[Ohiogirl]

And thanks for the reminder that I need to seal it. As I recall, you're supposed to do that yearly, but I haven't. Can't tell that any harm has been done. I'm not especially careful about oil or mayo - am sure I spill some occasionally, but just wipe it off. Maybe staining is worse on a more solid pattern. After 3-1/2 years, can't see any wear and tear on it and it just brings me pleasure to look at it.

Sounds like you picked a color very similar to ours - usually I just wipe it off with a sponge or paper towel, sometimes use Zep brand countertop cleaner & polish (got it at Lowe's or Home Depot, might be sold at grocery stores or Walmart as well, not sure). It's very hard to even see crumbs on it - we have a couple of stairs from our kitchen entrance which puts me at eye level when I walk in the kitchen, which helps - otherwise I might not even realize it NEEDS cleaned.

We remodeled our kitchen in Ohio about 3.5 years ago - I too didn't want to spend that much, etc. etc. But I love it. Just plain love it. When we move to the Villages this fall, as soon as I am sure we can afford it (I'm pretty uptight about being absolutely SURE and want to let the new retired lifestyle and budget shake out), I plan to replace the countertops in our CYV.

Now - my problem - we did an undercounter stainless steel sink - which I also love, but I apparently haven't kept it polished/cleaned as well as I should have and it is showing some stains. It's a good grade (gauge) of stainless, so that's not the issue. Looked up on the internet what to do and it said to clean stains with white vinegar. Did that and hasn't helped that much. Anyone have any advice about that?