white counters

silestone can survive a nucular bum, and requires no maintenance

Corian? Except it does stain from red substances.

I have white caesarstone. It is fantastic - no concerns about stains.

I would agree a Caesarstone or Silesstone is the way to go.

I have considered Glassos before, but honestly have not used it so I can't really recommend it yet...could be worth looking into, or maybe someone on here has experience with it.

http://www.ccsstone.com/nano.htm

My suggestion is to get a sample of each one you're considering and live with the samples in the kitchen for a few weeks. Dump ketchup, oil, lemon juice and wine on them and leave the stuff on for a few hours before cleaning. BTW, the best white manufactured quartz countertop I've ever seen is Absolute White from Okite (pronounced oh-kee-tay). Okite used to be hard to get, but now has opened up a U.S. distributor in Texas.

I agree with most, Silestone and Caeserstone are the way to go. They can stain though and i believe should be sealed every year.It is much better then Marble and granite in that regard. Corian can stain but what I like about it is that you can sand it down and polish and it looks brand new.

And white Formica is even more low-maintenance, as it requires no annual "sealing" or special cleaning.

thank you all, good suggestions.

Primer05, what can stain Sileston or Caesarstone?

Formica is only "low-maintenance" because you can't fix it once it's easily ruined -- it gets cigarette burns, knife cuts and hot-pot marks all over it. Plus it delaminates.

"Formica is only "low-maintenance" because you can't fix it once it's easily ruined -- it gets cigarette burns, knife cuts and hot-pot marks all over it."

So don't live like a pig. Stop burning it with cigarettes, use a cutting board, and pull out a trivet.

*****

"Plus it delaminates."

Maybe after 100 years.

My mother's 1965 formica still looks brand-new.

Of course, silly Mom doesn't smoke, uses cutting boards and trivets, and wipes up spills.

Go figure.

Alan,

I do not know the answer to that however I am starting a project at the Stark building at 15 Broad and they have a caesar stone counter and it is stained, we will be removing the stain and sealing.

One other thing,

If anyone has a stain on any existing stone there is a product that really works great. It is called Poultice. I would not use it yourself but tell your contractor.

I hate light counters. I recently replaced my formica with mottled granite, and I can't tell when the counters are dirty, so less cleaning.

I'm pretty sure they're filthy cesspools of salmonella, dirt and dried food, but if I can't see it, who cares? Wonderful product.

"I hate light counters. I recently replaced my formica with mottled granite, and I can't tell when the counters are dirty, so less cleaning.

I'm pretty sure they're filthy cesspools of salmonella, dirt and dried food, but if I can't see it, who cares? Wonderful product."

Ugh.

This is precisely why I prefer light counters with solid colours.

ha. this is the reason i NEED an all white kitchen and ideally bathrooms.

colors, Matthew, not colours.

Why do you care how dirty your Fourmica kitchen counter is if you always use cutting boards, ashtrays, trivets, etc.? And don't you keep them covered in vinyl slipcovers so they'll keep looking Fourmica-fabulous fourever?

No slipcovers necessary, Alan.

Just good old-fashioned common sense.

Alan, Matt, are you two married? For a long time?

That's the only explanation for the tenor of your arguments.

We have white caesar stone counters with wenge cabinets. The counter
Has held up well for the past 5 years with no stains. Very durable! I wasnt aware that I needed
To seal it. What is used for this?

Sealer is used for stone that is porous. The man made stones are not as porous as marble or granite and thats why you have no stains and you might never have them. With that said putting a coat of sealer on it would not hurt and can only help.

White formica is a disaster waiting to happen, even for a neat-freak who uses a cutting board and wipes up spills quickly. I had in the four places I lived prior to this one. Something always inevitably stained it (a drop of red wine, an exploding espresso machine, a tiny splash of yellow curry), and the stain would set in fast. The heat from the dishwasher also caused the section above it to delaminate.

That said, what's with the focus on cigarette burns? Who the heck smokes at their kitchen counter? Hopefully no one whose house I'm eating at... That's gross and unsanitary.

lad, the only topic on which NYCMatt and alanhart agree on is smoking.

White manmade crystallized glass is stunning and virtually nonporous material
http://www.coveringsetc.com/detail.aspx?ID=480

"Who the heck smokes at their kitchen counter?"

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_isUvlzkZPIQ/TE1L99hU7SI/AAAAAAAAGp4/BFiQrfhPXRc/s1600/betty-draper.jpg

"I hate light counters. I recently replaced my formica with mottled granite, and I can't tell when the counters are dirty, so less cleaning.

I'm pretty sure they're filthy cesspools of salmonella, dirt and dried food, but if I can't see it, who cares? Wonderful product."

Ugh.

This is precisely why I prefer light counters with solid colours."

@NYCMATT: This is precisely why we need some kind of icon that indicates a facetious comment.

I am a great believer in 511 Impregnator from the Miracle Sealants Co. -- I think you can buy it at Home Depot. I've used it on granite and slate. I'll be using it on ceasarstone if I ever get to move into my new place.

I second the 511 Impregnator - works like a charm on my countertops.

511 impregnator is a stone sealer highly recommended by the guy who just honed and polished the marble in my bathroom. But the thing about Ceaserstone countertops is that they don't stain. They're not porous like natural stone. Just call the company. I don't suppose sealing them would be a problem, however, particularly if you are going for a "white" surface.

Re Cesaerstone: I did an experiment when selecting a countertop. I got a sample of Cesaerstone (I think I used "Pebble"). Then I did everything to it that poses a risk to counters and natural stone: I put balsamic vinegar on it; red wine; mashed up raspberries on it; squeezed lemon juice and left the lemon on it. Then I set the sample aside for 24 hours. When I rinsed it off the next day, there was a slight shadow from one item--I think raspberries. I softly scrubbed with Bon Ami cleanser. Perfect. The sample looked indistinguishable from the control duplicate sample I had set aside the day before.

Now, after 2 years, the counter remains like the day it was installed. It is also fairly resistent to chipping because I've dropped some anodized aluminum Calphalon pots that weights a ton on occassion (only a couple of inches, but still...) and banged plates and whatnot at the edge around the undermount sink, and nothing has broken or chipped. I think the product is miraculous. And as modern as it is, it looks fantastic in my fairly classic-design kitchen.

I used a danby marble - think it was the royal danby. It's more stain resistant than other marbles and granites. It's not perfect, but it's well worth it if you like marble.