Matt/honed/leathered finish worktops

[bakedbeansfortea]

Investigating worktops for our new kitchen. Looking for a light grey colour. Love all the pics of concrete but having read up on maintenance, know that it's not the surface for us.

I've been researching caesarstone and silestone in the matt finishes ... concrete finish in caesarstone and in silestone either the suede or volcano. Like the texture and look, but seems like the maintenance to keep mark free (not staining but spills, fingermarks etc) seem to be a known issue. Would be really interested in any recent experience with light grey/white in either of these.

I currently have black shiny worktop which shows every spill, ringmark and cloth wipe. Can't decide if will be worse than that.

I’ve got leathered ones for my new kitchen which will be installed in a few months! Saw them at a friend’s house and loved them. She reckons they’re the easiest and lowest maintenance ones she’s ever had. I’ve heard honed is a nightmare though.

Thanks Linguaphile - does your friend have leathered silestone?

My DM has a black tumbled granite worktop. Looks lovely and is easy to maintain. We've gone for the standard silestone though - in a light colour you don't see the streaks and it is the sturdiest.

iseethelight - by standard silestone, do you mean the normal shiny one (don't know what they call it!)

technistone do a concrete one also

www.technistone.com/en/color

Oops sorry, now that I'm looking I think it's actually flamed that both she and I have. Flamed black granite. It's a bit less leather-like than leathered, if that makes sense. Supposedly once you seal it, it's pretty bulletproof. She says it's fine for rolling out cookies and pizza dough and I also gave a go writing on it and didn't have a problem. Looks like the pics.