so much granite out of the earth just to make our kitchens and baths look good. Kind of like killing off species of birds so we can wear their feathers.

I'm going to say go with a natural stone. Granite is preferred. Soapstone is beautiful, but softer and prone to staining. I do NOT recommend carrera marble - red wine and tomato sauce stain it.

Nothing FEELS like stone. Silestone has a plastic feel. I've had corian vanities and sinks too. Our corian bath sink has fissure cracks around the drain that are visible in certain light/when wet. The vanity top and lav sink combo cost $600 (not including the vanity!) and had the cracks at about 7 yrs after install. Never again!!

I went back and forth between granite and Quartz. Finally decided on a black granite on perimeter counters and Quartz that looked like marble on the island. I just had to have chips repaired at the sink of the granite. Repair took 30 minutes and was done with any epoxy and sanded. Can't even tell it was chipped. Repair guy told me granite being chipped by pots and pans around an undermounted sink is pretty common--that it is one of the drawbacks of undermounted sinks with any counter. However, he said at least the granite can be repaired. He said that if the Quartz ever gets chipped, it cannot be repaired.

My house was built in 1887. I designed the cabinets to echo the external gingerbread and used Silestone in Amarillo Palmyra with a full matching backsplash using 12 matching tile. It is stunning