infiniteMPG wrote:
We're pretty winding down on our new cabinets and we're seriously
seeking our best countertop choices (no, plywood is the temporary
choice until the real stuff arrives). We've heard stories of heat
affecting Corian and LG and things like if you cut on the countertop
itself it will scor or mark like a plastic cutting board. We've also
heard stories of everything from emisions of radon gas from granite
and the need to seal and care for the surface. We have seen granite
at places like Lowe's that is supposedly sealed for 15 years now,
too. We've heard good and bad about Silestone but then today someone
said it's just Home Depot's branding of granite.

I would like to say that Silestone is a brand that Home Depot carries,
but it is not a re-branded version of granite. Silestone has advantages
that granite does not have, such as not needing sealing and not subject
to staining due to red wine for instance. Silestone falls into a
category classified as manufactured stone if I am not mistaken. There
are several brands in addition to it, such as Zodiaq that have similar
characteristics.

I have no interest in Silestone except that I had a countertop
installed in April using it. It turned out very well and I am quite
pleased. In my case I installed an under mounted stainless steel sink
and your contention that there is a joint is correct. The joint is
caulked with a caulk that harder than latex so it is quite durable. The
alternative like you say is to have a seamless basin, and I think your
countertop choices would be very limited as well as being a major
expense should it become damaged. Just my two cents.

What I would suggest is that you search the Internet and read up on all
your choices and their cost. The countertop is not cheap and you do not
want to make a mistake on something you are likely to have for a long
time. Below are a couple of sites, you will find many more.


http://www.howtodothings.com/real-es...ountertop.html
http://www.countertopcompany.com/products.htm

P.S. I chose what I thought would require no further effort for MANY
years as I do not want to mess with it again. If you do not feel this
way, there are other choices that are less expensive.


We'd like to get to the truth of the matter but I'd rather throw it
out to the knowledgable public (i.e. alt.home.repair) then from some
vendor or distributor. What's the truth about these materials????

Also, we like the molded in sinks that come with Corian and LG but
heard that if they get damaged from dropping something in them, then
you have to replace the whole counter top and can't just replace the
sink. We don't really like the stainless sinks sitting under a
granite countertop as there is a slight mating 'crap trap' between the
sink and the countertop and although we know this is sealed, there is
still the mating recess between them. Doesn't seem to be something
I'd want.

So what's the truth?????????

Thanks in advance for any and all help!