Does silestone or quartz absorb water or other liquids?

No ! Silestone and other quartz worktops are NON porous materials, designed specifically for use as kitchen worktops and as such have been manufactured to remain as clean as possible. Porous materials such as Granite have been widely used in kitchens for many years and one of the biggest drawbacks has always been the porosity of the them (lack of hygiene and of course staining ) have been an issue for many people who have purchased them with the promise that they are indeed suitable for worktop use . Another key advantage to using quartz based man-made materials is that they are many times stronger than Granite so are able to cope with pretty much any design demands the customer asks for and are far less liable to scratching .