I love my quartz. Have you been out to look at options? They make so many now, I have to think you can find something that meets those specs. Here is a pic of mine, though mine is probably more white than you want and is discontinued. :( We have white cabinets, marble backsplash and a blue island. Good luck. I think looking at countertops is the fun part!

I decided to look up gray quartz. Here are a couple of options. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Silestone-2-in-x-4-in-Quartz-Countertop-Sample-in-Polaris-SS-Q0810/312220050

https://www.lghausysusa.com/viatera/color/view.do?pid=2020010910402200664

https://www.lghausysusa.com/viatera/color/view.do?pid=2020011016093000721

Kelleg69 - your kitchen is beautiful, thank you for sharing. We haven’t really been out looking yet (thank you, Covid 19) so I’m trying to start by looking into my options online - that way I’m prepared when things reopen. Can quartz be matte? (Sorry I cant tell the finish in your pic). What is the maintenance like for quartz? Thank you so much.

I have Silestone Calcutta Gold

kelleg, what quartz do you have? I am doing our master bath next.

Corian Cirrus White is white with gray in it. Durable, bulletproof, and no fuss.

Unlike engineered stone, it is much more easily repaired. Since you have to use trivets for hot pots on each, granite too, that makes them essentially equal in the heat resistance department. Never etches like marble or stains like stone and estone.

You can have an integrated stainless steel sink too. No caulk line:

What is your budget

Joseph, I have a question for you about Corian. We are doing our master bath and at a showroom the rep showed us a sample of Corian stratus white. I really like it, and have two bathroom counters using Corian in my primary home up north.

we are currently interviewing workers to see how we will tackle this bathroom.

Whenever I mention Corian they all say they haven’t done it in years. One even compared it to the old cultured marble that is currently on the vanity.

So, what’s the deal currently with Corian? Is it because they are not capable of installing it?

Of your Home Depot options, I love the Aura, light, graceful, just enough movement. It was on my short list when we redid our kitchen but I ended up going with Caesarstone Noble Gray which is grayer with more veining.

jlj48- budget is “flexible”. I say this because we have a small 1920s kitchen so there is not a ton of countertop. What are you thinking?

I don’t think people are installing much of the original Corian from years ago. However there is quartz that is being sold under the Corian name. Maybe that’s where the confusion lies.

Don’t let them talk you out of Corian! They haven’t installed it in years as the decided not to be certified by DuPont! It’s NOT anything like cultured marble.

"Whenever I mention Corian they all say they haven’t done it in years. One even compared it to the old cultured marble that is currently on the vanity."

Comparing Corian to cultured marble is idiocy. You can tell them I said so.

"So, what’s the deal currently with Corian? Is it because they are not capable of installing it?"

Unlike Silestone and Cambria, who seem to sell their slabs to anyone with the money and a claim to a shop, Corian requires fabricators to be certified and they only hand out so many certifications in a given area. This is why their warranty claim rate is so low.

These guys probably can't get access to sheets. No access, no money, so they're going to try to sell hard and shiny that nearly anyone can get.

Thanks Joseph.

T Wag, after posting I realized my sample does say quartz.

Anglo, I agree. I still love the two Corian counters that I have.

soapstone

@new-beginning...I would have suggested soapstone, too...except the OP said she wanted white, with grey veining. “Something that mimics marble.”

However, meemawseesaw...a hard variety of soapstone would fit the bill, and give a lovely contrast to the white cabinets, marble backsplash, and wood floors you’ve envisioned. It’s in keeping with a 1920s colonial.

Our soapstone, Belvedere, is bullet proof. It has a matte finish, is impervious to everything. Therefor, it need s no sealing. We love that it doesn’t get cold, like other stones...not even during our northeast winters. Soapstone absorbs heat slowly, and therefor will not suffer thermal shock (cracking), when hot pans or pots are placed on it.

Here‘s ours. Click to enlarge.

For years i dreamed of soapstone! Black like you see in pics of old homes. But because the kitchen is so small I thought it best to go with something lighter - marble-looking. Also, I always thought it was hard to maintain.

I just remodeled the kitchen of a 1918 house. My final choice for the counters was soapstone. I love them. Actually, the whole house got a major renovation, and I really struggled with how to keep the style of a turn of last century home with materials that are decidedly different. Things like cabinets and cabinet layout? 100 years makes for different construction, cabinet proportions and storage purposes. It isn’t really possible to have a true 1920s kitchen and actually, you likely wouldn’t want one. But to keep the vintage feeling I think you can deploy materials and finishes that would have been used at the time. Thus, I would choose soapstone or marble over a synthetic like quartz. Quarter sawn oak flooring over engineered Cherry, solid brass or polished chrome hardware over brushed nickel. I did worry about dark counters, btw, but soapstone isn’t solid black - it’s a soft charcoal with veins of lighter color. In doing the electrical for the remodel I put in a couple of extra can lights because I was going from an almond colored counter to a darker one and I figured more lighting couldn’t hurt. I’m not sure it mattered for that after all but it Is nice to actually see the dishes in the sink :)

Jad2design - thanks very much for this. I appreciate your nod to materials that might have been present in the early 1900’s, but also you are

realistic that this is 2020. Do you have pictures of this kitchen? Thank you!

Hi meemaaweseesaw1, I do have pix :). I posted after my remodel. You can find them by searching for Jad2design or a term like Black Venata ( the semi soft soapstone that I went with). I will say, about the cabinets that I, like Darbuka, went with wood - quarter sawn oak in my case. I started out thinking of course I’d go with white shaker, which actually is _the_ most appropriate choice for a 1918 cottage. What could be easier really, since white shaker cabinets are ubiquitous throughout the land? The problem is that my house (and kitchen) shows It age and lack of skilled carpentry. Ironically, I thought if I stuck in white shaker cabinets with their modern flawless finish and perfectly straight lines that the rest of the room would look worse In contrast. And then maybe the cabinets would look cheaper for it too. I didn’t want it to seem like I plunked In a 2018 IKEA kitchen and called it a day..

Your results may vary, as they say. A friend of mine has a 1915 craftsman that is dead level, absolutely square, with finishes that look un-aged. It’s fine craftsmanship all the way. Perfectly constructed machine- finished white cabinets would be simply joining the party.

i live in the SF Bay Area, and there was a West Coast Arts and Crafts revival in the 60s-70s - Peet’s Coffee and Williams Sonoma stores of old showed that influence. Lots of quarter sawn oak, brass and slate gray tops. I went with that, which sets my kitchen stylistically somewhere 50 years ago. It puts the kitchen back in time without trying to make it look entirely like the 1920s, or as if it was trying to be a 2018 modern farm house. Underlying the choice of style i wanted my kitchen to feel and look like a real cook’s kitchen (functional and flexible before fancy) and also be inviting and warm. Im thrilled with the results, which totally suit me. I really recommend taking your time and thinking through not just how to integrate your kitchen into the house but also how to make it yours in a personal way.

a light soapstone: https://soapstonetexas.blogspot.com/2011/12/soapstone-colors.html

I am in camp Corian (solid surface) all the way. Rain cloud?