Silestone vs. Granite

The battle is on. Many families are taking a close look at the disparities between installing a granite countertop vs. installing a silestone countertop. Their brilliant finish and longevity has folks ripping out there old laminate and running to stone. Granite and silestone have many similarities, but which surface is better? By looking at three categories; price, durability, and appearance you will soon have a better idea on which stone is right for you!

First lets take a look at the price factor. While variables include everything from the type of finish you get to the type of color you choose, one is cheaper than the other. On the whole, silestone is the cheaper choice. One of the main reasons for this is because there are more color choices with granite. Just ten years ago, silestone only had twelve different color choices. Today there are over 50 colors you can choose from.

When it comes to cleaning, silestone is the easier of the two to maintain. Because it is non-porous, Silestone does not need to be sealed. Granite, marble and limestone, on the other hand, must be sealed on installation and resealed regularly to prevent staining. Silestone is a maintenance-free star compared to solid surfaces that may require rigorous maintenance to clean up tough stains, scratches and scorch marks. You can use household cleaners like Formula 409 to clean both surfaces

Also keep in mind that silestone is tougher surface than granite. Silestone contains Quartz, which is behind only diamonds, sapphire, and topaz in hardness. This means that very little will scratch your surface. However, it is not out of the ordinary for a hot pot or pan to crack the surface of your silestone due to thermal heat. Granite has a much higher tolerance to heat, and will not crack as easily.

Overall, granite and silestone both have their strengths and weaknesses. At the end of the day it really all depends on what you are looking for. If you are willing to sacrifice a little higher price to have a greater color selection then you will want to go with granite. If money is an issue and youre more concerned with maintaining a clean kitchen, then you are more of a silestone person.

Need help paying for your Silestone countertop? Get help at http://www.mydreamhomeregistry.com

Brick Veneer Falling Off Building
Brown 2 X 2 Stair Handrail

Garage Storage Solutions And Ideas

Many people are notorious for having very cluttered garages. Trying to organize a garage can be time consuming and an all day project. The best way to begin the organization of your garage is by cleaning it out. Most of the time a lot of the clutter that is found in the garage is unwanted items. Once you know what you want to keep it is easier to organize.

The goal is to have everything you need in the garage and to also have your car in there too!

There are many different ways to start. Lets begin with gardening tools, let us assume that you do not have a shed in the backyard and you are storing these items in the corner of the garage. They probably fall all the time and sooner or later you get tired of picking them up so you leave them there and the mess accumulates from there.

What works well in this case are J hooks. You can install them into the wall and hang the rakes, brooms, shovels and hoes on the wall. The J hooks are also great for mops and brooms too.

For smaller items such as gardening gloves and small shovels, you can hang small plastic or wire baskets.

The next area of storage is the tool bench. Most likely, unless you are a neatnik will have tools, screws, nails and hardware everywhere. Lets sort it out, for this we are going to suggest the good old fashioned baby food jars or if you dont have a baby, you can use regular jars. Pick all your things up, sort it out and store in the jars.

As for your tools, you can place your tools in a tool box or if you really are into space saving then you can buy a peg board. This is a board with holes in it and you take brass or steel pegs and place them on the board and you hang the tools on the board. You can hang the board right over your workbench, this saves heaps of space and is very convenient.

Wall space savers are very popular in the garage. For ladders you can purchase 8 inch Loop Hooks. There are so many different uses for these hooks, the save so much space. Cleaners and carwashes fit perfect into these organizers. Other big items such as rags or paintbrushes can go into storage containers like those from Rubber Maid.

If you store your bikes in the garage, install bicycle hooks so you can put your bikes on the walls of the garage, these hooks are also great for garden hoses, lawn sprinklers and any summer items you want to store in the winter. Once you have a nice clean organized garage, you will be able to park your car where it was intended to be parked.

Now that your garage is sorted start from the floor up inside with these fabulous area rug ideas.

Stair Tread Lines For The Blind
Plant Growing From Stairs