Yes. Stainless. That's why it's used in commercial kitchens. If you don't like the form, you may like the function enough to make it worth it to you. Personally, I think it looks awesome. Or wood or butcher block, maybe something harder than bamboo (I don't know the rating for bamboo's hardness). You can always sand and refinish a wood counter top once it shows too much abuse to be aesthetically pleasing.

My first thought was also stainless. I laughed when it was the one thing you'd already ruled out.

I have always heard that quartz is bullet proof, which is why landlords are choosing to install that nowadays. But I have no personal experience.

My mom has dark blue quartzite counters that were installed in the second half of the 1990s and still look the same as when they were installed. No etching, scratches, dings, stains -- nothing. I think you have to find the right quartzite though. Not all of them are so impervious.

I cook in her house often, and the only thing we don't do on or to those counters is put hot stuff directly on them. I bake, so this has included food coloring over the years. There have been times when something like pomegranate juice has stained the counter very briefly, but it just seems to fade away?

Why not large porcelain tiles?

Try the engineered quartzes.

Food coloring does not stain Corian. Corian is virtually inert. I have been refinishing Corian for over 20 years and have not met a "stain" that I couldn't remove with a green Scotch Brite pad.

Battery acid will etch Corian, as it will stone and estone, however, I got the etch out of the Corian. Stone and estone, not so much.

Magic Erasers are the devil's handwork. They are actually sandpaper which marketers have convinced folks is safe to use on things it should NEVER be used on. Which is to say that I would recommend a HD laminate. It's darn tough, and will withstand wear and tear very well. Just not regular bouts with sandpaper. :-)

It will be hard to beat HD laminate, given your needs. Some of them are jaw dropping, and you seem to have fared well with laminate. I love the sparkly jade shades, but below is a link to something light and bright:

Here is a link that might be useful: [Gorgeous white HD laminate[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/modern-cottage-on-a-budget-modern-kitchen-portland-maine-phvw-vp~1442626)

i don't know what granite sample you are using but most really should not stain even with food coloring. my counter was light enough to give me pause.
i had a formica dark green counter before reno that held up ok but did get stains from blueberries, food coloring, etc that were left too long. i now have a light granite that i tested with all that stuff and it was fine. i have found spots of rasp/blueberry/tomato sauce that was missed overnight and it wipes right off with a soapy sponge. it has been sealed so maybe you are using unsealed samples?
what i learned on this site is that the darker granites are so dense, they can not absorb sealer ie won't absorb any stains either. try some dark granites like uba tuba, baltic brown, etc.

What about a specialty laminate like Formica ColorCore II
or Chemtop?

Limited colors, including white, but color core is white all the way through, and Chemtop is more resistant, so either of those may wear better than typical laminate.

I found that any "stains" on my light color corian would come out with bleach or oxiclean.

I'm with the other folks, stainless. I do love corian though, very easy for a busy kitchen.

Thanks for the ideas. Yes, stainless does seem like it would be ideal, doesn't it? But the scratching and denting possibilities do not appeal, nor does the overall look. It would be an overwhelming statement with the square footage of our countertops, a bit too modern for our tastes as well.

We've strongly considered and are considering the HD laminates, but it would require a lot of seams (our counter runs are larger than a sheet of laminate in both dimensions) and the newer finishes are a concern. How sanitary are the etchings and pitted finishes? That seems like a breeding ground for bacteria.

Which leads us back to Corian or a Corian-type countertop material. We've attacked our stained Corian samples with a Scotch-brite-like pad and soapy water and the stains are coming off! These stains are a couple months old, too. Thanks for the tip, Trebuchet!

Cori4137, that is very encouraging as we have had all those challenges to our current laminate which has not fared so well. The superglue is still firmly attached and the rust required a Magic Eraser to remove, which also removed the finish with it, but it was better than looking at the rust.

One of the concerns we have with Corian is if it can be installed next to the stove. We have a standard 30" stove but often put 2 large canners for water bath canning on the stovetop. They don't overlap the edges of the stove, but the stove does get hot. Would this be a problem? When we take out jars, we set them on a folded towel, so we wouldn't be putting hot jars directly on the countertop, and we always use hotpads or trivets. Would an iron trivet transfer the heat from the item into the Corian? Can Mr. Clean be used on Corian?

Also, are all brands of Corian-type similar in performance or are some brands better than others? We have samples of Hi-Macs and Corian but also have a Menards locally which has its house brand called Corinthian.

Is Corian installed over a base of plywood? Or is it installed directly over the countertops?

Thanks again for all the comments. We are looking forward to hearing more. There isn't as much about Corian on the web from a personal user's perspective.

I've never had Corian, but so far I'm in love with the quartz we had installed last summer in our new house. We have laminate where we live now (replaced an older laminate 10 or so years ago). It worked great for us, but we are not terribly hard on stuff. Bar Keepers Friend or Bon Ami and some innocuous spray cleaner is all I recall ever using on it.)

I'm not crazy about the laminates that try to look like rocks, but lots of people love them. I guess I don't like it when something looks like one thing, but feels like another to the touch. I don't think our quartz tries to look like rock, but then, I'm a geologist, so I'm more tuned in to that than a normal person. For real stone, bulletproof and light-colored, it sounds like quartzite has been successful for people that manage to get actual quartzite.

(Trebuchet, would you mind filling me in on your examples regarding battery acid etches on quartz? Are people working on cars in their kitchens or are you talking about some kind of battery that might normally be found in or around a kitchen counter? I should know this!)

When we got our countertop (15? years ago), I went to Lowes and asked what is the best surface that would be impervious to 3 boys - the salesman said I wanted solid surface. The old laminate was warped and bubbled around the sink, scratched, and looked horrible.

We chose Corian. I have spilled food coloring on it and it came right up with Bar Keeper's friend. The integrated sink does stain easily (light color) but also cleans up easily with BKF.

I have had 2 canning pots running at the same time and no problem. I would not put hot pans directly on it, but I have never done that with any countertop.

If I look at it at any angle, I can see scratches, but we chose Sandstone, a busy and light-colored pattern, and you can't see them from the top.

I love marble or wood countertops, but they are not practical for us. We are in the preliminary planning stages for a remodel since we have decided that this is our retirement home. I thought about quartz, which we have in the bathroom, but will probably go with Corian again for the ease of cleaning and durability.

We used to have corian and I loved it. Just wanted something different this time and something more in line with house age so we did soapstone this time. I never had a stain that couldn't be removed on the 20 yr old corian. I'm also really surprised that a stain was not removeable from soapstone. M Teixiera is a reputable ss company so I'm sure you got real soapstone. The only kind of 'stain' I've gotten on soapstone is oil and that comes off with dawn and a blue scrubbie. We've used food coloring on soapstone when baking, but I have a habit of using a paperplate underneath when measuring out anything to catch the drips and stray granules. Maybe a bulletproof granite?

What are you using to remove the stains? I find Bar Keeper's Friend will brighten my 40+ year old solid white laminate countertops right up to the point that they look great. And I am a messy, stain prone cook. I actually think laminate is a great choice if you don't like stainless steel. People really do like their engineered stone so I'd look at that as well.

We have ~10 year old butcher block for some of countertops and I wouldn't recommend it. They are harder to maintain and we have rings of cast iron lid stains on ours. Comparatively the laminate looks great. Maybe older laminate was better quality? Not sure. Good luck.

Mags438, the Alberene soapstone that stained was un-oiled. Once we oiled it, it did not stain. We weren't able to easily remove the first stain though with 80 grit sandpaper used by hand. We tried it un-oiled as we had hoped to leave it un-oiled. The Tulikivi soapstone did not stain and was the nicest of the soapstones, but it is the most expensive. We've considered putting it next to the stove, but the darkness of the material is the concern there.

The granite samples we have came from HD. They appear to be sealed. Riverwhite was one that stained. The problem with a dark granite or quartz is that the kitchen doesn't have enough natural light. Dark counters makes it more difficult to see the things that need to be cleaned off and to work on.

Our cleaner of choice is Mr. Clean Multi-Surfaces Anti-Bacterial Spray (we only use Mr. Clean Magic Eraser under extenuating circumstances). Can this be used without harming the countertop on Corian? Granite? Quartz?

Thanks again for all the helpful comments!

" Are people working on cars in their kitchens or are you talking about some kind of battery that might normally be found in or around a kitchen counter?"

A friend once rented out an apartment to someone who rebuilt a motorcycle on the living room rug, and not neatly. He was unhappy about that. Things happen. In our house, the kitchen is the strongly defended domain of one person, but in many others it's really the main focus of household life, and things happen. A lot.

The wife was going to go out with our daughter on Saturday to buy a five foot piece of marble or granite (or whatever, I don't get a say) for a lav area (the kitchen comes next year and this buy is a test) and she says she's going to wait for this thread to run some more as she's learning more from the posts above than from the store clerks.

This post was edited by grubby_me on Thu, Jan 15, 15 at 13:06

double post

This post was edited by Cori4137 on Thu, Jan 15, 15 at 15:27

I managed to crack my Corian with the heat from my crock pot many years ago. Totally my fault. I would sit the crock pot directly on the counter with only the little feet that are attached to it. I had used it this way for years with no trouble, but repeated use in the same area of the counter proved to be an issue.

I now put the crock pot on stone coasters to allow for more air circulation under the pot. I've never had any other issue with the Corin and heat though, including next to my stove.

The Manufacture repaired the crack and it's seamless, with no indication of the previous crack.

We also left our house for a couple of years for a work assignment and we rented it out during that time. Based on some other things that happened to the house while we were gone, I know that one of the set of renters was not the most careful with the house, Yet, the Corian survived just fine.

I've never personally used Mr. Clean, but I have used many different products on the Corian with no issues. Including Clorox bleach spray, Method multi purpose cleaner, Method granite cleaner, even Windex. I use bleach mixed with water on it several times a week too.

"One of the concerns we have with Corian is if it can be installed next to the stove. We have a standard 30" stove but often put 2 large canners for water bath canning on the stovetop. They don't overlap the edges of the stove, but the stove does get hot. Would this be a problem?"

No, as long as you follow the appliance manufacturer's use instructions.

"When we take out jars, we set them on a folded towel, so we wouldn't be putting hot jars directly on the countertop, and we always use hotpads or trivets. Would an iron trivet transfer the heat from the item into the Corian?"

No.

"Can Mr. Clean be used on Corian?"

Yes.

"Also, are all brands of Corian-type similar in performance or are some brands better than others? We have samples of Hi-Macs and Corian but also have a Menards locally which has its house brand called Corinthian."

DuPont's patent on Corian ran out many years ago, so many solid surfaces are "Corian" such as Livingstone. The question is whether or not the solid surface is acrylic like Corian, or polyester like certain types of Avonite, or a blend like Wilsonart solid surface. Each has an advantage or tradeoff, but I prefer the acrylics.

"Is Corian installed over a base of plywood? Or is it installed directly over the countertops?"

Solid surface is installed on strip underlayment of MDF, cabinet-grade plywood, metal, or directly on cabinets. Solid underlayment or installation directly over old countertops voids any residential warranty because it does not allow heat dissipation.

Trivet use is recommended by all solid surface and estone manufacturers and the MIA recommends trivet use for natural stone. This makes them equal for all practical purposes.

"Trebuchet, would you mind filling me in on your examples regarding battery acid etches on quartz? Are people working on cars in their kitchens or are you talking about some kind of battery that might normally be found in or around a kitchen counter? I should know this!"

When DuPont introduced their line of quartz, Zodiaq, I sold more of it in my distributor's area than anyone else. I got a call from a $12,500.00 job that a candle had etched the top. I took the candle back to my shop and could not get it to etch a cutoff of the same material.

I noticed there were teenagers in the house and that when I moved a battery charger from one backsplash duplex receptacle to the one that had the candle sat in front of it, the etches in the charger, the backsplash, and the top lined up perfectly.

I'm no detective, but I was a teenager for a while. I'm fairly certain that if I had damaged mom and dad's new 12K top, I too would have come up with some bull$#!t story about a candle which happened to be large enough to hide the etch for a few weeks.

DuPont flew a tech out and flew her back after they had developed a repair technique which was the basis for a technical bulletin still in use today. It was obvious customer abuse, but DuPont ate it anyway.

All of what Treb said. We chose a Formica brand solid surface like Corian, in a light background crazy pattern (sea glass). It does show small surface scratches (think patina) but we are not gentle with it. I've not had anything leave a stain on it. We love it.