We've had MSI Arctic White for over 18mos now. I love it. Haven't had any scuffing, scratching, or staining issues. Damp paper towel takes most everything off. I use Clorox Wipes for coffee rings or berry "ghosting" and give it a good general wipe down 2x per week. We looked at a lot of the quartz "marble" looking options, but someone made a comment that the veins either look fake or resemble (leg) spider veins. After hearing that, I can't "unsee" it! ha! The plain white has been a perfect backdrop for adding color and texture elsewhere (grout, wood cutting boards, walls, etc.). I also find that I like seeing exactly how dirty the counter top is (so I can wipe it off)!

I am a fabricator. If the fabricator has to buy slabs specifically for your job then whatever is left over is waste you pay for. Slabs are typically 55 -65 sq. ft. and many kitchens fall into the 50 - 75 sq. ft. range so more than one slab is needed. Your best opportunity for the lowest price is working with a fabricator that stocks a color you want as he can use one full slab plus a partial slab as the leftover material goes back into his inventory for the next job. Given the preceding it is still to you advantage to shop different fabricators as pricing can vary significantly from shop to shop. The fabricators that sell only a single brand will almost always be the highest price per sq. ft.

So we decided on the following SW colors- Dover White- trim Mindful Gray- main color Dovetail-Master bedroom Naval- dining room (that will have 64" judges panel in Dover White) I still have to decide on Master bath which I may just keep Mindful Gray, and my kids' rooms. We lived abroad for many years and have several antique Asian furniture pieces, art and paintings with vivid colors and patterns so I want to keep walls and counter tops neural. Thank you everyone!

Our painter has done many homes' cabinets. They use a semi-gloss and it looks great. Just not sure how long-lasting it will be. (We will probably sell in 5 years.). The veining on the Botanica is pretty light. The older version of it - when it was made in China - was much darker.