According to Boston area realtors (and a quick perusal of this week's ads), potential condo buyers are very interested in your countertops and cabinets. Not so much what's on them (or in them), but what they're made of. And, of course, how they look.

In a highly competitive condo market, kitchen appliances, fixtures, cabinets and countertops can add or subtract thousands of dollars from a unit's value, or make the difference between getting an offer or not. "The kitchen is the first thing people look at," notes Dara Fruchter of Boston Stone Designs.

Thinking of granite or marble - how about silestone?

If you're thinking of redoing your entire kitchen or just your countertops, there's a new choice besides marble or granite - it's called silestone (pronounced SYLE-stone). Popular in Europe for the last 30 years, this sturdy, nonporous, manmade stone is just starting to make inroads here in the U.S.

Silestone is made up of 90% quartz, 7% color, glass, mica and other design pigments. Silestone has a couple of advantages over marble or granite. It doesn't absorb liquid, oil or color, so maintenance is easy. Because of the quartz content, silestone is more durable than either marble or granite. You can cut on it - it won't scratch. You can put hot plates directly on it - it won't burn. You can make it look like granite or you get it in primary colors.

In fact, silestone comes in a variety of interesting colors and patterns that you can look at here.

Silestone in the bathroom as well

Some people also use silestone in the bathroom as well. One advantage there is that silestone, due to its nonporous nature, doesn't harbor bacteria the way other materials can.

What does it cost?

Pricing of silestone is similar to granite, less than marble. When asking for an estimate, make sure what you're being quoted is the installed price. Installation should include templating, cutting, and polishing the stone, as well as installing and mounting the sink to the stone.

If you're doing the countertops, it makes sense to do the sink and faucet at the same time. And, if you were planning to anyway, the oven and dishwasher (this can get expensive, obviously).

If you're interested in learning more about silestone, check out the web site of Boston Stone Designs (www.bostonstonedesigns.com). Run by the husband and wife team of Fred Cherry and Dara Fruchter, Boston Stone Designs delivers custom counters and kitchens. They've done work all over New England and, being a smaller operation, offer lots of personal attention and can do estimates by fax or e-mail at no charge.