I think there are several answers to your question and I will try to tell you in detail about each of them. First, I think you should think about the coverage, because this is probably the most important factor. It's important to prevent the problem before it even occurs, but I think you already know that. I can't think of anything more so than stainless steel. And as I thought about this answer it occurred to me it must be the reason commercial prep kitchens use it so much. Solid surface countertops are synthetic and don't offer the same quality and durability as a natural stone. However, these materials are non-porous and don't stain easily. Certain chemicals and acidic foods can stain these countertops if left on the surface for long periods of time. The second is this immediate caveat: -Stop using acidic cleaners or heavy alkaline cleaning material that can strike and destroy stones. And the third is a solution to the problem. To be honest, I have never encountered such a problem, but after a little searching on the Internet I found an article that might be useful to you: how to remove stain from solid surface countertop To be honest, I do not vouch for the correctness and effectiveness of the methods described there, but personally to me it seemed the most correct and logical solution to the problem, so I recommend that you read this article and draw your own conclusions. I hope my comment was helpful and you can clean the surface without any problems.

I had an estimate from HD for quartz and Corian. The Quartz (LG or Silestone) was a little cheaper even if I added the cost of the sink. Is the estimate based on paying for a whole slab? i am still working on my decision but know I want a white marble look. Besides HD I found a place that sells some quartz by the sq foot. A remnant might work for us too as long as it is the right look. Do you think you'd be happy with the remnant? Unless a big difference in price or way out of your budget, I'd try to find something you will really be happy with.

I've had white Corian now for 31 years. I even re-used if this past summer when getting new cabinets. I LOVE it! I can't remember which white it is - in 1985, one had the choice of 3 shades of white and I chose the whitest - no other colors were available then. I consider it like a great white blouse - always looks crisp and clean and fresh and timeless. Here is a picture of my kitchen sink area with the integrated Corian sink as well. I have never had a stain I could not easily and quickly remove with a couple of swipes of a ScotchGuard pad. I had to add a 5 ft run where we changed the kitchen layout. I've heard others on GW complain that it has a "plasticy" look and I now understand what they mean. It just needs to get a few scratches to develop a lovely patina! I immediately took the ScotchGuard pad to it and now it looks just like the other countertops. I have never regretted getting this. My daughter had the same (same sink, too) installed in her kitchen about 8 years ago. Her husband is a SAHD and a constant coffee drinker, dumping the grounds from the French press maker and not rinsing the sink. Again, a quick swipe with a ScotchGuard dishwashing wand and all stains disappear. She also has two teenage boys - think "fraternity house" when she's out of town on business - and they have never managed to do any damage to the countertops or the sink. I don't like a "busy" kitchen. Mine is small - 11x15, with three doorways and that huge window. It's very chopped up looking, so keeping things simple and fairly monochromatic works very well in there. I used honed white marble 3x12 subway tile for my backsplash and it works very well with the white Corian. I can think of no other countertop material that could look this good after 31 years! I'm not obsessive about it, but I don't abuse things, either. If I had a huge kitchen with a humongous island in the middle, perhaps I would want a countertop on that island that made more of a "statement". But in a small kitchen, NO STATEMENT is the best way to go!

As Joseph alludes to they are a good source for many items. They most often use the same local fabricators all the kitchen designers use, they just get better pricing. I am not a fan of box stores for many many products but if the fabricator they are using passes the smell test I would have no issues using them. My house has HD RTA cabinets (they were in it when I bought it) and the granite is one of the HD standard stock colors and the fab work on it far exceeds the quality and installation on the cabinets.