My guest bathroom has Onyx counter/sink and I love it...in fact, if we build again, all bathrooms will have it. They are so easy to keep clean and I have had no problem with any scratches, cracks, or stains. I had cultured marble before and I hated it.

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?

We've used both. I much prefer the onyx collection over the cultured marble. The onyx cleans up so nice and looks nice, even when it's dirty. I used a color called cappuchino and another called winter (I think). I will not go with cultured marble again. It shows the water spots much more and the swirls make it look dated (IMHO).

I would suggest you compare prices carefully. Every cultured marble vendor we saw in 2003 also offered cultured granite, which we had installed in both bathrooms in a beige stone-look. It was far cheaper than Swanstone (our first choice) and the installers did a great job.

Not a single person, including four different contractors, was able to recognize what it was. They all thought it was Corian. It is very slightly shinier than Corian or Swanstone. Same easy cleanup and maintenance. We're extremely satisfied with the cultured granite product for both shower surrounds, showerpan, and custom double vanity sinks.