I have laminate and have a plexi glass sheet on top. Works well for me.

MarthaT...interesting info about the Corian! Wow! Ni am happy where I am!
Sandy

I have formica (do hate the black sparkle that I have now though..) and do not ever intend to have any kind of stone or tile counters since I am a klutz and have a full set of Corelle dishes, and if you drop them on a hard surface, they do not break, they explode! Just a thought.....

We just remodeled our 1958 house with quartz. Never needs sealing. The only cleaner recommended is Windex, and I found purple cleaning Windex. Better than granite, IMO. And I had done a good bit of research.

We had a link in our fridge which ruined the laminate flooring which led to the whole kitchen renovation - we were without a kitchen for three months but it's just about done now and looks beautiful! It is very stressful but now it is peaceful and I still need to finish stocking the pantry and cabinets. Anyway, we got viatera quartz and it is just beautiful too! It is an upgrade from formica and easy to care for. It is in-between pricing for formica and granite. Granite has to be cared for more, sealing, etc. But then again, the whole thing is personal preference. Just remember, as a good friend I lost many years ago told me, never settle. Just be happy with what you choose and enjoy!

When we reno'd our kitchen a few years ago we opted for what I think you call quartz (the imitation stone). I love it, but my husband is a little heavy handed and we now have three chips on the edges (they are tiny, but drive me to distraction). We opted for white with a touch of "mica", I love the sparkle when the sun hits it in the morning.

Thank you for all of the input. I am not excited about the mess and disruption of a redo. I can live with the turq. color, but we are at an age where we will probably need to sell and move in the next few years. This house has steps every, it is a quad-level. I decided that if we have to redo to sell, I might as well enjoy the new counter for a few years.

I have Corian---love it---can buff it like a car finish---use a granit cleaner on it---easy to clean--just can't set a crock pot it with out heat shield---installer said it could make it distort and pop up---I just put hot pads under it and no problem---it's 5 years old and looks great

I just installed granite countertops. I had been really hesitant because there was nothing wrong with my almond Formica which looked like new. However, I had a draft coming from the back wall that was coming through my cabinets. So, I had more insulation shoved in the walls when they replaced the tiled backsplash. Even though the new counters look great from a distance, I am not happy with the not really smooth surface which they tell me is because I picked the more expensive granite. I thought all the little crack lines would be polished out when I chose the granite slab at the show room. It is also hard to see spills. I've always used a Lucite cutting board, so my adding scratches & stains is not an issue. I don't know why I had not been steered toward the Quartz when I kept telling them I was a perfectionist.

Quartz gets my vote! We've remodeled our kitchen three times since we've lived here. I've had formica and granite, now I have quartz and it's the best. Doesn't stain, no sealing required.