First shopping for counter tops 4003

I'm so interested in hearing "regrets" re the product/kitchen counter tops; thanks for all the postings. From what I gather, Silestone and Zodiaq are basically the same product.

I'm a bit adverse to using Windex or other cleaners on any counter top or any clean-up. I always use natural cleaners such as vinegar, soda, soap, this sort of thing; I don't want to get into a discussion of my idiosyncrasies.

When I bought the new/used smoothtop, the lady suggested that she enclose a bottle of the smooth-top cleaner, but I wouldn't have used it. But it did make me wonder if grease is spilled on top of the area of the smooth-top burners, wouldn't that likely cause a fire just as any other fire. I'm not suggesting that a cleaner might cause a fire, though.

Thanks for the quartz/diamond explanation. I can envision all those quartz chips in a chipping machine. Then binding together the way the do housing materials nowadays. It must take years to out-gas all these glues. (My opinion only!)

On a kitchen re-do show I had recorded and was watching last night (Alton Brown, I believe), they were showing the big slabs of marble in Vermont and how they cut them into slabs, so interesting! I believe they were using some kind of filler or coating on the marble, too. This is exactly what I don't want. What to do! What to do!

DH said this is our plan: Do the countertops (and floors) and vent hood first. If I want a stove, then we will deal with it later. But his advice is to not put off doing the countertops, floors and vent hood just because I can't decide on a stove. I still have trepidation about ruining the countertops, backsplash/tiles by installing another slide in after the new countertops are installed. But, who knows, by the time I decide on all these other things, I will have chosen a slide-in. He says, "don't worry about it." Dee Dee