Quartz that Looks Like Marble – My Review of Silestone’s Eternal Statuario

Dreaming of white marble countertops, but need something more practical and indestructible? Well,  you are going to want to stick around for today’s post, because I’m sharing my honest review of Silestone quartz. Not only are you going to get the full scoop on my “Eternal Statuario” countertops, but I am also going to disclose a little hack on how to get quartz on the cheap (well…cheap might not be the proper adjective, but I will share how I got mine at a discounted rate.)

I am crying tears of joy, my friends…..

No, I didn’t win the lottery or establish world peace, but I did finally get the countertops of my dreams.

Yep….I am the freak that salivates  over visions of white marble countertops. Diamonds? Forget ’em. Marble? Now that’s the stuff dreams are made of.

The sobering reality, however,  is that marble is extremely high maintenance and fragile. There is simply no way this wino could live in fear of red wine spills- after all, cumulatively,  I probably spill an entire bottle of wine a freakin’ week. No joke! I am accident prone, ya’ll.

So essentially, I wanted something that looked as beautiful and bright as white marble, but I needed something that could withstand the abuse of my sloppy, wino ways . After extensive research,  I came to conclude that quartz was the best way to go: highly durable, more cost-effective than marble , yet still beautiful.

And so….I began forgoing Botox sessions, retail therapy and pedicures- all so I could save for the countertops of my dreams.

Why I chose Silestone’s Eternal Statuario Quartz

I decided on Eternal Statuario by Silestone after a trip to my local Home Depot. You see….after visiting several local companies and comparing prices, I casually decided to check on Home Depot’s pricing one day and just so happened,  they were actually running a special on their quartz which included a free Silestone upgrade.

Money Saving Hack 1: For those of you unfamiliar with Home Depot’s countertop services, their quartz is priced by tiers (“A” being the cheapest, most basic and “E” being the most expensive, top tier). The Statuario quartz was in the “D” ranking which is pretty fancy stuff.  Typically,  “D” quartz costs about $90 to $100 a square foot , but I was able to get it for $65 a square foot with the promotion they were running. I had checked on pricing at a locally owned fabricator (who are typically known for their competitive pricing), and this particular quartz would have cost $90 per square foot. The Home Depot employee who assisted me also notified me that they would be running another special in a month which would take a total percentage off the entire purchase. We calculated the total cost both ways, and it was going to be more cost-effective for me to go with the “free upgrade” special which they were currently offering. At any rate, if you are in the market for quartz countertops, consider Home Depot- just be patient enough to wait for a promotion.  (Home Depot is not paying me to say this!!! I haven’t sold my soul to big business just yet. )

Here is a picture of my slab….

You can see that from afar, it almost looks pure white. For my specific needs,  this was actually a selling point for two reasons:

Reason 1: I wanted something to brighten my kitchen. I specifically went with Eternal Statuario because I was looking for quartz with a “white, white” base- something dramatically fresh,  white and reflective. I have LG’s Minuet quartz in my bathroom, which also looks like marble, but the base is more creamy,  off white. You don’t notice that Minuet is off white until you hold it next to a true white like Silestone’s Statuario (which I was able to do when comparing samples).  Don’t get me wrong…the Minuet is still beautiful, but not as white and modern/minimalistic as I was wanting for my kitchen. Out of all of the Quartz samples, the only options I noticed with a true white-white base were from Silestone’s new Eternal line: Statuario being one of them and Calcutta Gold being another- this actually leads me to my next point.

Reason 2: The veining in Statuario is less pronounced and therefore less busy than most of the other options. While Silestone’s Calcutta Gold was a stunner, the veining was more pronounced, and I was worried it was going to be too busy for me. Not to mention, the Calcutta Gold was the most expensive as it is a Class E.

Here is a picture of my slab up-close….

While the slab appears solid white from a distance, up close you can see the beautiful grey and , less predominant but still present,  goldish/brownish veining which mimics real marble.

I know the lighting is horrible in the photo below, but I had to underexpose the photo so that you can see the detail ….

Money Saving Hack 2:Another reason I insisted on a very simple, minimal quartz selection is because I decided to keep the original countertops on the perimeter of my kitchen. I wanted the material on my island to have deliberate contrast with the original material remaining on the perimeter and because the original Silestone has a lot going on (what looks like lots of tiny pebbles and rocks), I knew I needed the new stuff to be very simple.

So why did I decided to keep the original countertops on the perimeter, you ask? Well, they are Quartz Silestone too (just not really my style). Not only did I feel it wasteful to trash  perfectly decent Quartz, I was afraid tearing out the perimeter countertops would damage the tile backsplash we had installed when we first moved in to our little, fixer upper. The subway tile was actually one of the first changes we made in the kitchen, but I learned a very valuable lesson. Note to future self: If you think you may want to eventually change the  countertops , hault the backsplash installation until countertops are in place!! 

Then again, it is just another hack I implemented to save some dough, and I think it turned out fine! In modern kitchen design,  it is actually very common to use contrasting countertop materials. The most budget-friendly way to execute this design plan is by using a more hardworking/cheaper material on the perimeter of your kitchen (think: concrete, butcher block, soapstone, lower-end quartz) while using a more glamourous material on the kitchen.-a “feature material” if you will to take center stage.

Plus, I really didn’t hate the original countertops (they kind of look like a warmer concrete-type surface). I just wanted to inject a more glamorous, showcase material into the mix.  Ultimately,  I am happy with how the design risk paid off…quite literally!

Just to remind you of how far this kitchen has come, let me share a shot of it the day we moved in….

 My Kitchen Before:

It took three years to obtain the kind of countertops that make me go weak in the knees, but the wait was worth it!

Considering new countertops but don’t yet have the budget? Read how I painted my cultured marble bathroom countertops in this post. 

Now get out there and design some good vibes! Please also be sure to spread the love and Pin….

Welcome!

My journey in interior design and home improvement began with transforming my first fixer-upper home, all while managing a budget and raising two young boys. My work, a reflection of my passion for creating beautiful, uplifting spaces, has been recognized by top publications like Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, HGTV, and more. I invite you to explore my site and witness the transformation of my home and the vibes we've designed.Read more...