Paperstone! Though soapstone is nice too. I am so so sick of granite! Marble is nice, but no way I would be able to care for it properly...

After much research, I choose Caesarstone and couldn't be happier. I really wanted marble but knew I wouldn't be able to deal with the spotting and since I wanted a light countertop engineered stone seemed like the best choice.

It's a toss-up between wood, or quartz.

I love the simple, versatile look of a nice wood countertop.

However, I also would love a bright, vibrant shade from Silestone Quartz, like "Fun"...or maybe a more subdued hue like "Grey Amazon."

I absolutely LOVE the Cesarstone we just put in!

for some reason ive never liked marble or granite. i prefer wood, concrete or stainless steel.
id prefer plastic laminate over granite!

1. soapstone
2. carrera marble - i don't care if it stains, that's part of life
3. butchers block

We just put in granite and I love it. So easy to care for.

Vintage porcelain tile

i'm currently using granite but i probably wouldn't mind a switch over to something engineered.

as much as i love the look and feel of marble, it's more so the etching than the staining i'm worried about. it creates an alternate texture and there's not guarantee that citrus juice will never meet your countertop.

wood just doesn't do it for me. love it for furniture but a bit slabbed butcher block feels almost too country or something.

stainless steel

Quartz. Beautiful and strong.

Thank god there are other people sick of granite. I'm completely in love with all the new concrete, glass and engineered options... but really I love anything that gives a kitchen personality. Granite is completely cookie cutter "high-end" option these days.

Butcher block is my favorite. I love the warm, natural feel it brings to our kitchen. I'm with serrakat -- stainless steel, concrete, and laminate are all more appealing to me than granite or marble (which strangely remind me of a shopping mall trying to look upscale).

I deeply loathe granite kitchens. Cold, hard slabs of rock don't suit the warm heart of the house. Plus the ubiquitous granite and stainless trend already looks dated; it's going to look really bad in ten years.

1. STAINLESS STEEL!! I have it, and I love it.
2. Marble.
3. Wood.

Basically, anything that shows age and wear over time.

For practicality, steel. For aesthetics, marble. I have always disliked granite pattern. It looks like it is designed to hide dirt, which to me just makes it always look dirty, even when clean.

I've never liked granite. It's too busy- and usually too brown, for my taste. I am not the best cleaner in the world and whenever I've had a countertop with visual texture, I get anxious that I don't really know if it's really, totally clean clean. I once lived in a building in NY with bug issues and I'd have to spray them dead in the kitchen. There was a dark speckled laminate countertop. I guess the fear that no matter how much I cleaned it, there was still poison on the counter, and therefore nothing could touch it, stuck with me.
When I bought my home and redid the kitchen, I chose a solid - non-speckled, non textured, white corian. It looks fresh and bright and I can always tell if it's not entirely clean, but it's really easy to maintain and wash. At first I was anxious that the upkeep would be too much, but it's not and I am really really happy with my choice.
I did chose a fire red silestone for my bathroom though, and love that in there.

natural stone, like slate. in one of my favorite flipper's properties:

http://www.medusaproperties.com//unit_photos/13_1205248647.jpg

The choice of counter top kind of depends of the rest of the kitchen and the choice of kitchen kind of depends on the rest of the house, traditional house calls for a more traditional country style kitchen, a modern house/flat calls for more modern materials in the kitchen.

Currently we have a Corian countertop that I love and that goes well with the rest of the kitchen and flat.

We just installed recycled concrete tiles- 2 feet x 2 feet. It's a local company in Boulder, and we are in love with our new counters. Looks like poured concrete, but an even greener product, and for $50/sq. ft. including installation with backsplashes. Would have liked to get IceStone (which is actually about $120/sq. ft. installed, not $80 like that chart says), but it was way over our budget. We're also planning on putting in a square butcherblock on a lone, small counter by the stove, but currently a piece of reclaimed Caeserstone is sitting there and looking lovely. (And that was $20!)

Granite will be the avocado appliances of the '90's. Guaranteed.

Izzy, you're right! Granite is hiddy. And then at some point it'll have a resurgence in popularity in a 'retro' kitchen with, like, a stainless steel KitchenAid dishwasher in it. Blegh.

Soapstone is the best all-around product on the list. Natural, green, easy to maintain, beautiful, and you can put a blazing hot pan directly on it without a pad. It's the ONLY product on the list that lets you do that.

I love my stainless steel countertops.

I think it's weird that the list above didn't mention just plain old porcelain tile. Classic, versatile, pretty. And best of all? If you choose the right kind it's never going to seem trendy. I shudder to think about how dated all these granite countertops are going to look in 15 years.

We just put in soapstone (with one section of IKEA butcherblock) and are loving both. The soapstone is totally easy to take care of and really gorgeous: grayish, blackish with undertones of deep green and slightly sparkly white veins. And it's not granite.

Silestone in blanco maple is incredible. It's not busy or ubiquitous like granite, it's impervious to red wine and oil, and it even acts as a light source by bouncing light around the kitchen. I love, love, love it and can't wait to put it in our second kitchen renovation.

butchers block, mmmm

I like my stainless steel counters since they're easy to maintain and always look slick and clean. However, I would cry without my marble pastry boards for working with chocolate or baking. So if given the choice, I'd choose white marble counters regardless of potential stains.

There are many different types of granite out there, folks. Dark granite is easy to care for, hygienic and looks great, and once it's in a kitchen, it can stay forever. Ripping it out to replace with something else is a huge waste of money and natural resources. I agree-- the really mottled stuff is much less attractive, but I don't think it is dated by its very nature. I write this only to encourage folks not to toss out the granite it their next kitchen overhaul-- work around it-- it is enormously practical. The same cannot be said of the avocado frigidaire of yesteryear...

I just redid my small condo kitchen and chose Silestone in dark grey with white cabinets. Looks great. No grout, no lines, just one continuous countertop. Love it. And, although I was planning on a stainless sink, they were having a deal whereby if you bought the countertop, they'd throw in an integrated sink for free. Being budget minded, I said "ok." The sink is white and it turns out I love that too. I've had butcher block and also soapstone in previous homes, but I really like this best.

Formica. Seriously.

I love my Corian counters. We chose a classic Italian dark terrazzo, and after five years, they still look great. Any material that is too trendy will need to be replaced often, and that isn't very green.

another happy with stainless steel.

Silestone Countertop - Blanco Maple (goes well with espresso cabinets, stainless steel appliances and white glass backsplash. Love the look - just got it done in my own kitchen.

Laminate counters are cost-effective, easy to install, come in hundreds of colors and patterns and edge finishes, are easy to clean, and last for decades.

Wood is also a favorite - and it's recyclable.

Which one of these options has the best value at resale? I mean, for people looking to buy a home, which countertop will bring the most bang for the buck? Anyone?

SAG - I'm thinking of taking a similar route with my hypothetical kitchen renovation (hypothetical because I'm planning it in my head, but am not sure when it will actually come to fruition). Did you choose subway or mosaic backsplash (or another)? Any manufacturer recommendations?

quartz or caesarstone for me. I am tired of granite

wood or stainless steel. hatehatehaaatee granite & marble. Too 80's for me.

Anything EXCEPT GRANITE!!

Ditto on granite looking dated.

In my last place, I had poured concrete. It looked great at first, but it ended up being a pain in the neck to keep clean. Very porous surface, so it's impossible to avoid little crumbs getting trapped everywhere. It also stains easily, and waxing didn't seem to help much. My new place has granite, and while I understand what people are saying about it looking dated, at least it's easy to keep clean. That being said, in my fantasy kitchen, I would have black soapstone countertops.

Granite is what spec developers throw into kitchens to impress the masses. Shows no imagination whatsoever.

I think people are forgetting WHY granite became so popular in the first place (and really, how lame are people who love something until becomes too popular, then suddenly it's not cool anymore): it is very easy to maintain. Sometimes being practical is not such a bad thing, especially in a kitchen. There are many varieties of granite, so they are not all cookie-cutter. Just need to use some creativity in your selections.

wow, there is a lot of granite hate out there.

although people who read design blogs and magazines recognize that there are lots of options aside from granite, in many parts of the country when you are trying to sell your house at certain price points you have to have granite in your kitchen. it may be unoriginal, but it is expected.

Slate...from the northeast only, and unfading green is one of the best. No need to ever seal it, it's denser than granite, it does not stain. It's a beautiful matte finish and has this wonderful, organic, look. I've used it for my clients numerous times and they all love it, never a problem. I also love wood countertops, but not for ease of maintenance!

Last year, a friend of mind got granite counter tops and was proudly showing them off. All I could think of was that it reminded me of my grandmother's tombstone.

Give me practical corian laminate any day.

Wow, with so many choices today, I still prefer the traditional, timeless look of natural stone used with wood. So marble with butcher block would do it for me. Marble, so they say, is more difficult to maintain, but it has that ever lasting classic quality that I am looking for.