LESLIE: Rich in D.C. is up next and you’re thinking about a granite countertop. Tell us about it.
RICH: Well, I really just wanted to get some … get some information between granite or this new stuff called Silestone.
LESLIE: Well, the Silestone, it’s a hard surface solution. So what it is, it’s a quartz product that they manufacture to have a whole bunch of benefits. When they’re making this countertop, they make it so that it has a mildicide built in. So you’re not going to get any bacteria or mildew or mold growth on your countertops. You still need to clean them, but there’s not going to be a hazardous growth of something that’s dangerous to your family on there.
TOM: Which is the downsize of granite. If you put in raw granite, it’s very difficult to keep it clean and you could get …
LESLIE: And you have to use special cleansers.
TOM: Yeah, exactly. And you can get mold and you can get bacteria that grows in it if it’s not, you know, constantly maintained properly. So you know, the new quartz products like Silestone or some of the others basically have done that work for you.
LESLIE: And the interesting thing about Silestone also is that they’re scorch resistant, they’re stain resistant, they’re not going to fade, they’ll maintain that same look over time. But it’s not granite. It’s up to you, you know, really, what the choice is. If you like the look of granite, you’re not going to get that from a Silestone. They’re going to look very different. But Silestone is gorgeous and there are so many choices. I think they have like 100 different color choices. So it’s really up to you. And I think the costs are about the same.
RICH: Now, as far as installation – the Silestone, is that something you can install yourself or is that …?
LESLIE: Absolutely not.
TOM: Yeah, absolutely not. That is definitely not something you want to install yourself (inaudible) tricky stuff.
LESLIE: Because they’re in slabs the same way that granite is.
TOM: Yep.
LESLIE: So it needs to be cut specifically for the exact measurements of your home. So all of those things need to be laid out and measured properly. Plus then, the drilling of it. I’ve actually seen this be installed and when you drill out the holes for your sink or for your faucets, I mean it’s a messy thing and they’re not going to just sell it to you; you have to have it installed.
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