I agree and am so sorry for hijacking the first post. I have real Calcutta marble as a counter top in a bathroom, and I love it. This laminate looks SO good that it can easily substitute for the real thing. I'd call it a neutral, not busy, just classic. I don't know what edge you want, but here is a link to some pricing on the various edge profiles for it.
Calacatta marble laminate edge profiles

I also watched videos online when I was considering it to show how they attach the edges. The only thing to remember is that the pattern on the edge won't match up completely with the pattern of the top, as it would on a stone.

Video

Here is a Formica video on the edges. It's more apparent on the ones that are more heavily patterned. Look at .48 - .52 in This video . With less veining on the Calacatta, I think it would be less noticeable. It's my favorite of the 180Fx patterns.

I don't think it looks too busy at all. I love the jadeite.

So, of course, I'm going to mention your backsplash. If you even remotely think you might want a visually interesting tile or a bunny tile, or plate , or whatever in the kitchen, you might want a single color laminate for your counter. This material is beautiful, but veining is a complicated thing and can limit your bs options.

i too loved the 180fx marble patterns until i got a quote:( if you are diying it, then it would be a different story. i remember it being only slightly cheaper than granite and for us, resale value was important, so we went granite. hope you can find better pricing because it is very pretty with your jadeite? canisters

Eam- That's my thought, exactly! If we just paint the backsplash, it would look great...but with any kind of pattern, I'm concerned it will look too busy.

Adoiron- I know...price is a concern! I think we could DIY one area...but the entire kitchen is probably not in our skill set (LOL) Although my brother is pretty handy!

We are probably going to have one countertop around the sink and another by the range...you all know how I love unfitted kitchens...so maybe marble around sink and tile around range. Heat resistant and great area for bunny tiles on the backsplash!

So, faux marble backsplash AND counter around the sink? That might look kind of cool...and a bit retro :)

Sound like adoiron found like me, the pricing on non-DIY was sticker shock. There are many videos online about installing laminate counter tops, and I bet if you have a handy brother, and the tools needed, he could probably easily do it for you. You might find a remnant of some kind of low priced laminate to practice with.

As far as back splashes, I just Googled Calcutta counter tops, and in this link, you'll see several different types of back splashes, including ones that are made of the same counter top material. I didn't see a need to differentiate between faux and real marble for that.

I also wanted to say that before I got the pricing, I was tough on my 12 x 12 sample. Since my previous 'busier' laminate had lasted beautifully for 24 years, I wanted to see of the Calacatta laminate would, too. I stabbed the sample with a sharp knife, and also drew the knife across the surface several times, pressing hard, much more so than I'd think of doing IRL. It showed tiny scratches a bit the first day, but when I looked at it the second day, I couldn't see them. I had carpenters and painters here and had them all look at it, and it took them a while in varying lights to see anything, and it was extremely faint. I don't think someone looking down at a finished counter top would have been able to find them.

If the KD hadn't said that I could get some stones for the price of the laminate, my kitchen would be sporting Formica 180Fx right now, and I'd be happy. I'm jealous of anyone who could DIY this!

We have a formica 180fx counter, I am happy with it. I actually wanted laminate because I knew from my old kitchens how durable it is. I love stone counters, probably should have done stone for resale but I just wanted the easy care of laminate and I have not been disappointed. I also abused my sample first, knives, sandpaper, wine, vinegar, I just put that piece through hell and it held up great. That was what I was looking for. I still drool over the beautiful stone counters I see here on GW and perhaps my next home will have them. But for now, I'm happy with the laminate.

Re: pricing, when I plug my counter top numbers (31 sqft) into Home Depot's countertop estimator, I get $868 for the Formica Calcutta and $1680 for the cheapest granite. Is that the kind of price difference you all have been quoted? Just trying to understand if I shouldn't trust Home Depot's tool or if you're saying that granite is worth the price difference (which isn't enormous, but substantial for me).

Caligirl, This was my experience at Lowes in Maine. I found that through them, the laminate was priced just for the laminate and the install was separate. With the stone, the price included the installation. Add in the Ogee edge that I wanted on the Formica 180Fx, and it was close to the price of stone.

Thank you for the responses. After playing around with the sample..and holding it up to fabric, dishes, appliances, etc. (LOL) I think it's just too busy. Fine on small surface, but too much on larger area.

Some people mentioned Wilsonart, which seems to have less veining. Anyone use Wilsonart? Did anyone get samples and like them?

Also curious about 'organic cotton' and 'crisp linen' and does anyone have an aqua color laminate they would recommend?