Every time I am at someone's house that has dark counters, I always notice how much they show the dust and crumbs. I am one to want to hide the dust and crumbs, but some have voiced that they prefer to see the dust and crumbs so they can clean them up. I am not super messy, but I'm not so clean that I could keep dark counters looking good.

I have had both and will never have dark countertops again! They show everything, and the fingerprints drove me crazy.

We have a quartz dark green with flecks that is not shiny (its not matte, either). I feel it is "medium" in terms of showing dust, scraps, etc. and we have been pleased with it. I rarely work on it without some kind of surface underneath (cutting board, etc.) so the color does not bother me in that sense.

We also have an island that is a light oak butcherblock, and if you want something that hides crumbs, that is it! Its a matte surface and with all the butcher block "stripes" -- nothing shows. Ours is not super-maintained so the surface is slightly rough as opposed to the polished surface of a stone/solid surface. Good luck finding something that suits you!

I have dark and I would not have them again.

First let me say that they look great. That's not the problem.

Unlike dream house and daisychain, my experience is that dark counters show nothing, except spilled sugar, salt, flour or milk--white things. Everything else is hidden and in order to find missed messes I have to run my hands over everything. I am a clean kitchen counter freak. It's the one place I demand clean.

My kitchen is light and I can't blame the dark counters for sucking up the light. I have plenty of light. But I do find that working over a dark counter, having the dark background, is a little akin to reading light text against a dark background. You can do it, but I think it takes extra effort to see things and gets tiring.

Again, dark counters look good with both white/cream cabinets and stained wood. I don't hate mine, but I wouldn't do dark again.

I've got medium dark, honed finish counters (Verde Lavras) and have no problem with them -- except it is harder to see small spills at a casual glance, but if I am looking for spills I can spot them, and I definitely WANT to see them. My solution is to thoroughly wipe the work area every time. The rest of the small kitchen is light (painted cabinets, light color on walls and ceiling, although the floor is dark) and I don't think they excessively darken the space. Nor do I find them tiring or difficult to work on. I would be happy to have them again yet just as happy to have something light like River White.

Our current kitchen (came with the house) has black granite counter tops. While I am not a huge fan of the particular type of granite that the previous home owner chose, I am not at all bothered by the fact that the counter top is dark -- or maybe, in the last 10+ years I have simply gotten used to us.

Our newly remodeled kitchen will again have dark counter tops, but this time, they'll be made from Neolith. We liked the look of the material and it goes nicely with the rest of the natural wood cabinets.

I do realize that we probably need to up the lights underneath the upper cabinets. But that's an easy fix.

I prefer an in between colour which is charcoal or the look of concrete as modern counters is something I like. Too dark and every water stain comes out. If you have hardwater in your area, this is especially annoying. If its all white, I would think it may make the kitchen look sterile but its just for me a look thing. I prefer light cabinets and dark counters. If I had dark cabinets, I'd go with white counters.

I've had leathered Black Pearl granite for two years now since our remodel. I had issues in the beginning with splotching, but haven't had that issue over the past year.

It's extremely easy to keep clean, just soap and water. I know some don't want the dark because they think it shows everything. That's OK with me because then I know it's there to clean! In contrast, if it's darker crumbs, like chocolate cake crumbs, it's harder to see. I never see dust. When I had a heavily speckled countertop, I found that harder because any crumbs, etc. would blend in. But I do wish I had gone with a lighter countertop. My husband wanted the contrast of a darker countertop, and I gave in. I do have a marble-look quartz on my island.

If I had a do-over, I'd go light on the perimeter for aesthetic reasons.

Mine are lighter (cream colored on perimeter) - light/specky/medium brown on island. Have been very happy with them. Did not want dark because it would show everything.

I have two different (dark) granite counter tops in my kitchen. One is American Black and the other is Blue Ray. The American Black has a suede finish which I believe is the same as leathered. This counter top is fantastic. It does not show fingerprints or smudges, but it's easy to see food and spills. The other is polished and it's a pain in the rear. Fingerprints and smudges all over the place. I have to take a towel and rub it in order to get the smears from washing it down. My experience says it's not necessarily the lightness or darkness, but the finish of the countertop that makes a difference.

I have dark quartz - black with blue flecks. I love it that it doesn't show every spill. Maybe it's because mine isn't solid black, it's flecked with blue and a sort of dark brown (which sounds weird but really works). I can see how not seeing spills would be a bad thing too, but I like it. I keep my counter really clean, but I think it would drive me nuts if I could see spots in between cleaning it. I also like the drama that the black brings. My kitchen is small but has white cabinets and lots of light.

Our kitchen is on the northeast area of the house, so while it is not a dark kitchen, the dark granite makes the kitchen seem dark.

I very much like spills show, so I can clean them off. What the dark granite shows very well is dust. It is so very dry and dusty here you can wipe everything down, blink, and it looks dusty again. In a region with more rain, this must not be so much of a problem.

Thank you all for your input. I have an 8 ft counter that is walnut with a Calcutta honed marble top smack dab between my white cabinets, it sits a few inches lower and is where most of my work will be done. The rest of the cabinets need a countertop and that is my dilemma. What light countertop will compliment the honed marble? The charcoal honed soapstone from Silestone looks and feels very nice, but upkeep? Here are some sketches of my layout. There are a few changes made not in these photos, but countertop essentially the same. Fridge is not a French door but the 30" Liebherr which I love!

Oh! And the 60 inch stove has a black top and the stove is red if that makes any difference.

I had dark and just installed a white. Never dark again. The dark always showed streaks no matter how much time I spent wiping them off. The white is fabulous!

Quiltgirl1, I am having the same struggle picking a countertop, and am also very interested in the Silestone Charcol Silestone. I live 2 hours from any showroom, so if you happen to see any in person, or if you do use it in your kitchen, I'd love to see a photo! It looks very black on my computer monitor, but I wonder if its more grey in real life.

SInce I'm so torn between black and white, I might just go with a mid-grey colour. SIlestone Serene looks pretty: sort of a light grey with subtle white veining. perhaps the grey would match nicely With your marble counter?

I have dark countertops and agree with what everyone is saying...they do make the room darker. However, I love the soapstone so much that I can't imagine what I would use instead. It doesn't get streaky or show fingerprints and I'm glad I can see crumbs and drips but it does darken the room (which faces north).

Hwierenga, here are some pics of the Silestone Honed Charcoal suede finish. In one of the pics the sample is on a black poster board. You can see that it is a soft charcoal rather than a deep black.

cheri, my kitchen has two large windows, one faces east and the other south. The soapstone look is so classic and looks nice with the marble, but still am up in the air. I probably will end up going with it because I cannot find another that looks good with the marble and the walnut baking area.

Depend on the decoration style.

look at the contrast:

m01 Calacatta white quartz vanity tops from leadstone

m09 Nero margiua quartz countertops from leadstone

I have honed black mist granite. I've only been cooking in the kitchen for about a month (and it's still not done!), but I'm happy so far. Who knows how I'll feel in the long term, but I'll comment on some of the issues people mentioned:

• It doesn't seem dark to me, but my kitchen gets a lot of light and doesn't have much counterspace relative to the size of the room. I also think because it's honed and not reflective, it fades more in the background
• Haven't noticed issues with finger prints, probably because it's honed
• I do notice lots of dust (also still have construction going on)
• It is hard to see other types of crud, but when I wipe up the dust, it's easy to notice spots that need more attention

I have black polished granite counters in our master bathroom. Every particle of dust and powder, every drip of toothpaste and every drop of water shows on them. And this is in a room with poor lighting. Never again.

I'm having that same problem right now. Can't stand it. The water stains are too much.

In fact, I can't stand my very dark floors too. Every footprint.. etc..

Same as carladr, the black granite in our bathroom shows every speck of toothpaste. It's crazy how much it seems to splatter as a fine mist.

I also used a beauty product that had ascorbic acid in it and some got on the counter and etched it.

In my new kitchen, I have both a light countertop (mostly white, Eco Luna from Silestone) and a darker one but not totally into the black spectrum (mostly green, Wildwood Viatera). I've checked out working on both countertops, basically because I wanted to know. I can definitely see more stuff on the darker one, but these both readily clean up. Both are quartz.

Anyhow, if you don't want to see grime, I guess go with light. If you want to know it is there so you can deal with it asap, go with dark. ETA, I don't notice fingerprints on either of these.

Personally.... I'm glad I chose both, it makes my kitchen do what I wanted it to do when I designed it.

I had Corian Maui (dark) and now going with light. Something to consider, as you age light backgrounds are easier to see.

Couldn't agree more about the honed or suede vs polished factor. I have the American Black (honed) like Cheryl and am VERY happy with it. We have had it for almost a year, and it cleans up very easily with Method Granite cleaner. No streaks and no stains (my husband is a messy cook, i drink a lot of red wine, and I have 2 messy kids). We have light cabinets and lots of sunlight, so it doesn't seem dark at all. Because ours are honed, we also don't have the super shiny surface or fingerprints issue. We would do it again in a heartbeat.

I think the quality of real soapstone would go best with your marble. Both dark and light have their issues. I would not like finger marks on highly polished in any color, but I'm in the minority - I actually WANT to know if my countertop is dirty so I can make it clean!

I am so glad to hear the positive comments on the honed! It really was the only choice that complimented the marble and fit with our farmhouse. I am waiting for an installation date.

I am happy you were able to reach a decision. I've been a charcoal fan since you posted the first photos. I'll be eagerly waiting for the reveal.

I'm just in love with the honed Silestone you choose. I can't wait to see photos--I may be using your kitchen as inspiration for my own remodel!

Love that choice! I think it looks great and will avoid some of the pitfalls of a really black and shiny counter. and sometimes we choose something that will be a tiny bit more maintenance (you mentioned dust showing a bit) just b/c we love it. I've found when I've made that choice, I don't mind doing a little extra in order to have the aesthetic. We have charcoal lower cabs and they do show dust more than stained would, but I don't mind 'cause they look so darned good :)

I would love any pictures from the Silestone Charcoal Soapstone-I am looking at it as well. I have a peninsula and counters for installation

Here are a couple of pics that I had on my phone. I am very happy with the charcoal silestone.

That is really beautiful....I'm torn between it and the Casearstone Noble Grey-I know I want a medium to dark counter for contrast with white. I guess I should be happy I am down to 2 choices:)

Beautiful! Enjoy. :)

It is a honed finish which I love. It wipes up easily, no streaks or fingerprints etc. It is not a deep black but more charcoal. I am not noticing the dust but maybe because it is honed and is quartz vs granite. Still have trim to put up and tile work behind stove etc. Still so much to do!

I think it is 3 cm. And yes, I have an 8 ft baking counter that is Calacutta. Marble. The hardware is on now so I will have to post some updated pictures. The marble is honed as well.

Also, what about showing dirt, dust, and fingerprints with the honed finish? Thank You

I currently have both light and dark. Hate, hate, hate the dark. We were going to change it out, but looks like we might move. So stuck with it until then.

Any dark color will show dust eventually, but I can’t say it has been anything that catches my eye in my kitchen. I take a swifter and catch any unused corners once in awhile. Takes all of 30 seconds, if that. No fingerprinting on the honed like a polished finish would show and it cleans up with a damp rag. I absolutely love it. I don’t think you would be unhappy with the honed.

Thank you! I really do like the charcoal soapstone-I just keep going back to it:)

Seen this post. I had white quartz in one house and it not as good as dark charcoal granite mentioned here .All surfaces will show dirt which ensures that i keep it clean easily.

In a well lit kitchen, natural dark surface look stunning against light units. So easy to maintain and absolutely no worries about putting hot pans, using oils, etc.

The trend for white will show wear and tear over the years as it darkens with stains - unless you hardly ever use the kitchen.

Light counter tops are harder to maintain than darker- my experience. I purchased dark grey and am so glad - doesn't show anything...also, i agree with the previous comment that light counter tops can darken with time.

We had black granite with a leather finish (is that what it’s called?) installed last week and it’s beautiful against our white cabinets plus we added black matte hardware. We can already see that it’s going to to take more effort to keep it clean and we aren’t tidy people. We are living in this former rental home until our new build is completed. We were leaning toward black but are rethinking that now.

Black quartz counter top with sliver flecks with white Cabinets and my white marble floors lookings amazing and classy... Black will not change color over the years like the white or cream color counter tops that easily get stained and change color within 2-3 years... In addition, it will hide burn marks and mistakes placing a hot object on the counter tops... I have seen 1 year old homes with a nice cream color counter with burn marks that totally ruins it... Also, I am not looking to hide dust or crumbs since I am clean freak so the black color is perfect fine with me... Also, my house is well lit...

I have had my kitchen renovation done a few years ago. I had Silestone Quartz (color soap stone) countertops installed. I love them❣️they clean up with dish soap and water, no issues with chipping or staining. It really doesn’t show crumbs much either. I always use a trivet with any hot items on it. I have always used trivets on all the counters I have had too. In my laundry / bathroom just outside my kitchen hall I have a white quartz vanity counter that is easy to clean and does not chip or stain, looks great too❣️