If you're ove age 20, you'd have a hard time going through life without having seen cultured marble... What were the vanity tops like in your parent's house? Your first apartment? Cultured marble is a solid surface made of some sort of plastic and the sink is generally molded in. Often there's a veiny pattern that can be subtle and faint or not so subtle and 'make-you-faint' ;-) Cultured granite seems to be somewhat newer. Like cultured marble, cultured granite is also some type of solid plastic substance, but with a speckled appearance rather than veiny. Cultured onyx is the same type of plastic in a more transluscent format, and often with some pretty 'bold' colors.

Here's a picture of a pretty typical one:

Home Depot or Lowes will always have several in stock, and as a rule, they're the least expensive option. They wear pretty well and some can be nice-looking.

Cultured granite is just like cultured marble but looks more like granite rather than what your parents probably had. It's like a plaster & plastic compound. Go to the Lamtech webite, that is the brand Home Depot carries.
I put it in my bathroom got the Wheat granite one with a white sink. It looks great. Very modern looking.

>>plaster & plastic compoundUmmmm.....not quite.

Cultured granite is a colored resin with a heavy particulate mix that makes it look very similar to Corian or Swanstone solid surface for a "granite-look" appearance. Because of the clear gelcoat it is non-porous and as easy to clean, but softer than true solid surface. The granite-like mix helps hides the inevitable fine scratches that happen over time.

Different vendors will have different colors available. We were going to do Swanstone - love the stuff, extremely durable - but needed a particular showerpan size that a local cultured marble/granite vendor could do, whereas neither Swanstone Corp nor Dupont could. Since we were getting the double vanity sinks to match the shower, we thus used cultured granite for all of it. As the CG product included installation, we probably saved about 30% over a solid surface install. We aren't DIYers so it was an easy decision to go with the CG product.

Have had it since 2003 and are extremely happy with it. Everybody thinks it's Corian, although I find it easy to tell the difference as CG is glossier; solid surface is a true matte surface.

Thank you for everyones feedback. I believe I will make a appointment with a local dealer and see what I can find affordable in my area.