If you look in bathroom design books there are as many people using limestone as use marble...although granite is *fabulous* and lots of people use it too, I daresay. There are so many amazing granites. That said, in our bathroom we're using Silestone, since I wanted a fairly tough counter to withstand my DH without constant worry and cleaning-up-after from me. People use glass and different varieties of terrazzo, or even wood, too; the sky's really the limit when it comes to bathroom counters. All depends on your desired amount of daily upkeep,as well as the budget you want to allocate towards it. People use counter-depth tile, too. You could use soapstone, too! A good thing to do would be to go to a bookstore and sit and read at least two books about bathroom countertop choices--see the pics, read the descriptions--that way you'll have more than one perspective on them and you can decide from amongst all the choices.

We have a vanilla cabinet with a chocolate stain so our cabinets are very light - not quite white but still same color scheme. We have the Vencensia ( spelling) granite. I went with granite because I like you wanted something that would wear well and last. I was leary of granite at first when I heard you need to "seal" it but to be honest, it was sealed when it was put in and I haven't had to do it again in three years. Not sure how well marble will hold up to the daily life of a kitchen. I think it chips easier and can't take a hot pot directly onto it. But not sure. I think its more expensive than granite as well. At least in my area. I'm not familiar with the caeserstone.

NyefNyef By "called Blanco", I meant I telephoned Blanco's US HQ and asked them to find me their sink within a 200 mile radius of my home. They pointed me to their regional sales teams, who could not locate it readily available, or in their nat'l warehouse. They said most of the time, nobody really stocks them and they're all custom ordered. No matter. Amazon & FedEx came thru. cal Ditto! I'd love to FedEx them too. breezyThanks for answering my original question. My suspicion was that they weren't as good, just based on how often I see Blanco mentioned and never hear the other makers. And compared to what we've spent already on things, you're right that $100 is a small price to get exactly what we wanted exactly when we need it.

I have had white marble counters for a little over two years now. I mostly love them. Here's the lowdown: Staining--it is a myth. If you seal your counters and reseal them every couple of years, your counters will not ordinarily stain. I have wiped up red wine hours later and coffee days later when it gets under the espresso maker. That said, something with a dye still scares me--when I made red velvet cake a few weeks ago, I put a couple of dish towels on the counter to prevent spills. There are also poultices that remove stains. So staining is not something you really need to worry about. Etching--marble etches. Period. I have etching, not a crazy amount, but etching nonetheless. I try to be careful with the obvious culprits like lemons, limes and vinegar. When squeezing lemons, I do it over a cutting board or over the sink. Things like bottles of capers, vinegar--I try not to put them on the counter and put them on a cutting board instead. Etching shows less on honed marble, but in the right light, you can see it. I may have my counters rehoned in another couple of years if I get too much more etching. Right now it doesn't really bother me. Chipping and pitting and white shock spots--this does bother me a bit. How much this happens may depend on the type of marble you have. Mine are calacatta. I originally wanted Danby but could not find a slab I liked enough and then fell in love with a calacatta slab without realizing that the calacatta is softer. I have a few chips at the edges. The real danger spots are over the dishwasher because it is easy for people to bang the edge when loading (have remedied with a cutting board that always sits there pulled forward) and the sink edges. I am super careful when putting pots and pans into the sink, especially cast iron (moving the faucet out of the way helps). I don't know how much the pits and shock spots can be fixed. It is what it is. There is a depth to marble and beauty that is impossible to replicate with other material. The closest thing is probably quartzite. I wanted to use it but I thought it was too busy with my walnut cabinets. So I took the plunge and am happy I did so, about 95% of the time.