lol...i totally want carerra. i would get soapstone if i could. in my last house we remodeled and i got cobra soapstone which was great. i would recommend it to anyone and everyone. our last house was in PA. now we are in florida. i am going to get a cobra sink made and shipped down here but soapstone down here would cost us too much for counters....over $100 more a sq ft than carerra. but carerra is my #2 choice and i love how it looks. but...i cook for reals and i know "patina" is my destiny. but still...i don't know if i am prepared for "the big one!" like an 8" turmeric stain or whatever. on the plus size..the cost here is about $44 a sq ft. it's beautiful. it's natural. it doesn't contain any toxic resins or formaldehyde or radon. i can live with some wabi sabi and if we sell 20 years from now and it looks like crap, i guess we will have to replace it w/new marble to get it ready for the market. who knows! i just want to see some pics ;)

It's true that a metal countertop can take some time for turn around time but, you're installing quite possibly the last counter that you will ever need to install. My recommendation is to take your time and make sure you're choosing the right countertop for both your budget and your taste. An interesting blog with some helpful information you can copy and paste is: www.metalcountertops.blogspot.com

just a follow up... the mortar bed was successfully removed. Turned out the easiest method was to ignore the tile top, other that to chip a few away to gain a visual of the wire sticking out at the edges. I found if I hammered at the tile top certain areas would come apart easily, these being the places where the wire mesh was connected. These areas were smooth metal, not mesh, so the mortar came away easily there. At these spots the mesh was nailed onto the wood board beneath. If I aimed my chisel between the wire mesh and the mortar it was relatively easy to separate it in sections. Once the nails were pulled out it was much easier to remove. Once it was all cleared away, all that was left was the wood board. The installer decided to use that board, since it was nice wood and provided a better surface with which to lay the new counter top onto than the "pieces" the counter company provided. Worked out great and the labor it took was worth the savings to us, as we got a price break for saving the installer time. sorry, snoon....can't make anything out of your comment, though definitely not helpful.

You need to do some homework. Every material has it's pros and cons, and it all comes down to what you are willing to live with. "Best" is completely subjective. Frankly, if my DH had not felt so strongly about our using a "higher end" counter top (we ended up with engineered quartz) I would have done a laminate. They are durable, warm, soft, and very inexpensive. Completely low-maintenance if you are not careless about using them. Our quartz will be fine, and looks fantastic, but we spent nearly three times what we could have spent on a high-end laminate. IKEA has some DIY laminate for incredibly little cost if you are willing to put in the effort and will buy you plenty of time to do some research on your countertop options. Here is a link that might be useful: IKEA wood and laminate countertops