Marble, if sealed properly, will not stain. It will etch though, regardless of sealing. Anything acidic will etch. Honed marble shows etching less than polished because of the difference in surface reflectivity with honed. You do have to be careful about the types of cleaning products you use, but that seems like a minor issue to me. I like granite. There are a couple that I really love even. But I cannot picture them in my bathroom or even in my kitchen for that matter. My kitchen will be Carrara, and I'm considering a few different marbles and limestones for my new master bath. I should have pricing on the ones I like back from my fabricator on Monday to help make my decision. If you know going into marble that there will be some etching and some changes in cleaning products AND you can't find a granite that makes your heart sing, then go for the marble you love. Don't look back.

You can get off the shelf granite from china pretty cheap nowadays. A custom top from a granite shop, even out of a remnant (unless you have someplace that gives remnants away - places around here don't and charge about 50-75% of the original price for a remnant fabricated), will be significantly more expensive. On the other hand swanstone (plastic) and corian (also plastic) will be less expensive than prefabricated off the shelf granite countertops.

Interesting, I too am considering one of these cultured marble or onyx vanity tops. But they puzzle me. At my work they redid the ladies rooms a few years ago. One got laminate, others what I believe is cultured granite. I thought it was some sort of shiny corian (or similar) at first, then came across a display in Home Depot made by US Marble that looks identical. The reason I'm considering it is how well it's held up with dozens of people using it every day. It really does look nice. The laminate top on the other hand is totally de-laminating. (Not that I was considering that...just saying) I'm puzzled because it appears to be a plastic impregnated with marble dust and the underside is unfinished. In my old MBR we have what I always called a "cultured marble" vanity/sink top. Mine is almost like china. Like a bathtub. Only beige swirled white 'marble'. It's glazed on both sides. If you open the cabinet you see a smooth porcelain-like sink bottom. Not so with these other cultured marble sinks at work and in HD? They look like foam blown into a mold underneath. Or resin. Have they changed how cultured marble is made over the years? Was it different decades ago? The 2 materials seem totally different. Or did they make total china vanity tops with integrated sinks years ago? Also, my home counter is very cold to the touch. The work/HD counters are warm, like plastic. Any thoughts?

I actually own both of these stones...I have honed Carrara in my kitchen and butler's pantry, polished Carrara in my master bath and Kashmir white on my dd's vanity and the guest room's bath vanity. First of all...in the two years we have lived here (new build also) none has stained. Not even iced tea, tomato sauce or red wine on my marble. Very slight etching on both types of marble, and no etching on the granite. I will tell you, though, that aesthetically...the Kashmir DOES NOT in any way, shape or form look anything like marble. The stone yard told me it would be a good, durable stone for my elementary age dd and it was the closest granite to marble. No, it isn't. I really wish I had just been brave and done the marble in those baths...it would have given them that "old house" look that I want. Oh well! Don't know anything about quartz, except that I have 1 neighbor that has it. It seems serviceable, but again, doesn't look like marble. Not sure her color, though, it is whitish.