I have white quartz counters and I love them. I loved my old swirly granite too, but since I'm not such a great housekeeper, it's better that I can see the mess so I can clean it up right away!

We also have totally plain white laminate counters, from 1992 (23 years old.) Though we are planning to replace them when we remodel with quartz, I must say they have held up perfectly, and look as good as new. Stains clean up well with a magic eraser.

Stylewise, I've gone through a few cycles over the years, where I liked the white, then hated it and wanted dark counters, and am now back to liking them. Along with under-cabinet lighting, the white counter makes it very easy to see what I'm cooking.

I have one that is not snow white and it has subtle pattern that you don't see until you look down at it. I like it because it is subtle and a light color. I asked for a rounded edge because I don't like the sharp edges, but the builder said "it would have be in two pieces with that edging and if the house settles at all it can come apart". I chose sharp edges and he was right. The house did settle enough to pull the bar from the wall 1/4 inch. That was a foot from where the seam would have been.

Never!

Like DIY2Much, I have white textured laminate countertops installed in 1980 and I will be replacing them with quartz only because I have a different sink and range configuration in the re-do.

We have taken care with our countertops and they have held up superbly over 35 years. Wine and juice stains always came up with a little Soft Scrub. As for the light surface, I like the white countertop so much I am probably going to choose Cambria Torquay for the replacement.

I see so many negative comments about laminate on forums, but in real life they seem to hold up so well for so many people I know. This series of post is a testament to that since so many of us have had laminate for decades. I suppose a lot of the criticism is about style, but laminate has also gotten a lot more stylish lately. Anyway, good luck with your pick!

My laminate counters were put in when I re-did the kitchen in 1991. They aren't white, but they look just as good as the day they were installed. Back then, what you see under the quartzite sample in the photo below was a perfect match to Deer Isle granite.

I wanted to do a face-lift for the kitchen now and wanted to get the Formica fx180 laminate in 'Calacatta Marble' as it's SO realistic looking. So, I had a large sample of that, which is mostly white, see link below, and I went at that with a big sharp knife. I am amazed that I could see a few tiny scratches for a while, and they 'healed up' overnight. I looked at it again the next morning, and they couldn't be seen or felt.

I DID elect to go with Fantasy Brown quartzite, because that Formica with the ogee edge I wanted cost as much as some granites, etc. I bet that the quartzite won't be as worry-free as that laminate has been for 24 years.

{{gwi:2135949}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Formica 180fx calacatta marble

I had solid white for years and loved it. Totally trouble free.

Laminate holds up to almost everything but cigarette burns! Since I don't smoke (gift from previous owner) ours have held up very well :)

If you don't want to see the seams (or decide against a curved edge) a darker color will hide them, but the loss of light would not be worth it to me. My mom likes hers though...the lines bothered her more. Have fun with the design!

mine is about 20 yrs old and I'm keeping it. I like being able to see the dirt/food etc to clean up - and any invading ants.
It survived well considering the condition of some cabinet doors, some walls and even some regular doors to rooms. The po seems to have had anger issues.

The laminate I had (new) in the 70's (another house) survived 15 yrs with 4 kids only getting 1 knife slash on it. No one claims to have done that tho. I'm sure it survived longer but we moved.

I put white Wilsonart laminate in my first kitchen and hated it. It highlighted every crumb and item on the counter and required perfect housekeeping to look decent. Fortunately it was a temporary kitchen and when I redid it 5 years later for rental I put in a light grey with subtle lighter grey grid pattern laminate with full height backsplash and white laminate cabinets. Almost 25 years and many tenants later it still looks good.

Dark will show wear, oily smudge marks or scratches much more easily than a light laminate.