Is quartzite a porous material??

Haha, I think depending on what you are naturally like and how close of friends they are, you may just be able to get away with it.

My sister could - cause that's who she is. And we would all roll our eyes, be amused, laugh, and then have a great time because she has a big heart.

Seriously though, I had a hole burned in my linolium in the kitchen of my last house by a friend. I've had friends spill coffee on the carpet and use a dry towel to dab away the wetness and call it good without mentioning it. I've had friends stomp out boots and drop sopping wet snow-covered coats on my hardwood floor and leave them. It's just a fact of life - even people who love you dearly won't take as good of care of stuff as you do.

How about heavy duty plastic tablecloths? I know pple who use disposable plastic tableclothes on the counters when they are cooking up a storm, it makes clean up a lot easier.

Well, there was a woman on this forum a while ago who had a gorgeous kitchen that was featured in a magazine but she had blue azul bahia granite which is very prone to etching and staining. She would cover her counters with plastic wrap every time she cooked.

Personally, I think a kitchen is a place to work, not a museum. I'm not personally familiar with the properties of quartzite but hopefully you had it sealed so it will be stain resistant. Provide your guests with cutting boards so they don't cut right on the counter and you should be fine. The only thing I do when I have a party is roll up my good Oriental rugs so people don't spill red wine on them.

You could set up individual stations with large bamboo chopping boards, so they stay organized and do most of the work on the boards instead of your counter top. Have utensils, food items to work with and a glass of red wine set on each board. You could even go so far as to assign certain tasks and stations with fancy name cards. Guests won't even know you are doing this to protect your counters, they will appreciate all the work you put into it. I entertain a lot and people really do follow whatever guides you give them.

Your party sounds like fun.

In addition to lots of cutting boards, I would use stemless wine glasses. We spill much less wine since switching to stemless glasses!

Just don't get glass cutting boards, because I hear those will ruin your knives!

"Just don't get glass cutting boards, because I hear those will ruin your knives!"

yikes...that's what i have - I think it's more sanitary.

you could have plexiglass cut to cover your counters...

my sister covers her furniture with sheets after she dusts. she does that when she will be having company staying with her... that way as she goes room to room the prev one doesn't start collecting dust again. the day someone is to arrive she whips off the sheets and has a clean house!
Actually I think she takes them off carefully, rolls them up and puts in the washer...
she has used sheets of plastic before also.

and maybe put lots of cork coasters out on the counter for people to set their wine glasses on too. sounds like fun!

For a couple of birthday parties for my kids when they were 3 or 4, I wrapped Saran Wrap around the cream colored upholstered seats of our dining room chairs. The other parents all thought it was a great idea, and at the end of the parties I was glad I had done it!

One other thing - just serve white wine, not red. I used to do that but then people started bringing red wine themselves - that's when I started rolling up the rugs!!

Is your quartzite delicate?

Our quartzite has been in several months now and seems impervious to anything so far. No etching or scratching despite a variety of red wine, berry and lemon juice left on it.

LOL! Thanks for all of your ideas! So far so good with the quartzite... our fabricator told us that it is really hardy, but I just don't trust anyone, I think. Ha! It's still new, and of course, I am just extremely paranoid.

We entertain often in our kitchen and I am not interested in keeping a museum... it's just always tough when your new stuff gets its first ding, scratch, or whatnot. :)

I really like the idea of setting up cutting board stations... that is not a bad idea at all... and yes, I will have plenty of coasters around.

Thanks for all of the useful ideas! :)

I'm so glad you didn't get marble! ;-)

Set a tray with the red wine bottle on it as it may get a ring around the bottom of it from pouring, this way the tray will catch it. I would assess the damage your ingredients could do and use the appropriate protection like a place mat under the work area. oils, vinegar, soy sauce, lemon jc could stain or etch. I bet the party turns out a success. Keep us posted!

My friend has a great way of kashering her counters for Passover: She has Formica cut to fit. It lives with the other Passover supplies, wrapped up in the garage. She just gives her counters a good clean and slaps them on. They're thin, impervious, and easily replaced.

Sounds like that's what you need!

Wet a tea towel then ring it out...place under your cutting board. This will keep the board from moving while in use!
Good luck!

I know exactly what you mean. I have maple butcher block countertops with black cherry edging. I held an open house around Christmas and really worried about the same sort of thing, especially as I had just finished the kitchen and the party was really to show it off! However, guests would not be cooking. I had soups keeping hot on the induction stove. I put huge wooden boards with cheese and crackers on the countertops. I put the wine and other drinks in the dining room, which didn't stop them drinking in the kitchen. I "policed" the area frequently, mostly to dry any spilled liquids if necessary. After they all left, I loaded the dishwasher, piled what was left into the sink, and put everything else away. Then, I oiled the countertops with mineral oil. Next day, the countertops were as good as new, except for a few tiny splatters where some black olives had dropped, but these have since faded into the wood. As you say, it's a working kitchen, not a museum. It's still "my baby", and I'm proudly looking after it, but it passed the test :)

good day! I am trying to find out where you found that gorgeous slab of blue illusion quartzite? it is absolutely stunning, cant find anything like that around here (Ohio) Please help! thanks Jen 440-796-8301

When our kitchen renovation was complete, I told our contractor how perfectly beautiful it was. He told me that right now it looks perfect, but as it gets used, there will be marks, scratches, etc. And I should look at those as signs that it is a kitchen well-used and enjoyed. He was right, and I think of his words often.

Make sure it's sealed and go with it. Sounds like you should of had stainless steel tops instead.