I highly recommend Silestone. We purchased ours through Home Depot. It's green, beautiful, durable and now even antimicrobial.
Ours is almost seven years old and I love more all the time.

Here is a link that might be useful: Silestone

We have polished Bianco Carrara marble in our kitchen and could not be happier with our choice. Almost everyone tried to talk us out of it. And those who were 'okay' with marble were definitely not okay with polished! My wife won out and, three months later, we have no regrets. Yes we have a few scratches and etch marks but I honestly only notice them when sealing the marble (which I have done three times). Other times, I may see an etch, shrug and then move on. If you really like the look of marble, I don't think any of the engineered stones can truly mimic that.
Hope that helps
E

What about one of the white quartz materials from

Caesarstone:
Pure white (not marble like)
Misty Carrera (sort of marble like)

Silestone:
White Zeus (a pure white)

Zodiaq:
Bianco Carrara (white with an active grey veining)

Cambria:
Waverton (white with grey veining)
Whitehall (a pure white)

I hear your pain! I have been searching for white countertop (100 sq/ft) for months and found to Cambria in Snowden White (about 8K); honed Carrera marble (6500K); fell completely in love with Crystal ice quartzite/marble and have yet to hear a price though it is "high" per the salesperson. Tonight I finally got a quote for White Princess which is a white granite which looks like white ice and it was 18K....I fell off my chair! But the manager was nice enough to sell it on "sale" for 15K. Not so much on this budget....best of luck in your search- sending white countertop vibes your way!

Our Raincloud corian will be installed next Thurs.

thanks for all of the suggestions! I am fairly certain I will not do real marble. I had no idea white granite could cost so much! That will be out too if that's the case...
phyl1345, do you mind sharing how much the Corian raincloud goes for? Does it really look "marble-like" irl? I need to find a place to see it. Any details on it would be great!

I really think you should be strongly considering the quartz products. I have used both Silestone and Zodiaq in past kitchens and LOVED them. I am doing a condo rehab now and will be using Zodiaq's Snow White(it's more of a solid white).

The quartz products are easy to maintain, no scratching, no sealing and very, very little staining (which is easily cleaned up). I never set hot pots on any countertop without a pot holder underneath.

Corian DOES scratch. If you can live with that "patina" or regular resurfacing expense, it is a much softer surface than stone.

Best of luck to you.

I so relate to this! My countertop search started with the following criteria: it had to be white, or extreeeeeemely light; NO granite; no shine; no prominent seams; no special treatment-- we are a family with young kids and we need a practical, durable surface. I loved Rain Cloud, and also fell in love with Caesarstone Misty Carrera. Sadly, my quotes for those both came back at between $80 and $120 per square foot, installed, which is just too expensive for our modest budget. I ended up getting Formica solid surface (Corian equivalent) in a color called Bleached Concrete. It came in at less than $50/sf. It will be installed next week (whee!). I would give the Caesarstone a look if you really like marble, because it has that crystalline depth and twinkle, but I think Rain Cloud is beautiful installed. And don't be scared off by reports of "scratching" and "patina." I've lived with Corian, and yeah, it will scuff and scratch, but not deeply *at all.* And because it's completely matte, marks are not noticeable and do eventually blend in. I wouldn't necessarily call it patina--that always makes me think of things that look distressed and heavily used. Corian gets a bad rap on the forum, but it's a good-looking and practical choice. Good luck, let us know what you end up with!

We are paying $3,088. for 80.21 sq ft. ~ also $329. for a 36" divided undermounted integrated sink. ~ plus some other charges etc. etc.

We have had corian in the masterbath for five years ~ it looks exactly the same as the day it was installed ~ I love the fact that there is absolutely no evidence of a line joining the sink basin to the countertop ~

There are no scratches; but, then again, it *is* a bathroom ~ maybe we will find that the kitchen counters won't hold up as well ~~ but with the swirly pattern of Raincloud it probably won't be an issue.

Good luck with your decision ~~~~

The Lowes near me has a display of Corian Rain Cloud and it is really pretty. Two of my friends have Corian and love it. I have debated about going with it for my own home but DH and I like the look of quartz better.

There is a Formica color called White Onyx that is pretty. It also has a little bit of a textured finish called "sparkle finish" that gives it a bit of shimmer. I have not seen a whole countertop of this, but we have it on our list of colors. We just can't decide if we want to go really light or really dark.

I just completed a kitchen renovation and used Calacatta marble for the island and soapstone for the exterior counter. I love walking into the kitchen and seeing the white marble. I was worried about putting it in because of stains, etc., but came to the conclusion that you should just do what you love. I am attaching a link to the blog if you are interested to see the pictures...Good luck.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen reno

Lini--great looking kitchen.
I love the stools. Can you tell me where they are from?

Thanks.

I admit I'm not a great fan of Corian, but haven't seen it in awhile and I'm sure there are nicer looking choices now than I remember. However, I think you're doing soapstone on the perimeters? I'd be afraid to use something that might look or be made to look plasticky in the same kitchen because of being next to the soapstone, and would prefer quartz to that if you can't do granite or deal with marble. JMO.

oh, you're right rhome, I didn't think about how it would look with the soapstone... I was just happy thinking about it on it's own as a marble alternative! The only problem with using quartz is I hear that Ceasarstone Misty Carrera is a more gray stone - I am really wanting a white background with veining or swirly movement. Is there another quartz that might fit that desc? My head is swimming!

I once saw a quartz by Okite called carrera ...loooked pretty good. But I think Okite might be a little harder to find than other brands of quartz.

Sandlll,

Do you love Corian or is this a settle?

I know this is hard, you have been searching so long,
but get what you love. Life is too short. I think what
Lini did was smart. She got what she loved. If you can
get a piece of Corian to scratch, rub, play with...
You will see that while it might be a little more sturdy
than Marble it has it's own set of issues to contend
with. As does Quartzite, Cambria, and even granite.
There really is not a perfect counter for each person.
Each one has a price both finiancial and emotional.
But there is a perfect love. And for what it is worth
Marble is not much more expensive than a granite, Quartz,
or corian. The best price would be formica.

If you love the look of marble I say go for it. The
etching, staining and minor scratches can be buffed away,
or honed in place or refinished in your home later when
your children are older. Meanwhile, You will enjoy using
your marble every day even with the tiny imperfections.
Those imperfections will be a sign of the love you have in
your family.

Thinking of you and knowing you will find the right
surface. I vote for get what you love! Fall head
over heels in love, life is just too short not too.
~boxerpups

I am sure you read these posts but just in case others
have not, it is helpful if you are thinking of Marble

Honed marble countertops 3 years later? Photos? Experience?
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0515282622706.html

Honed marble countertops 3 years later? Photos? Experience?

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg070036392578.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Anyone regret getting marble counters?

I installed Corian Rain Cloud after looking at a variety of marble look a likes. I love marble, but it can be hard to maintain and I have a sloped kitchen in an old house...would stress the stone. I LOVE THE CORIAN! I think I like it even better than marble now. I had it honed (non shine) as that what the installers said they are doing with all the marble on direction from the designers. You can see pics of my counters here: http://gildedmint.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-to-update-your-kitchenwithout.html

Also, call around...don't go to Lowes or Home Depot. I went with a surfacing company and it was around $55 installed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rain Cloud Kitchen photos