We have Santa Cecilia and no issues. The staining/water mark issue was a big one for me too. But we have had zero issues with our lighter granite and I've had bacon grease, tomato sauce, cooking oil splatter on it and sit for a little while. Wipes right up, no mark. As long as it is sealed properly I think it's fine unless it is some sort of unusual stone that is resistant to the sealer. But something like Santa Cecilia or New Venetian Gold...no issue that I've ever seen.

Just don't put a hot pot on light granite; it will leave a scorch mark, unlike dark granite.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I know that granite doesn't come in solid colors. We're looking at granite such as colonial white, ivory fantasy, Dallas white, etc.

I used a sample of ivory fantasy and put some water and fruit punch on it last night. The small amount of water took over 18 hours to absorb or evaporate and didn't leave a mark, and the fruit punch evaporated to a red smudge that I wiped away in one stroke of a dry paper towel. I'm not so worried about light granite anymore.

Good idea. I have Alaska white- which has some white, cream, gray and brown in it. I left some strawberries on the counter, they leaked some juice onto the counter and left a very faint stain that won't come out. It blends in well enough because there is some pattern in the counter, so not a big deal, but it does stain.

OP here. I know that granite doesn't come in solid colors. We're looking at granite such as colonial white, ivory fantasy, Dallas white, etc.

I used a sample of ivory fantasy and put some water and fruit punch on it last night. The small amount of water took over 18 hours to absorb or evaporate and didn't leave a mark, and the fruit punch evaporated to a red smudge that I wiped away in one stroke of a dry paper towel. I'm not so worried about light granite anymore.

A very white slab, as PP mentioned, will not be granite. Super white quartzite will be durable though. Personally, I have marble and love it. If marble scares you, a Quartz composite or a quartzite would be a good choice. The only white granite I came across had purple in it.

Mine is light but not as light as you are describing. It is more yellow. We have had no issues and it's been about 3.5 years. The granite is sealed.

Be suspicious of any very clean white slab being sold as granite. When we were shopping for new countertops, at least twice we saw marble mislabeled as "white fantasy" or "super white" granite and once as quartzite. Thankfully we tested a sample before going forward with those slabs - they scratched and dinged easily, and etched with anything vaguely acidic. No thanks.

I have a light colored granite and haven't had any issues with it. I haven't noticed water affecting my granite, even around the sink area.

We are looking for granite countertops. We have dark cabinets and are looking mostly at white or cream colored granites, but we have been warned by several salespeople that light granite is prone to staining and darkening from something as simple as water. Does anyone have experience with light granite in their kitchen? I've been told light quartz is a safer choice, but we really prefer the look of granite.