Do you have a sample of the Silestone Lagoon to look at with your tile. I think you are right that it might look slightly off but it's hard to know with out seeing it in person. I also think it might be difficult to find a solid white countertop that will play well with both the white in the tile and your white countertops. Maybe you should concierge a light to medium tone gray countertop. It will provide a little contrast and keep your room from looking too white (unless that is the look you want). I think it would look better not to have too much movement in the countertop since the porcelain carrara tile has lots of movement. I posted a picture earlier in this thread showing the Carrara look alike tile my daughter used in her bathroom. She opted for light gray cabinets and initially wanted a white countertop. She shopped remnants for her countertop and was not able to find something that didn't "look slightly off". She ended up using a black quartz that had some lighter speckles in it. She thought it looked better than a solid color. Perhaps you could find a grey with some flecks of dark grey, black or white in it. I've posted many pics of my daughter's bathroom on this forum but here's a few shots for you so you can see how contrasting colors work Since you probably don't want to go with black, maybe something like Silestones Ocean Jasper Or Moonstone Would work for you. If your not limited to Silestone Cambria has some options that might work too. Snowdown White Greystone Good look with your search for the right countertop.

The cure-all fix for an oily stain is an acetone poultice. It is not difficult to do, but the longer a stain sets, the harder it gets to remove it. First thing you have to do is to remove the cause of the stain. No oily substance should remain close to the tile even. Once all the goop has been removed, do the following: Take some white paper towel (not printed - the ink might transfer) and soak it with acetone. Cover the stain with the paper towels. If you have a hole in the tile, stuff a wad of the acetone soaked paper towel in there too. Cover all the paper towel with some Saran wrap and tape down the edges with some blue painter's tape. This is to prevent the acetone from evaporating before it finished working. Leave the poultice overnight and remove the Saran wrap in the morning. Leave the paper towels to dry by themselves and then remove them. The stain should be lighter (if not gone) If you still have a stain, re-do the poultice. Depending on how long the stain has set, you might need to repeat the poultice thing a few times before the stain will go away completely. Reseal the tiles where you applied acetone - and DON"T let the plumber put oily stuff in there again! Hope that helped!

any porous marble or for that matter any porous stone can stain given the right circumstances and staining agent. Even in this case sweetbabyjames wiped up the butter immediatley but it may have been soft butter and the wiping may have pushed some grease into the stone.It is possible that the stain may just disappear over a few days. Washing with a alkaline cleaner may help to breakdown the grease as well. Try just putting flour or powder over the stain until you have the proper ingredients to poultice. Always do the water test to check porosity of stone and see just how porous it is. Then make sure it is sealed. You will be surprised that there are quite a few stones that will exhibit minimal porosity. Polished stones and many light travertines will have minimal porosity if any. Also always remember if you do get a stain in most cases it can be removed. As far as using comet or bon ami to remove an etch yes it may work under the right circumstances. First there are different levels of etching. If the etch is light enough (it will feel smooth to the fingertip)then yes on a honed surface using an abrasive cleaner and scrub pad may work. But you have to be able to blend the repair into the rest of the countertop. If your surface is a high hone the abrasive cleaner will remove that etch but then you have to match the finish of the rest of the surface or rehone the whole piece or pieces. Other etch marks that feel rough to the touch may require more agressive abrasives to remove them. It would only make matters worse on a polished marble because once you remove the etch you now have a dull spot that still needs to be polished.There are products you can purchase that will remove etches and repolish the stone. They have their limitations as well but perform well on minor etching over small areas. Improvements in durability over different stones? There is a difference in hardness in danby and statuary and there may be a difference in how they perform. I think it has more to do with the actual grade or quality of the stone itself. I also think the most important aspect of the whole stone experience is working with fabricators and installers that clarify and explain the pros,cons and complexities of the surfaces that you are purchasing or exploring. Besides that the client should be educated on the proper maintenance,ongoing care and refinishing in the future. Stu Rosen www.mbstonecare.com www.stoneshine.com

cece- I am not a big fan of marble floors in bathrooms, and prefer porcelain for practicality of cleaning and for durability. I also have had a bathroom with 2" tiles and came to hate all maintenance with the grout lines and the staining, which is why we just retiled with 2'X2' tiles. Sometimes people subconsciously get convinced they want something partly because it seems just out of reach financially; it may not be true for you, but it has been for me at times. However, I've also learned after many decades of remodeling, that there are plenty of good, affordable choices out there and that I don't need a $400 towel hook to make me happy. So, I am encouraging you to let go of the thought that nothing you've seen "seems nearly as pretty" as the marble you're concerned about splurging on. There are less costly choices in porcelain that may serve you better, and you might be surprised at what you can find if you give yourself the freedom to reconsider.