I hope someone responds because my daughter is also considering it. Good Luck.

Solid surface is solid surface. Just like Corian. It is meant to scratch. Solid surface is softer than your thumb nail. The tag line for almost 40 years now has been: yeah it scratches, it is meant to. You can sand out the scratches yourself at home. That was ok when the only other alternative was laminate.
There are better choices out there that don't need sealing, sanding or any other maintenance.

We've owned Swanstone - similar matte finish to Corian altho a bit more heat-resistant - for twenty years, in beige granite-look counters and sinks, both in bathrooms and kitchen. Scratches are literally microscopic and can't be seen easily - in fact, our kitchen counters and drop-in sink have been in heavy use since 2003, and under ANY light there are no scratches visible. We have picture windows 15' tall and 24' across flooding daylight into our kitchen all day long, and believe me, if there were scratches easily visible they could be seen.

BUT - you do have to get the stone-patterned solid surfacing. Solid colors in solid surface countertops is like getting solid colors in W2W carpet - you are asking for stains to show up.

Also, dark colors in Corian will indeed show white scratches - that's already been reported here by several people. Swanstone's dark colors go all the way through so scratches don't show any white.

The best thing to do is obtain some samples of the solid surface material you are interested in, and put it to the test in your kitchen to see if it will work for you. Because we had owned the Swanstone integral bath sinks/counters for two decades and watched my mother try to destroy them with bleach, burning cigarettes, and Clairol Jet Black hair dye, we had every confidence that using Swanstone in our kitchen would work. My DH and I both infinitely prefer the Swanstone sink to the excellent cast-iron Kohler Executive Chef it replaced.

The Formica InDepth colors are very beautiful, so I hope it works for those of you who are interested in it. Good luck with whatever is finally chosen.

Hello,
I represent Formica Corporation and am glad you are considering InDepth solid surfacing. It doesn't scratch easier than any other solid surfacing on the market though as with all solid surfacing, we recommend that you use a cutting board. Mild scratches can be easily removed by homeowners. I've attached a link to our use and care guide. More information can be found at www.formica.com. You can also find a local dealer by calling 1-800-FORMICA. Good luck on your countertop search!

Here is a link that might be useful: Solid Surfacing by Formica Group Use and Care