What writersblock says. We have marble in our bathroom and it is etched all over - even water can etch it. I don't mind the etching, but i'm sure it would bug some people. You can go to a stoneyard and get a sample and etch it yourself and see if the look will bother you. In terms of staining, I'm pretty impressed with how the sealers make it almost impossible to stain. My dd has hot pink toothpaste that she smeared on the white woodwork (big timeout) and I couldn't get the stain off the woodwork no matter what I tried. But she always gets it on our marble counter and even if I don't clean it up right away, it doesn't stain.

I've had quartz in my kitchen for four years and you really do have to work hard to stain, etch, or scorch it. People who don't understand the product, and who don't read their use and care information so they abuse it, are the ones who need Joseph's services. A white marble-look quartz is easier to stain than a darker quartz, but a little Soft Scrub with Bleach, recommended by the manufacturer, will remove the stain. As for etching, you'd have to set a bottle of toilet bowl cleaner or an acetone product on the quartz and forget about it. You might possibly cause a color change in the resin by placing a hot curling iron directly on the counter. Some stone yards do sell quartz remnants. Most of the cost is in the fabrication and installation. With some quartz manufacturers, you can buy a half slab of some colors, but that will cost over $1000 installed and you'll have a lot left over.

We have (not white and gray) marble or maybe limestone in our master bath. after almost a year and a half, it does have some etching. no photos-you won't see it on photos. I see it because I look for it lol. You need to see how the light hits the surface in order to see the etching. Then I'm pretty protective over it, and watch my DH who destroys surfaces with the easiness that I'd find amazing, if I chose to be amazed. In kids' bathroom..I'd say would depend on a)kids' ages b) kids' personalities etc say my son is a very tidy boy. Naturally tidy. my daughter, on the other hand, would ruin marble anything in a day. On the other hand I had limestone countertops for years and years(other country; most people have limestone/marble) and one really gets used to patina and possible etching etc. Obviously my kids used them too. So depends also on how set you are on having something flawless as possible. BTW I agree with Joseph about Corian, we had in our previous kids bath(solid white, not marble look) and it looked very nice while being really easy to clean. And my DD had so much stuff on these countertops I didn't have in my entire life. (she grew out of it but age 14-16..gosh)

Thank you for all the positive feedback! It's greatly appreciated! The counter top is called louvre white marble (I will add a picture of the slab we chose from and a better picture of the counter top). The shower wall tile is called Style Selections Blairlock White.