Soapstone and darker, less porous granites are raspberry juice proof. Lighter granites...see recent discussions. You may have to seal them. Ditto marble...maybe not even enough with sealing. Wood...not juice proof in my experience, and I have the red/pink strawberry stains on my butcherblock to prove it. Of course, they can be sanded out and regular oiling or otherwise treating the butcherblock will help.

I love my Typhoon Bordeaux granite. It hides the mess and so far bullet proof (almost 2 years and still doesn't need to be resealed). I've had dried on raspberries for days - no marks. For some large gatherings I wait until the next day to clean. Whatever is on the counter stays there until the next day. 15 Girl Scouts at 3 different cooking stations making meals - that's my kitchen. Many of the girls aren't allowed to use their own kitchen so they learn here. I have to run my hand over the granite to see if it's clean - it's so forgiving. Ha ha - I would love to have my kitchen clean within an hour but that almost never happens. My DH is the clean up crew after meals and sometimes it's not until the next morning. Yes, I think laminate is the most forgiving but most granites are not that far behind.

I've never had anything but laminate, but in our renovation we are going with black granite. It seems like nothing would show up on it, hopefully!

Regarding WOOD, I believe if the wood is waterloxed (instead of oiled) it does really well. A woman from Craft Art today told me that she has left spilled red wine on hers overnight... even if it dried on it and it wipes right off. She said if I choose to oil it would be an issue. She works for Craft-Art but maybe someone else could comment on their experience.
HTH

Quartz is that forgiving.

Melissastar- I like the idea of black granite (honed) or soapstone...but they're darker than I was planning to use. Of course, that's why they're great for stains! :)

Bostonpam- When you wrote..."Many of the girls aren't allowed to use their own kitchen so they learn here." That's one of the saddest thing I've ever read, on this forum. Good for you, though, to teach them at your house! And, thanks for the 'thumbs up' on the Typhoon Bordeaux.

Rocketmom- I've had mostly laminate, too. It is great for stains, but I'd like to have some wood and marble this time, too. Of course, I like unfitted kitchens, so I could have all three, if that works out best. LOL

Fishies- Good to know about the wood. I'm hesitant to use Waterlox, but the sanding and regular oiling, suggested by Melissastar might work well, too.

I think a lot of granites are fine, as long as they are sealed. Additionally, the ones that are polished seem to do better with stains. My MIL has a lighter colored granite, not white, that has done great over 10 years. She cooks alot with things that stain (wine, tomatoes, etc.) and she has no problem.

I used an Ikea oak counter for a while, just mineral oiled, and red wine came up without a mark after getting all old and crusty (oops.).

I didn't test raspberries on my marble but I tested other colorful fruits, juices, and jellies. Etching? Sure, but I couldn't find anything that would stain that marble.

Get a sample!

Lavender, I think you mentioned that your chosen Arborite was discontinued... have you checked out the blue Wilsonart offerings? Woolamai Brush, in particular, seems similar to what you were going for, if I remember correctly.

Here is a link that might be useful: Blue Wilsonart laminates

I have antique Vermont verde serpentine counters. It is like marble but it does not etch or stain. I have had them over a year and nothing hurts them. They will scratch so I am careful about pushing rough things across them.

This is what they look like.

Jet Mist granite can take it!

Wow! Thanks for all the responses :)

Sas- Quartz is another good possibility.

Senator- Good to know, but I was hoping to avoid anything too shiny. Very pretty, but also lots of glare.

Fori- That's great, because I would like to use a wood countertop somewhere, in the kitchen.

Dee- You're right! Thanks for the link. The Wilsonart is a little more gray, but very close to the Arborite.

Kalapointer- Your countertop is beautiful!

No problem with copper or stainless steel. :-)

My kitchen has the same kind of use as Bostonpam's but teen boys and some girls, DH and I rather than girls scouts. We do lots of berry and tomato stuff, but I can't say whether I've had raspberry juice sitting on my marble. I do know tomato sauce, chocolate, chili -- not stains. It will etch, but it isn't awful and you don't notice after you pass the brand new stage. My island top is Cambrian black brushed -- that's pretty bullet proof stuff. I wouldn't hesitate to use either again, except that I may never get another chance.

Dome granites and stones sold as granites need sealing and some don't. Assuming that the stone has been sealed if it needs it, it won't stain because it won't absorb liquid. True granite and most of the others sold as granite won't etch, but some have some calcium content and can etch (see the recent post about some white quartzite etching).

Our granite has been bullet proof. Lots of cooks in our kitchen and some aren't always careful. We have black berry bushes and lemon and lime trees, so our counters get exposed to plenty and we try to be tidy but aren't perfect. No sign of staining or wear. We haven't resealed since the counters went in 6 years ago. (An unsealed sample didn't stain when we tested it but our fabricator insisted on sealing anyway.)

Ours is a medium toned quartzite, but it has some pure white areas and those have been fine. You don't have to go to dark stone to avoid staining.

We grow raspberries (and black raspberries, and blackberries, and gooseberries). I make raspberry pies and we are always processing raspberries for the freezer, by heating them in the microwave and then pushing then through a cone sieve. We get the juice all over the counters as a matter of course. It has not stained. At all.

Danbury Eureka Marble.

I have typhoon bordeaux, aka sienna bordeaux (by my granite yard). When wiping down the counters, I have to run my hand over it to be sure I've cleaned all the spills -- I sure can't see them! And that includes tomato sauce, mixed berry smoothie, etc.

On the other hand, I often try to wipe off a bit of "dried spaghetti sauce" or other spots -- but it's actually a part of pattern in the stone!

My (grown) son was home recently, cooking up a storm over two weeks. He's a great cook, but a bit of a madman in the kitchen. There were all sorts of spills & drippings *everywhere* & it all wiped up.

Red, as a fellow typhoon bordeaux owner/lover, I could have written the EXACT same post! Only exception, I have daughters :)