How timely I donÂt pop into the kitchen forum much anymore. My kitchen has been done for a couple of years now but I still like to lurk every once in a while. I have 144 sf of White Fantasy and as I have said before I could light a bone fire on it and put it out with vinegar and it would look just as good as the day it was installed. It was sealed by the fabricator but I was told I would never have to seal it again. White Fantasy is quartzite and is harder than granite my fabricator thought it was like marble until he went to cut it. It doesnÂt show anything not crumbs, dust, finger prints you really do have to look sideways to see if itÂs clean. Enjoy your new kitchen you will love your White Fantasy.

Tl1969- I'm definitely not a stone guru. I don't know much about the durability and wear of soapstone. I will say that I'm so relieved that we have brown pearl granite in our wetbar. At least we have a "safe" area for wine and lemon/limes. We weren't thinking about that when we picked out our granites. The brown pearl is essentially black so it's a good contrast to the white/gray. Our wetbar is around the corner from our kitchen so I wanted it to be a bit different. Good luck making a decision. I know how hard it is! I definitely love my countertops, etches and all. I guess it depends a lot on your personality. My only real annoyance is just that i had different expectations for white fantasy since I had been assured by the fabricator that it wouldn't etch. They obviously weren't very familiar with the stone. I was also warned that polished chrome faucets and cup pulls might bother me because of water spots and finger prints, but I think it's beautiful and sparkly. I guess I just expect some things to look a certain way and don't fuss about it. I keep things clean but definitely not polished. My kitchen gets a workout daily.

VJ, I wanted to post a couple of links to Anchor Bay's colors. You can order samples for $2 apiece ($10 shipping, regardless of number). They're all handmade tiles; some are crackled, some are beveled, some are 2x4, some are 3x6, and some lines come in more colors than others. (I think we're doing Soho bisque with a celery listello). http://www.AnchorBayTile.com/Claypads-Tile-Liners-Listellos-p/300clp1201.htm (46 colors for this particular one) http://www.AnchorBayTile.com/Clayline-Ceramic-Subway-Tile-Trim-p/310cll1750.htm (60 for this one) http://www.AnchorBayTile.com/Cardiff-Ceramic-Subway-Tile-2x4-p/230crdf.htm (6 for this one) http://www.AnchorBayTile.com/Soho-Ceramic-Subway-Tile-Trim-p/221sohf.htm (4 for this one) I'm not trying to push this company on you or anything, but they do have a few whites to choose from. They're great for me since I'm hours from a real tile showroom. It's fun to look at Ann Sacks' website, for example, but I have no way to actually order any of that stuff. I love that this is a direct order site. Anyway - I think you're wise to make a reasonable effort to get the two whites to go together (like not putting a cool one against a warm one if you can help it), but like Mary said upthread, it's not even possible to match all your whites and you'll drive yourself bonkers if you try. I know our fireclay sink is a different white than our tile and cabs, but at some point, I have to say that white is white and that's good enough for me. ;o)

Deb: $125 per foot!!! Oh my! That's almost twice as much as I paid (prefabricated, I paid $40.38/sq ft). I did some testing and while it did MUCH better than the marble, there was some staining (not etching) on my pre-sealed sample when I had a few food stains that sat for 24+ hrs. My fabricator claims that sealing the granite should take care of the light staining that I saw, so I am trusting him. I actually don't care that much if I have some "lived in" looked. I have lived with marble so I know what that feels like, I am just hoping to defer some of that permanent etching that we had. If you have white cabinets and a wood island, I might actually think about the Caesarstone if you can't find the white princess. I was pleasantly surprised to see a showroom by Christopher Peacock that was done in the Caesarstone that looks like marble and it was REALLY pretty. I would never have believed it unless I saw it myself. Wish I could have taken pics but they wouldn't let me! The other option I love is concrete! Might be too un-traditional for your style, but I really like the counters in my friend's house and they are very light gray--and very easy to take of! Despite what some people say, she has never had a staining problem. They have a gorgeous patina that is really pretty and I love them with the white counters. Not her kitchen, but similar--look how pretty the concrete is! From Menlo Farmhouse