Clear shelf liner that you can remove or I used to use a glass tray underneath.

Currently I'm using my bathroom vanity as a counter prep so I use shelf liner and all the stains or drips gets wiped off easily.

I actually really like the idea of a piece of glass. I could get a piece custom cut & smoothed out pretty inexpensively and attach little pads to the bottom. Easy to keep clean and doesn't detract from the counter itself. :) Thank you!

Our espresso machine was one of my deciding factors for soapstone! I still think I should have a tray to contain the grounds. I make a mess every morning.

brdrl, I can totally relate! Well, actually my husband is the one who makes a mess with the grounds but he does his best to keep the counter clean. They get everywhere regardless though.

I would find a pretty tray. My worry with glass is that if he makes a mess and gets grounds or spills underneath, he won't clean it up properly, because moving everything will be too much hassle.

I use a piece of Plast-o-Mat ribbed shelf liner from Lowes. It's not that noticeable since it pretty clear and it contains the spilled coffee, creamer and grounds in the ribs plus its easy to wipe clean.

BB&B has that ribbed shelf liner.

We use a Chemex and my Dh is always dripping coffee all over our whitish granite. That's the beauty of granite - drips just wipe up. We do have a small blue ribbed rubber pad under the Chemex but that's so it doesn't fly off the counter!

I have granite and just set my coffee maker right on it. If I make a mess I wipe it up...

I was just wondering the same thing! I'm looking for a cute tray but I also like the idea of glass...

If it's a matter of it being an easier cleanup to have something to pick up and remove loose grounds, I'd go with a tray.

But I agree with jerzeegirl & gotgoatmilk about just wiping the coffee drips off the granite. If it's sealed, it seems that wouldn't be a problem.

I guess I don't see the point of having beautiful stone as a feature only to cover it with ribbed plastic sheets. Reminds me of when people keep plastic dust covers on lampshades.

I have a light granite, and it's great to see the coffee spills. No issues with staining- it just wipes right up. I agree with amck2, I would not want to cover up the stone. I'm sure most granites can handle coffee spills and grinds.

An inconspicuous plastic or glass cover is a small tradeoff to prevent possible permanent staining on stone, particularly a light color.

My Nespresso machine, SodaStream and the canisters of tea bags, coffee pods and stevia all sit on a tray. I can pull the tray out to clean and put everything back. I used to have a very large Jura Capressa machine with all the gadgets and I used a tray then, too.

Great thread. I just had beautiful Colonial White counter tops installed and I want to avoid the issues with the coffee maker. I would like to opt for a glass tray of some sort.

I'm looking for some kind of stainless steel shield. I wipe up every time, but that means moving the cinnamon and everything else that's on the tray as well. I'd really just like to contain the splashing a little better.