How long would you have to wait for more Danby? Plywood countertops are not so bad- especially when you have waited this long. You should only get what is best for you. My only alternative to Danby would be Calacatta Gold- but Danby is somewhat hardier, isn't it? And Calacatta Gold is more expensive, perhaps.

Thanks Rita. We searched far and wide for two slabs with pronounced gold veining....we are looking at Royal Danby as an alternative which is pretty readily available, but not as subtle. Wondering if there's a quartzite that would play well - but haven't found it yet. My husband won't go for the quartz - he feels strongly that with our period details in the house, we need a natural stone.

And yes - Danby is pretty forgiving in the stain department. We were going for a honed finish - which hides etching better - but it will still show. We're ok with that.

Have you considered Taj Mahal and Calacatta Quartzite?

Is this too colorful for you? Quartize Gioia I think it was called. I love it. In for a couple of months now and absolutely no etching or staining. My black fireplace stone in the adjoining room blends nicely.

eta...my cabinets are also white dove.

Throw down some cheap formica or something for the time being and take your sweet time looking for the perfect slab? That way you get functional counter tops NOW but don't have to settle on something that's less than perfect.

ETA: But be careful because you might have Formica for the next ten years if you don't make your mind and get complacent.

Just have the Danby fissure injected with epoxy and use that slab. It will be stronger and between with that than anything else you might choose.

Thanks all. We were able to find a few slabs of Eureka Danby with some really nice veining - so I think we have a solution! Plywood counters going in for the next week (appliances coming tomorrow regardless so we needed a temp solution). And yes, we had looked at Taj Mahal, Calacatta Quartzite and Madreperola. All beautiful but my husband felt too creamy, or too sparkly or in the case of Macaubus or the Calacatta -that it looked like one of our kids drew on it with a sharpie....We saw Danby and we were smitten. Terrified to put marble in a house with three young kids - but we hope to be the people that enjoy the natural patina over time with the etching. We are doing honed.

ILOVERED - what a pretty quartzite - it looks a bit similar to White Nile which I really liked too!

And GreenDesigns - wish it were that simple. Once the slab was in natural light you could see it straight through clear as day. It had already been epoxied at some point. The island will be under two skylights - so a no go.