I am glad you are going to do marble! "Coastal ME, fairly high end" I think marble will be right in the pocket for you in a few years' time. lowspark is right--stone is stone is stone to most people, many of whom would not be able to tell a light juparana "granite" from marble. Most "granites" are not granite, anyway; our emerald pearl, for example, is a larkavite (sp?). And I am glad that those who have formica, etc. are happy with them, but please don't make the care and upkeep argument for them! I love looking at all the fun variety of colors and patterns in formica, and if that is what you like, you like to change things up more often, you need to think short-term, you are on a budget, or you need to consider the neighborhood standard, then that is absolutely great, I am not knocking them on that basis. But if you have a family, you've got to know that stone is FAR FAR FAR easier to live with and keep up. I've had formica, it is WAY WAY WAY more delicate and damage prone than granite. You can't cut on it, you can't put a hot pan on it, it stains like crazy, and the finish wears off after a few years of scrubbing stains off. Same for corian--my parents have that and my sil, she hates it, and I have to say hers looks more than a little shopworn after 15 years. Yes, stains can be polished out, but it takes a lot of care to do it right over the course of many years. I would like to see anyone scrape nail polish, acrylic paint, or melted wax off a formica counter with a razor blade and see if you have anything nice left. Or scrub a stain out with bleach cleanser and a scratchy scrubbie. The razor blade operation is a piece of cake with granite. Nothing but another rock or silica (sand)-based scrubber will scratch it. It rarely stains and when it does, stains can be pretty easily "flushed" or "pulled" out of the lighter stones and will not show and eventually flush themselves out of the darker ones. So I really think care and upkeep are arguments FOR stone, not against it. Marble may etch with acids--wine, vinegar, lemon juice, etc., but that is much less to worry about than all the considerations for plastic surfaces. Just have a protected landing spot for bottles of such liquids (the stove top or a plate, for example)--it is bottle rings that you most often see etched into marble. You may also want to have a different surface available for landing next to the fridge--that is the most likely place where grit on the bottom of things brought in may scratch or where leaking things may wet the counter with an etching substance. Good luck with your new counters! Enjoy!

American Marble Industries (Ohio) has done some kitchen jobs. I have only seen pictures. They looked great. However, it was almost the same price as Corian. Corian has some nice 'marble-ish' colors....as does Mystera. I would consider that before doing cultured marble for my kitchen. Mystera looks the most like marble. I don't believe their composite is like Corian or Hi-Macs...might have some polyester in it. That said, I would still prefer Mystera over Cult. Marble in my kitchen. I recently saw a mystera top in a local restaurant and it was beautiful. You can check out the website below to see if it's available in your area. Kompy ps. Caesarstone's Misty Cararra is a nice material too. I have a display in my showroom. Here is a link that might be useful: Mystera

What did you end choosing? I have a similar design dilemma and would love to know what you decided and if you still love your choice?

I've got one long run of marble countertop in my kitchen and a marble vanity top in my bathroom--both honed. There may be minor etching, but if so I don't even notice it. I think it all really boils down to how laid back you are vs how compulsive you are and if you want a showcase kitchen or a truly used kitchen. About a month ago I was concerned about a yellowed ring from a soap dispenser on my bathroom top. I tried cleaning it but it was still visible (to me). Within a couple days it had disappeared. Perhaps some of these things just balance out after time. FWIW a few years ago we visited Ostia Antica which is about 30 miles outside of Rome and used to be the seaport for the city. One of the ruins there is a 2000 year old tavern kitchen. Guess what the counters were? They are still around with a bit of patina.