What type of countertop is right for you?

I have put in a bit o' research trying decipher what is what in the world of countertops.  I feel like I know a lot about what to expect with granite being that it is pretty common now-a-days and that my parents have granite as well, however, I am not very familiar with most  other countertop options other than laminate. 
I was able to use my consumer reports membership to find ratings on countertops that was completed less than a year ago.  Of course I will share.  :)  They rated all the most common countertops by stains, cutting, heat, abrasion and impact.

Rankings are as follows:

1.  quartz (engineered stone i.e silestone, caesarstone)
2.  granite
3. recycled glass
4. laminate
5. tile
6. solid surfacing (i.e. corian)
7. soapstone
8. concrete
9. stainless steel
10. butcher block (varnished)
11. paper composite
12. limestone
13. butcher block (oil finish)
14. marble
15. bamboo (beeswax finish)

*There was a big gap in scoring  between #s 2&3, 5&6, 13&14

Anyways, pretty much the only difference in scoring for granite & quartz was that granite needs to be sealed a couple times a year-a process that only takes a couple minutes.  Other than that, it's pretty much aesthetics and how the material is made. Every area for these two products was very highly rated with the exception of impact-well, it's a hard material, so things will break if they are dropped on it.  duh!
 Since solid surfacing was also in my runnings, I should discuss its score a bit.  It scored mediocre because (as I mentioned in a previous post), it scratches easily and gets damaged with cutting & abrasion but takes decently well to heat, stains and impact.

I also looked at several other websites that had some really good info prior to coming across these ratings.

• The Family Handyman pros & cons of countertop materials
• Chowhound granite vs. solid surfacing vs. engineered stone
• Standard Kitchens a description of each different kind of countertop
• Solid design a description of different counter materials as well as who they think has the advantage...I feel this is skewed being that they fabricate granite & marble but still some good info

 After all that research, I decided that quartz & granite were pretty much the only two safe options for my busy not so tidy family.  Also didn't want WWIII the first time my husband or I stained the counter by not wiping it down!  Since we decided a couple days ago that we want black or dark counters, and we had already chosen a black granite (absolute black honed) that we like-GRANITE WINS!!!!   This may not be the best choice for all, but for us, we don't want to be stressed over our counters getting destroyed and I like to have a house that can withstand kiddos and time.  Supposedly black honed counters show lots of finger prints, but oddly this does not bother me.  My parents have shiny black granite and the prints on theirs rarely bother me as well as the prints on my neighbor's honed black granite. 
If anyone in the area has found a steal of a deal on honed absolute granite in the Portland area, we would love to have the name.

Countertop Conundrum

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Countertops-so many decisions.  A few weeks ago I had some time sans kiddos in the afternoon so I shuffled my booty over to the Basco appliance outlet, Schoolhouse electric (ok, this was just for fun and to drool a little while sipping on some coffee from Ristretto Roasters) and Pental Granite

They have an amazing selection of just about any kind of solid surface countertop  you can imagine.  A couple people had referred me there.  After signing a waiver for your life and limbs, you are free to roam hundreds of slabs of counter tops.  Then you can write down the ones you like, and they will send you home with a cute little bag of samples.  I did just that.

the big piece is the honed absolute granite

 I have always imagined lovely black honed countertops.  While shiny counters look great in some peoples kitchens, it's just not for us.  Not for old houses wanting to maintain/revive their historic charm.  I think we are going to go with absolute granite in a honed finish.  We were considering the anticado absolute black finish (which is basically honed with some indentations in it) but Steve noticed that things just seem to slide (which doesn't make sense being that it is not completely smooth) around on it. We have heard that fingerprints show on dark honed granite, however, my neighbor has dark honed granite and 3 kids-the prints in her kitchen don't bother me or Steve so I think we're good on that.  I looked at many black quartz countertops, but none of them were quite solid enough in color for me.

both pix via

I also love the look of Carrara marble but well, that won't work for us.  We are just too messy of people.  yup.  We don't wipe down our counters each time we use them.  Sometimes not even each day.  I can just imagine juice and wine staining the counters the first week.  Yes, you can have the stains removed, but for a price.  Lovely, but not practical for people with kids.  Unless you don't allow colored liquids, or food for that matter, in your home, or you never eat at your home.  We are neither.  However, I did do some research into other materials that resemble marble.  I found a couple great blogs that show other options that closely resemble Carrara marble.

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 I feel in love with the Corian Rain cloud when I was at Ikea (although I only saw a small sample) but then I was doing some research and found out that Corian scratches, is soft (I love the hardy feel of granite) and can burn with prolonged heat ( I will admit that I do not always remember take the time to put a pot holder under things).

Just for fun, this lady was having the same countertop conundrum as me last fall and she decided on superwhite granite-doesn't that look awesome!

Other colors mentioned over at Aubrey & Lindsays Little House blog are Caesarstone misty carrera and cambria torquay.   The 4 men, 1 lady blog recommends white quartzite, pearl quartzite, quartzite super white, and cashmere white granite.  Based on the pix, my fav is probably the quartzite super white.  We need to find a local place (maybe pental?) that carries this color to go check it out.

What counter top material have you found to work in your kitchen?  Any great places or installers in Portland to recommend? budget friendly?
What material really is best?  I have done a bit of research on this topic so more to come soon!