Sounds like you need concrete? I'm wondering why you don't use a cutting board or trivet/hot pad?

Just curious.

I always use cutting boards and trivets/hot pads, but I am not the only person using the kitchen!

Quartz is a good option.

Try out soapstone samples.

(Stainless steel in a matte finish is evocative of the old German silver countertops and might be worth a look.)

Soapstone!

Hmm. I'd say: Quartz. Granite.. Soapstone will be good for spills. Not so sure about cuts..

Quartz isn't for setting down pans hot off the burner or out of the oven.

Nothing is good for cuts. Either the counter or the knife loses (assuming wood is out). The preferred outcome is to have to sharpen the knife instead of gouge the counter I think. And of course hope it doesn't happen much...

Nothing is good for setting down hot pans really..I have granite-still try not to do that

I don't have experience with concrete though..and stainless steel is not preferred look as I understood

I've put pans out of a 500 degree oven directly on our soapstone multiple times with no issues.

Might be good time to find Circuspeanut's old kitchen. Copper.....

You can't put hot pots onto granite, marble or quartz but you can onto soapstone. And soapstone is the perfect look for a 1924 house.

The other suggestion would be stainless steel but you said you weren't a fan. (Don't blame you.)

Soapstone is great for hot pots, but fingernails scratch it so you have to be okay with that.

I'm thinking quartz or granite might be your best bet.

The beauty of soapstone is all the scratches etc add character that looks like it belongs. (BTW: I have no skin in the game since I'm going with quartzite, but I don't have young children.)

Soapstone would fit the best aesthetically. I put dekton in my 1924 Craftsman! It's completely heat and scratch and stain tolerant - I'm really not all that concerned about the chipping/cracking issue that others worry about, but is obviously something to think about.

Thanks everyone for all your replies!!

I like the idea of soapstone. I don't really mind scratches on the counters. If needed in the future, I could probably get the scratches sanded/buffed out by someone who knows what they are doing?

My son says, "Soapstone -- that's what we use to sharpen knives in blacksmithing! We could just sharpen the knives on the counter!" Doesn't sound like a good idea to actually do this to the countertop, but I think it's a cute comment :-)

I love the look of soapstone and put it in my own kitchen but there is soapstone and there is soapstone. Some seems to be much softer than others. Mine scratches if you look at it funny and if you drop a pot lid or something it gets a white colored dent. The scratches I can deal with but these divots in the counter catch crumbs and whatever. The worst part is the rough edge where I lean in to the sink. They tell you soapstone can be easily sanded but I have had this done several times (including by a person who specializes in restoring/repairing stone surfaces) and it just does not work for my particular piece of soapstone. This was not an inexpensive slab, I chose it for the pattern and frankly, while I love the look, I often hate it.

Hot pots do not faze it nor does leaving sticky stuff or pools of water overnight (I do understand that one) but if they cut on soapstone it will leave a gauge which is way more than a scratch. I would play with lots of samples before purchasing a slab of ss.

Good luck.

Soapstone is a great looking material. I saw it yesterday in person for the first time and I loved it. Feels very nice and looks awesome in its natural state - unoiled.

Soapstone! We've had them for one year and they are perfect for all the boxes you are trying to check off. Any material will show a scratch with direct contact with a knife. Our "stormy black" doesn't scratch easily but the occasional slip of a knife shows. No maintenance unless you choose to oil/wax (totally optional). Waxing makes the scratches disappear and the veins look more dramatic. For our old house I like that they look "worked" like butcher block as opposed to "scratched" like our old Formica. If that makes sense.

Another option is to do soapstone on the perimeter/near your cooktop, and butcher block on your island/near prep.

If you get granite be sure to get one that is very dense/non-absorbent. Mine (honed finish) has been bullet-proof so far, and I share the kitchen with someone with most of the same characteristics that you cite.

With all those criteria, you've got to go sintered. Neolith or Dekton.

You can't put hot pots on granite, estone, or solid surface.

Knives will eventually scratch granite, estone, or solid surface, especially if repeated in the same area. (I'm going to refinish some granite for this very reason.)

Hard water left standing can damage granite and estone, not solid surface or sintered.

Toilet bowl and/or oven cleaner can damage granite or estone; solid surface or sintered not so much.

With all those criteria, you've got to go sintered. Neolith or Dekton.

The only problem with Neolith and Dekton right now is too many of the fabricators still are not well versed in cutting it and there have been issues with installation. If you go with either of these, make sure you see examples of finished counters with the material.

Having said that, to me both materials read more contemporary. Yes even the "marble" ones. Not sure why but they don't read 1927 craftsman.

Well, we went with diy'd butcher block. At $200 for 8 linear feet I can replace the counter every other year if I had to and not pay as much as I did for the overrated Quartz in our last house.

Honestly, I was afraid of butcher block and would have never considered it til I read a convincing review here on gardenweb. Now that we have it I think it's so pretty and warm and I can't believe more people aren't on the butcher block train. If the surface gets minor damage we can just sand it and oil it.

(Nobody shoot me please for being so old-fashioned...) How about TILE? Totally period-appropriate and pretty much bullet-proof for a good 40 years. That would be my choice after soapstone or stainless steel.

I though about tile..but too much grout..not great with spills that don't get wiped immediately..

benjesbride, I was dreaming about butcher block..dreaming. Our GC and carpenter were so much against it, saying it's bad around the sink, bad around the stove..the kitchen is too small to incorporate it partly, no island, nothing like that. I really, really wanted it, but i felt like I know so much less than people who are actually working with it. Especially the carpenter..who by the way had absolutely gorgeous piece of walnut in his shop..he didn't gain anything by not making wood counters for us, so it sounded like an objective advice..

We went with Quarzt. I'll see how it works...I do keep this butcher block idea for the future.

I had a kitchen that could take all you list. I had giallo ornamental granite and never sealed it either. 7 years later when we sold it looked as good as the day it was installed. I'd recommend a busy mid to dark granite.

benjesbride, I thought seriously about the butcher block strategy (use inexpensive butcher block and replace when needed). But I don't want it next to the sink, and our kitchen is small enough that a lot of the counter space is next to the sink.

We have a butcher block surface in our kitchen currently. It's the top of a used IKEA "freestanding kitchen" thing with drawers. When we got it cheaply off Craigslist, the top was already beat up and stained, and we sanded it down and oiled it. One thing I've noticed about the butcher block is that because it's wood, my husband and kids think of it as a cutting board, and cut and prepare things directly on it, even though I tell them not to. So it accumulates lots of cut marks and stains. I don't much mind how this looks (especially since it isn't a permanent kitchen counter), but I feel like it never gets properly clean, since it can't be washed in the sink like regular cutting boards. At least with our other kitchen counters (laminate) people make more effort to remember to use a cutting board.

Navy Momma, I'm glad the granite held up well for you! One thing we don't want on the counter is a busy pattern, though. We would rather have a more uniform color with relatively unobtrusive veining or pattern. The more highly patterned granite can be very beautiful (I'm amazed at some of the countertops people post here!) but too visually distracting for my work area.

I'm glad to hear all these positive comments about soapstone!

I found a lot of other threads where people posted about various cosmetic issues with their soapstone like water spots, areas turning lighter or darker, surface being too rough or smooth, chips around the sink, scratches, pits, cut marks, etc. But it seems that it would not be too difficult to spruce it up and make it look pretty when company comes over (or if the house is being sold). Actually, perfect unblemished counters would probably just make the rest of the house look shabby, so some "patina" would help the counters fit in :-)

dataw1127, I'm sorry you have had those problems with your soapstone, I will definitely stress-test any samples we get!

We are not too far from the M. Teixeira location in San Francisco, so we can go look at different kinds of soapstone and get samples. We will try that.

I'm a little concerned that soapstone would feel too dark in our kitchen. A while ago we tried covering some of our laminate (dark busy pattern) with cheap vinyl stuff that looks like fake white marble, and we have really been enjoying the light color of those counter areas.