My experience with light quartz and turmeric is that it will stain if don't wipe it up fairly quickly. I have got the stain out by slopping a baking soda poultice on it and leaving it overnight but I wouldn't want to have to do that on a regular basis.

Did you communicate your needs to the designer? She should be able to suggest options that will not stain.

You should worry. :)

Don't pick anything before it passes an overnight stain test. And any countertop seller who won't give you a chunk to test is one who should be replaced with one who will. (Except for a few very expensive things like onyx where they have a good excuse.)

There is a reason I'm on my 3rd kitchen with stainless steel counters. And I'm not blaming my kids OR my mother-in-law. Teehee.

All of the cabinets and doors in the house have the same profile and are painted the same shade of warm white. We are keeping some of the original cabinets in the kitchen and are having the new ones made to match. I originally wanted soapstone and showed her an inspiration photo of a kitchen with soapstone counters and similar cabinets. She's recommending granite that looks like soapstone for the island and the rest with these light counters. The nearby buffet (the former kitchen desk that we're retrofitting) will have a stained maple counter. I gave her a two-page brief that included mention of my mother-in-law and my worry about her staining the counters.

I'm trying to keep an open mind. I chose her because I've seen the work she's done on a friend's house and was really impressed. My friend has done many remodels and her husband is a contractor. She's got nothing but great things to say about this designer's work. I've also seen her portfolio and there's some stunning work. Some of her other recommendations I really like such as some suggestions for the backsplash.

What was her reasoning for recommending granite, quartz, and and/or quartzite over soapstone?

I am a fabricator "quartz or quartzite" is pretty limiting and not particularly compatible with a kitchen that will get use as you described. My suggestion would be to determine the look you want that complements the other decisions you are making and then evaluate different material options for their suitability for your application. Picking the material 1st is putting the cart before the horse.

She claimed soapstone wasn't stain-resistant enough. I think she thought having all of the countertops in soapstone would look too heavy and dark. I hate all white kitchens so if the counters are light-colored then I plan to use the backsplash to introduce some color, especially we have light floors (tan and creamy white travertine).

I'm no expert on counters or Indian cooking but I have enough experience of both to think light countertops are not where you should be heading. Light cabinets with dark counters, maybe.

I have no clue where your designer is coming from when she claims that soapstone isn't stain resistant enough. I have two kitchens with soapstone, and it would definitely be my first choice with the possibility of turmeric spills.

"I recently tested soapstone for its resistance to turmeric (for a relative) and it was totally unaffected by the spice in either hot water or hot oil." quote is from this discussion:

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/73280-soapstone-concrete-countertops/page/4/

I think your designer is not a designer but a cabinet salesperson. Soapstone has been used in labs for the exact reason it does not stain.IMO either soapstone or a dark polished granite will be the best choices . I do a lot of Indian cooking and would never have a light counter it even stains my bit of butcher block but at least I can sand that out .

I use a lot of turmeric too, and just had my kitchen redone. I got a lot of advice here, and got samples of everything I was interested in trying. I made a turmeric paste and put it on overnight. Surprisingly, the easiest one to clean was the Glacier White Corian. It did "stain" a little, but literally 10 seconds with some Soft Scrub with Bleach got the "stain" out! I love my solid white counters because I can see every mess and clean it up, instead of having who-knows-what lurking there. My fabricator said "there's a reason we use Glacier White in operating rooms".

I don't have to worry about sealing the counter, or worry about pitting/staining or cracking. Heat is about the only thing that would cause a problem, but I've never put hot pots directly on a counter anyway. Having a solid white countertop let me choose exactly what I wanted for the backsplash without having to worry if it "goes", which was another perk.

Just keep in mind that nothing is "bulletproof." All counter materials have plusses and minuses. One of my favorites is honed Jet Mist granite, which doesn't stain, but does show some etching which usually disappears. It also doesn't hide dirt and is easy to clean.

White cabinets with dark counter tops looks great, and as long as you have adequate lighting won't make the room look dark. Here are some of my favorites:

Early American Colonial Home · More Info

White Kitchen · More Info

Maine Retreat · More Info

Bluebell, PA traditional · More Info

Herring Creek Farmhouse · More Info

orangecamera, Good to know! Thanks for your experience on this. I get a few families every year that cook a lot with spices. I'll remember your sage advice...no pun intended. :-)

I have white quartz in my kitchen and we use tumeric a lot....and we have to be very careful!

Ps to the homeowner. ONE more thing I'd like to advise about dark tops:

I love the look of black tops....but the only thing I can say as a "con"...is cooking against a dark surface. In my last house, I had dark counters....with very good lighting. But I still found it hard on my eyes (and I have good healthy eyes...even at 58 I don't need glasses, not even readers). When using measuring cups, you would have to hold up the cup to the window to see the measurement lines. Not a huge deal....but I never thought about it before. Having dark tops....I finally realized how much I love and appreciate lighter countertops....just easier on the eyes when cooking. And just feels happier and more welcoming to me.

@Diana Bier Interiors, LLC

Those are some of the inspiration photos I showed to my designer.

If you like soapstone, look at Silestone Eternal Charcoal. It's a quartz. You won't get the staining like the others.

This is the matte version. looks like this installed:

called Suede Finish. I love the look. polished will look shinier.

It also comes polished. I have this same countertop in the gray color. haven't had any issues with it.

Soapstone is pretty soft, so it will show scratches and such. tumeric, prob not! comes in a lot of 'shades' and colors. some like it natural, others like it oiled.

this is Duetto quartzite that has been leathered

diff makers, similar look. below, Pental Honed Sorano. (comes polished too.

if you like the charcoal colors, this is Caesarstone Rugged Concrete.

Jet mist , Virginia Mist, is also nice,

but if you want dark and something that won't scratch or stain, get Real Absolute Black granite. (lots of fake AB so you have to verify) stuff is so dense you can't even apply a sealer.

if you want bullet-proof, (it really was Diana!) try this color granite. i had this for 14 years and nothing hurt this stuff. (but I see it's like what you already have!)

The floors are the travertine floors we currently have. I was able to source some tiles today that we can use to patch the floors when we move the peninsula. The cabinet handles are on a pantry cabinet I purchased from Ballard. We plan to use cabinet hardware that's similar to these. The cabinets are our current cabinets. We are keeping some of them and plan to have the new cabinets made to match. We are going in a completely different direction with the backsplash. The current backsplash is tumbled travertine which doesn't work in this kitchen. I hate the current countertops. The busy pattern fight with the ornate cabinet millwork. Adjacent to the kitchen is a kitchen desk with upper cabinets. We plan to remove the lower cabinets/desk and turn that area into a hutch/dry wine bar. We have a built-in wine fridge that we will move to that area. The counter will probably be stained maple. My husband asked for wood counters somewhere.

Our designer is very well regarded. I've seen lots of her work and she has excellent taste. So far, this is my only sticking point. I'm going to start looking at countertop options this Friday. Does anyone have advice? I've chosen countertops before but it was a long time ago and the look I was going for was very different since the home we were in was very different in style.

Did you get a chance to look over the countertops I mentioned, above?

your kitchen was pretty similar to mine, granite/travertine/cabinet trim details. That Tuscan-2004 look!

I just couldn't take this any longer. all the fluted/rope trim was removed, micro moved, new hood vent, refaced cabs/painted, new drawers on the island, doors on the desk area (which we do use) new floors/lights/ countertops/splash.

Silestone Eternal quartz and Calacatta marble on the island. I have walnut accents and a coffee bar off to the side. (black/white cement tile and walnut open shelves. also a double pantry)

Full view w/other elements.

Some like the before better. whatever. I like the lighter and brighter.

Here's the Eternal Charcoal. if you other half wants wood, try a walnut butcher block somewhere. looks beautiful w/these two

I like the absolute black granite. My island has a shiny solid black stone on it that I hate. I like yours much better. Every single door to a room and cabinet door has the same profile. In the adjoining family room, the entertainment center has the same fluting on it. While it's not what I would choose, it's really well done in my house and looks better if I keep the same style. There are some arches between some of the downstairs rooms that have beautiful trim work that you would normally see in 100+-year-old homes. The arch is the main design motif in the home. Even though it's not what I would choose if I was designing from scratch, I want to respect the bones of the hosue.

I was going to replace my tile countertops with Quart, either Caesarstone or Cambria, and went to a huge tile store. I liked the look of the veined pattern on a slab of gauged porcelain, and the salesperson touted all the benefits, and I was sold on it. Then my handyman who works for a licensed contractor said don't get it because if you drop anything on it it cracks.

So I googled and found out it's only 1/8" thick, the pattern doesn't go all the way through, and it takes an experienced fabricator to install as it can crack during installation.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge on gauged porcelain countertops?

Paula, a good porcelain countertop is a nice choice. I've seen them at my tile/stone place, and my salesguy there actually installed them in his own home.

I don't know who you talked to, or how you googled, but you got erroneous info!

slabs are NOT 1/8" thick! Even porcelain tile for floors/wall is usually 3/8".

These are porcelain slabs from my place. let me show you how thick they are

book-matched slabs. Panda.

Here's the side/ does that look like 1/8? lol. more like 1"

here's another one. they're all the same thickness.

this is a porcelain that looks like Calacatta marble. beautiful. tons more to choose from.

Your guy that said, "they break if you drop anything on them", come on! They've been doing ceramic and porcelain tile on floors, walls, bathrooms, etc for 100 years! I've dropped stuff on my tile all the time and it doesn't break! you ever drop anything on tile? does it automatically break?

I have a quartz countertop. I hit it not once, but twice with my iron skillet. both times it knocked a big chunk out of the quartz. (I glued this one back on until my countertop guy could come out and fix it)

so when you are afraid of the porcelain chipping, it's no worse than quartz! corners are usually vulnerable.

Porcelain is the same color all the way through. when you chip a ceramic tile, you will see the clay base underneath the color top. With porcelain, it's the same color through and through. Same w/porcelain tiles. if you chip it, it's not as noticeable as chipping a ceramic tile.

The key to a properly installed porcelain slab countertop is mortar. you install a porcelain countertop just like you would a giant tile. complete coverage of mortar (not adhesive) on the entire back of the countertop, on to a proper substrate. You don't install porcelain the same way you would a granite countertop.

And, like floors, when you have a nice thick mortar coverage on the underside, it helps to 'thicken' the tile so that dropping something on it usually won't break it or chip it. ever come across hollow sounding tiles? that's poor coverage and those tiles break more often.

That's why when these are installed they can NOT do blobs of adhesive on the underside like they do for quartz.

OK ? did that clear up anything?

tcufrog, these don't stain. you may want to look at porcelain slabs for your kitchen.

Thanks for your advice which made me go back to googling, I couldn't find the previous info I googled but it was something called "gauged porcelain" which is 1/8" thick and needs an experienced fabricator. I thought, how could that big slab I saw today only have the design 1/8" thick. Your 5th picture looks like the large slab I saw today. Boy, I can easily be lead down the wrong road!

Thx

I just want to comment on dark quartz counter top materials. I have polished Caesarstone "Raven" in my vacation home. It's very nice looking but it has etched over the years from water. Hard to believe, but true. You also have to be careful of any caustic liquids which can mar the finish. And it has chipped around the sink and actually on the surface in spots. So those are some "cons" about dark quartz to keep in mind.

If you like the look of soapstone, then @Beth H gave you lots of options - from dark black to a medium gray. I have had granite in two houses and I think it’s a great option. A medium-to-dark granite probably will withstand the cooks in your home very well. I agree with you that the swirling pattern in your current countertop fight the look of your doors, so simpler is better.
Soapstone is definitely an option if you like it.

Dekton.

Paula, I believe those gauged porcelain panels you're talking about are commonly used for showers, walls, fireplace surrounds, large backsplashes, etc. You wouldn't want an inch thick panel going up in your shower,(or your backsplash around your window, it would stick out too far) so they make these gauged panels thinner to fit better in those applications. The porcelain slabs for the countertops don't need to be that thin. Doing 3 walls in your shower, the thins ones are much easier to insall and take up less depth.

Beth H. You have been so helpful; thx again.