I have white grout with my white arabesque tiles and I had white grout in my old house and both were directly behind my range. I've never found them difficult to keep clean. I think that the white helps me see any splashes so I can clean them up quickly. But, even those that have gone unnoticed have cleaned up perfectly. I also have Carrara marble. Personally, I think either color would work with your kitchen.

I don't have any problem keeping my white grout clean. I wouldn't do it on a floor, but the wall is fine.

Make sample boards of each & see which you prefer with your cabinets & Carrara. Take pics of your boards & post them. I recently read this tip on GW - instead of using tap water, which may contain rust & turn the grout yellow - mix the grout with distilled water. Also, caulk, not grout, between the tile and countertop.

I have white grout all over (bathroom, laundry room, backsplash) and have never had a bit of trouble with it. Go with the one you like after making your sample boards.

NP with ours.

I have white grout and I sealed it after it was done. No staining. There is also epoxy grout that is supposed to be easier to keep clean, although I hear it is more difficult to work with.

no problems with my bright white grout. I sealed the grout and tiles together after installation.

We used Mapei CQ Flexcolor White. LOVE IT. White is safe, light grey sounds intriguing and might look super cool. Definitely worth exploring IMO. If the picture is all you need, 1 gallon should do it. We did it ourselves in a day due to a GC contractor mix up. It was quite easy to do.

Ditto night owl. Same grout, same color, no sealing and no problems so far and we are 5 months in.

we have very pale grey. first party after it was finished my DD smashed a wine glass putting in the sink (someone jostled her). Red wine went all over the grout. I will be spending tomorrow trying to get the stain out so I can seal it - just in case something like this happens again. Don't ask me why they didn't seal it originally. I just hope I can get the stain out.

"someone jostled her" Uh huh...Right. That's the story and she's stickin' to it.

Good luck. Let us know if you learn tricks to share.

I thought no white,on white looks bathroom-y. I much prefer grey grout, light or medium toned.

i have silvery taupey crackle tiles and standard white TEC grout.

daisy, I might try some Oxyclean on the tip of a Q-tip and do a good dab test on lowest part of stain. I suspect it will remove the wine as long as it gets deep enough into the grout. Be patient: do several applications, letting it almost dry in between (hair dryer on low may speed process up). If it does remove it, and it hopefully will, you should be able to use a grout pen in gray to replenish what ever gray it were to take out. Then seal. Good luck.

I am a messy cook but have white grout on my BS too with no problem. ;) Like someone said earlier, I wouldn't do white on the floor but I have no issues with it on the BS.

Thanks so much, avamom! I will try that.

nightowl, lucky for her I was standing right there and saw the whole thing - otherwise ...

Same party, my 11 year old dropped a full glass jug of water in the middle of the new cork floor. Glass shards and enough water to float a boat. We were just so glad to be home, I didn't even get mad about that.

I don't think the cleaning aspect is what you should focus on. White may show some splashes more, but it cleans up. I did seal mine and I have no idea if that helped or not but I've wiped several day old tomato sauce off it with no problem. I'd focus more on the look you like best. I know you said you like both but which do you like more? With those lovely marble counters you have I'd be tempted to keep them the focus. If you're picking a simple white subway backsplash because you way to keep that marble the focus then even a light grout line with 3 by 6 subway may not serve that goal. I like the clean look of white or very light grout myself.

pick a gray...I think white does look dingy over time. The correct gray will actually look better with your counter anyway...there are a few light grays to pick from to get a bit of contrast . Stark white?.....No....not when a shade or two away from it. works just as well.

I'd go for a light gray also. I'd do a sample board first with white and gray to see what looks best to you and go from there.