I'll check out the 180fx laminates. I know that there are some incredible looking laminates out now..I just don't want anything that approximates granite as that's just what I tore out! skydog...that's my concern as well. I have a 7' window over my sink. My kitchen is "L" shaped with an island..so lots of light on my perimeter counters. Like I said I'm a lazy neat freak which is why I've always preferred the matte look :) linelle..are you saying that you like the look, but the light/reflection is an issue because it shows dirt/dust/whatever??? I am looking at a dark taupe...I'd love the name of your quartz? Poohpup..I'm surprised that you don't like your Corian...my parents have had Corian for 30+ years and while my mom cracked (heat issue maybe?) it at 5 years out (my dad replaced the damaged piece with an inlaid butcher block cutting board)they love their countertop and say it's really user friendly..very little upkeep. My mom cooks alot and she has no stains on her streaky white design. Leather granite sounds very cool BTW.

I seem to have a sixth sense about marble questions on this forum .... We've honed Calacatta as our perimeter countertops and backsplash -- that's how confident I was with them. We've had them nearly a year and they've been used literally every single day since then: the one holiday was just me taking our children -- my husband stayed homed and deep-fried his favorite (and one I find disgusting) dish. For whatever reason he absolutely refuses to clean up after himself, rather, he refuses to wipe down the counters / backsplash, which meant the grease splatters sat for days until I came home to wipe them up. Grr, but no stains! Seriously, not a single stain. As I learned from the marble gurus here who came before me (mnhockeymom and momto4kids) I sealed with Miracle 511 and so far, knock marble, so good! The only issue I've had was when a rusty strand of steel wool was caught in a sponge and I used it to wipe -- the countertop sucked that rust right up and looked as if I'd used really bad self-tanner. I used Iron Out and literally as I applied it the stain was removed. I resealed immediately after: the whole process, from stain to running out to purchase the Iron Out, coming home to use it, reseal, was maybe forty-five minutes. A splotch of tomato sauce sat overnight on the countertop next to the cooktop; after I scraped it up the next day there was a v. faint stain. I wasn't in the mood to use the poultice right then and knew I'd get to it later, like nap time. (as if) But when I did come back to it the spot was gone, all on its own. I'm sure we must have etch marks but for the life of me, bending this way and that in various lights I cannot see them, and I'm really looking. I think our marble, in particular the (slab) backsplash, is really the visual highlight of our kitchen (and our kitchen is a lovely thing). (oh, and I think a slab backsplash is heaven! such a breeze to clean one solid surface -- no grout lines) However, I still have reservations about it but only because it was so hideously expensive: it was more than twice what the fabricator and I had budgeted for marble countertop. Gulp. Others above are right: if you can live with it (and I couldn't), the Carrara is extremely affordable! I wish I weren't so particular that I had to have the no-gold / big grey swirls (as opposed to the road map Carrara), but for me, rather than settle I'd have had plywood if I couldn't have what I wanted. It would have really ticked me of to spend $X and get something (the Carrara) which reminded me on a daily basis I didn't see my vision through. But that's me and that was my priority. So instead I have a beautiful countertop / backsplash which reminds me on a daily basis that I spent way too much! Can't win. The marble was the last thing I found for our kitchen, and I found it as the cabinets were being installed. (My patient then-one year-old visited every stone yard with me for months, searching and searching for that marble needle in the slab hay stack.) If I knew then what I know now (I know, a stupid and dangerous thought to entertain), I would've done a much less expensive cabinet but still splurged on the marble. (I think our cabs were expensive, but maybe that's just my budget.) Someone else (whose id I've forgotten) wrote in a different post not too long ago that for many kitchens it is not the cabinets which are the star: it's the countertop / backsplash, sometimes hardware and sometimes showy appliances, but rarely the cabinets themselves. I think they're right, or at least when I think of my kitchen I think they're right. My cabinet door / drawer style is lovely -- the cabinetmaker and I spent a lot of time designing it together. But to be redundant, if I had to do it again I would've done a less expensive cabinet (like IKEA with custom doors) but still splurged on the marble. So that's my sole regret about the Calacatta, and it's a bit half-assed. I've a nearly three year-old and a four year-old: I am basically a short-order cook. I spend what feels like all day every day in the kitchen, using it. My husband loves to cook and cooks elaborately, and he does that frequently. (and frequently doesn't clean up ...) Our kitchen is used and the marble is the only material in our kitchen which is not the worse for wear. The only one. (The butcherblock, which we use as a butcherblock, not a decorative countertop, shows its wear; the painted cabinets show both dirt and some wear; the stainless sink is scratched [but I kinda like it!] and our lower wall oven is covered with my youngest's hand / face prints. I still wouldn't change a thing, however!) It's also been my experience the marble requires the least maintenance; the butcherblock I "butter" every month and the cabinets I (should) wipe every week, but the marble only requires sealing every six months or so and the occasional spot-check (like my rust). I just wanted to be completely honest about my experience, loves and regrets with our marble. Good luck!

Absolutely! The place is called Rugo. If I look around I can probably find the card of the guy we dealt with there, whose name was Gus. As I recall, they either had no weekend hours or they were very limited, but we were able to call and set up evening hours during the week to come look at the stone. They were very nice to deal with, and had an incredible selection of all different types of marble. If I ever figure out how to post pictures, I could show you some. They had slabs outdoors, in a warehouse, and I think there was another warehouse nearby as well. I found it so refreshing because usually we would go to places that had 999 slabs of granite and 1 slab of marble to choose from. This one had almost all marble. The only other stone I remember seeing there was soapstone. Having said all this, unfortunately I could not find the white carrara I wanted there. What they had was more spotted than veined. It looked like a dalmation to me! I ended up finding the right slabs elsewhere, but was kind of sorry I couldn't find it at the place that loved marble so much. It was also the only place I ever went that did not try to tell us we shouldn't use marble in the kitchen :) I think they also do marble work on some of the monuments and public buildings in DC. Anyway, good luck. If Rugo doesn't work for you, I'll be happy to share with you the places we went in Maryland too.

LOL 'Just remember, you can grow to love reliable and utilitarian a lot easier than you can a demanding diva.' !!! Thanks Joseph I understand now - sorry I misunderstood… I completely agree which is why clearstone is off the table for us….I know nothing is perfect - I was pointing out that for the cost I don't want to end up with a product that scratches more or at a minimum shows scratches more With very low expectations I am going to take one last look at some granite slabs (though I have no expectations of finding anything since I am not a fan of the 'speckling'), see if there are any quartzites I like (real quartzites I mean - not the super whites etc) and then make a decision before I kill any more brain cells….we will probably make a decision between the caesarstone calacatta nuvo or LG's minuet - (I agree Sophie that you still need to take care of these) with 4 yr old twins eating/drawing etc at the island I think I will be a much more relaxed mommy!