Recommendations needed for countertops that won’t stain

[laurajetter]

I hate my old, tan colored laminate countertops and one day in the future we’d like to replace them with probably either granite or quartz… something nicer than what we have that doesn’t break the bank.

I really want to make sure that whatever we get can handle having defrosted blueberries accidentally spill on the surface and stain it… it’s driving me nuts with my current one! (See pics) The only thing that seems to help is magic eraser, but I was thinking that I really don’t want this to be a problem I’ll have to worry about down the road.

Any recommendations that you know resist stains? (Resistance to heat and scratching from cutting would be a bonus, too… in case someone accidentally puts something hot or decides to cut on it. We’d of course try to avoid doing that to begin with).

 

[holden]

We had a gorgeous black granite in our old house. I never had anything stain, though I also never spilled blueberry "juice." We resealed it once a year.

I loved it. We could put things on it right out of the oven. Never had any problems with it.

We have quartz in our current house and it stains all the time. I just use some Barkeeper's Friend and it comes out. We were told can't put anything hot on it. I liked my granite better for these reasons.

 

[easyas123]

We have granite ,it's about 9 years old and no stains BUT it is a darker color, so that might help.
I've never sealed it - didn't know that was a thing! But it's in great condition so I guess we aren't abusing it to much.

 

[_19disnA]

Mostly depends on your budget and style preferences. Quartz is made by grinding up the rock/stone and they use some sort of epoxy to form the product into sheets. Supposedly that makes it more stain resistant but gives it a more processed vs. natural look in my view. Granite is a natural stone product. I think some granite requires more frequent sealing but some places who don't sell granite try to make it sound like a big deal when it really isn't so you buy whatever product they sell. We have granite and you spray something that looks like furniture polish on it once a year or so and never had any issues.

Marble is a LOT more expensive and I would never recommend it in the kitchen since various types of acids can etch the surface and cause damage you can't repair. Many common ingredients have acid in them........things like lemon juice, vinegar, tomato sauce or even soft drinks.

Whatever product you use it makes sense to wipe up spills whenever they occur. I never put a hot pan directly on the granite and always use some sort of trivet or hot pad. If buying granite, make sure to go to the place where they display them to pick out the actual slab(s) you need. Natural products can have variation in color/grain. Some are a LOT more pronounced and you may like some better than others.

I would never cut directly on any countertop surface no matter what it is made from. Always use a cutting board.

 

[TCRAIG]

QUARTZ - it doesn’t stain, can take heat, won’t nick or scratch when cut and doesn’t need to be re-sealed like granite…also, since it’s non-porous, it’s easier to clean and keep bacteria free…

 

[tvguy]

We went with Corian and after 9 years of spilling stuff on it, I can confirm it does not stain. And the other advantage of Corian is, it if does get damaged, you just sand it, and it is good as new. Or so they say, never damaged ours.
Only issue is, it is a big expensive.

 

[barkley]

one of the reason we went with the pattern/colors of granite in our kitchen is b/c we use a good amount of balsamic vinegar which stains. no stains, never cut directly on it but have had a knife slide off a cutting board a time or two with no scratching. we have the type that does not require re-sealing.

 

[Christine]

I have granite that is a white background granite with a black/gray/tan pattern through it--but overall it is light. It's the toughest stuff ever. In fact, I have spilled thawed out frozen blueberries on it and had it sit and everything comes right out. I've had mine for about 8 years now. I think I've sealed it twice (which was easy) and no issues.

I have quartz on my bathroom vanities. Of course I don't food prep on them, but I don't find them to be a durable as the granite. Probably due to the epoxy process and, maybe, there are better quality quartz materials out there and mine might not be up to par. I'm just thankful it's not in my kitchen because I'm not gentle on things.

 

[laurajetter]

That’s good to know the blueberries came out of yours… I swear, I cannot wipe up a blueberry spill fast enough. The second it touches my counter it has made a stain. Also, I’m not gentle on things either. I’d hate to have to tiptoe around a product that can’t take a beating, at least, to a certain extent!

 

[LuvOrlando]

Soft Scrub always worked with my laminate, no matter how stained it got if I left the Soft Scrub with bleach sit a little while it would take whatever the stain is out.

Currently, we have granite in a darker shade and love that I can put any hot pot, pan or bakware on it without any trouble. The only negative is I am cleaning it constantly because I can't actually see spills so I just have to assume they are there. I would get granite again in a heartbeat.

 

[wenrob]

Quartz- I’ve had it in three houses, white, tan and light grey. It does not stain, scratch or burn. You cannot hurt this stuff. I have abused them relentlessly and they still look brand new no matter what you throw at them. I’ve even spilled maroon alcohol ink on my current ones. My fingers were stained for days but it wiped right up from the countertop. Right now I’m doing a project with UV resin and as careful as I try to be I keep accidentally curing little spills onto it. No problem, scrapes right off with a razor blade. No sealing or special care required. Hot soapy water and occasionally a razor blade. I’ve never had to use any kind of scrub products on them.

 

[wenrob]

We had a gorgeous black granite in our old house. I never had anything stain, though I also never spilled blueberry "juice." We resealed it once a year.

I loved it. We could put things on it right out of the oven. Never had any problems with it.

We have quartz in our current house and it stains all the time. I just use some Barkeeper's Friend and it comes out. We were told can't put anything hot on it. I liked my granite better for these reasons.

Are you sure you have Quartz and not Corian? I’ve had Quartz in three house over 25ish years and have never stained it and I take stuff out of the oven and put it right on the countertop. Those were the two main features that sold me on it.

 

[_19disnA]

Various countertop materials can be resistant to heat or staining, but you still need to use some common sense. Pyrex glassware is a good example of something that is heat resistant, but putting it directly from the freezer into a hot oven can cause it to shatter. Similarly, putting cold water on it immediately after you remove it from a hot oven is a really bad idea. Placing some very hot item directly out of the oven onto your countertop can result in damage. Those surfaces will certainly last longer if you treat them in a reasonable manner.

 

[holden]

Are you sure you have Quartz and not Corian? I’ve had Quartz in three house over 25ish years and have never stained it and I take stuff out of the oven and put it right on the countertop. Those were the two main features that sold me on it.

Your question made me double check my invoice (we had the kitchen redone two years ago). Yes, it is quartz (Calacatta Laza - looks sort of like white marble). So strange that ours stains easily and yours doesn't. Maybe it has to do with the brand?

 

[Turn the Page]

Various countertop materials can be resistant to heat or staining, but you still need to use some common sense. Pyrex glassware is a good example of something that is heat resistant, but putting it directly from the freezer into a hot oven can cause it to shatter. Similarly, putting cold water on it immediately after you remove it from a hot oven is a really bad idea. Placing some very hot item directly out of the oven onto your countertop can result in damage. Those surfaces will certainly last longer if you treat them in a reasonable manner.

Also not a good idea to take a pyrex baking dish out of the oven and put it directly on a cold range top. Holy wah what a mess. I had used it to cook bacon in the instant the pan touched the stove it shattered. Glass shards and bacon grease EVERYWHERE.

It took forever to clean it up but my kitchen has never been cleaner. Somehow everyone escaped without being burned or cut. I'm still not sure how we got that lucky.

 

[wenrob]

Your question made me double check my invoice (we had the kitchen redone two years ago). Yes, it is quartz (Calacatta Laza - looks sort of like white marble). So strange that ours stains easily and yours doesn't. Maybe it has to do with the brand?

Really weird. I can’t remember what brand mine is but I know it’s by one of the first that started doing it. Like I said three houses and 25+ years and never an issue. I loved it so much in the first house it was one of the first things I did when I moved into the others.

 

[limace]

100% soapstone. We are so glad we did it-it’s absolutely bombproof and we think it’s gorgeous.

 

[tvguy]

100% soapstone. We are so glad we did it-it’s absolutely bombproof and we think it’s gorgeous.

We got four bids on our kitchen remodel. One contractor was a fan of soapstone. One would put in anything but Corian. Two would put in anything we wanted. But the last three all recommended against soapstone because it scratches easily.

 

[Christine]

That’s good to know the blueberries came out of yours… I swear, I cannot wipe up a blueberry spill fast enough. The second it touches my counter it has made a stain. Also, I’m not gentle on things either. I’d hate to have to tiptoe around a product that can’t take a beating, at least, to a certain extent!

The problem with laminate (and I had it for years) is that it does have a "finish" or coating on it. As long as that coating remains in tact, things are good with laminate. But it is not very sturdy so after a few year, it starts to wear off. Even worse if you use things like a scrub or a Magic Eraser. It will take the laminate finish off. Depending on the color of your laminate. if you squat down and look across your countertop at eye level, you'll see some dull spots and some with a bit of sheen. The dull spots are where the somewhat-resiliant" coating has worn off. Once that happens, there's no going back. It will soak up stains like a sponge.

I had builder grade laminate for about 8 years and it went downhill fast. My second set of countertops, I bought I much higher end laminate and that actually did well. It was kind of textured and even felt better if that's a thing. It did last much, much longer. But not long enough. FInally on the 3rd time we had to replace, I went with granite. Heck, in my area so many people use stone of some sort, that if you wanted a laminate counter your choice are extremely limited. But I've been really happy with the granite purchase and it looks as good as the day I got it about 8 years ago. I'm not a huge fan of the patterns in some granite so I really struggled to pick a piece that didn't offend me!

 

[MICKIMINI]

We moved into our newly built home at the end of September. Initially we wanted soapstone, then decided on a dark granite and finally ended up going with Raphael Stone Statuario Quartz . It has a rich, deep look like marble but nothing stains it. I found a spot of fruit punch from the night before and it wiped up completely. We were told to clean it with windex. We are 100% happy with the choice. Good luck!