What material should I pick if I don't want my bathroom counter to dye?
April 15, 2020 1:10 PM Subscribe
I love to color my hair. Tints, permanent you name it, I love changing things up, unfortunately my old granite bathroom counter top has not survived my hair adventures unscathed. I'm doing up my bathroom so what material should I be looking at for my bathroom counter top to avoid staining, if such a product exists, or be easy to clean or at least resist staining if such a magical dye repelling substance doesn't exist.
I currently bleach my shower & shower curtain after any mishaps so would be fine with a surface that might need bleaching, magic eraser or a good scrub to clean. My dream is for a sleek modern white surface that's not crazy expensive.
I currently bleach my shower & shower curtain after any mishaps so would be fine with a surface that might need bleaching, magic eraser or a good scrub to clean. My dream is for a sleek modern white surface that's not crazy expensive.
Best answer: Quick question: did you regularly seal the granite and it still stained? I've had granite stain before if it hasn't been properly sealed, but never when I've sealed it on the schedule recommended by stone fabricators.
In terms of a replacement: someone can weigh in on this, but it's my understanding that soapstone doesn't stain or react to anything (it's chemically inert and was used for chem lab tables). That's part of what attracts me to using it as a kitchen counter, although I also really like the look.
posted by ClaireBear at 2:54 PM on April 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
In terms of a replacement: someone can weigh in on this, but it's my understanding that soapstone doesn't stain or react to anything (it's chemically inert and was used for chem lab tables). That's part of what attracts me to using it as a kitchen counter, although I also really like the look.
posted by ClaireBear at 2:54 PM on April 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Sealing is very effective but not perfect. We have granite counters outside under tree that drops berries. As long as we seal it on schedule, we don't have problems with staining. Just to be safe, the stone company showed us a bunch of options for granite with some purplish flecking. If we do get a stain it will blend. We had our heart set on quartz for that spot but the stone company said that it wouldn't stand up and they wouldn't guarantee the material for use in that location. (And I think they were being honest. We saved several thousand by going with the stone they recommended.)
Corian isn't as heat resistant as granite but it's still pretty good. It's probably not a probably in a bathroom. There's a very small scorch mark on the Corian counter in my parents bathroom from a curling iron that was left there for hours. Other than that mark, the stuff looks perfect after two decades but we aren't coloring hair there.
Porcelain and white glass are (expensive) options.
posted by 26.2 at 4:56 PM on April 15, 2020
Corian isn't as heat resistant as granite but it's still pretty good. It's probably not a probably in a bathroom. There's a very small scorch mark on the Corian counter in my parents bathroom from a curling iron that was left there for hours. Other than that mark, the stuff looks perfect after two decades but we aren't coloring hair there.
Porcelain and white glass are (expensive) options.
posted by 26.2 at 4:56 PM on April 15, 2020
Best answer: Avonite, which is also used as a lab surface. It's supposed to be burn proof, acid proof, and resistant to lye.
posted by fiercekitten at 10:28 PM on April 15, 2020
posted by fiercekitten at 10:28 PM on April 15, 2020
Response by poster: The granite was supposedly sealed when we bought the house, my first hair dyeing attempt 6 weeks after moving in suggests that was a lie, once it was stained I never bothered to reseal it and have just quietly hated it for the past 8 years. I am looking for a surface I don't have to keep resealing if possible.
Thanks for all the suggestions so far. I'll look into the Corian, I don't heat treat my hair, I think I'd be bald after all the hair coloring if I did, so it sounds like a good option. I also hadn't thought of porcelain or stainless steel, I'm going a modern industrial look and that might be a fun option.
posted by wwax at 8:24 PM on April 16, 2020
Thanks for all the suggestions so far. I'll look into the Corian, I don't heat treat my hair, I think I'd be bald after all the hair coloring if I did, so it sounds like a good option. I also hadn't thought of porcelain or stainless steel, I'm going a modern industrial look and that might be a fun option.
posted by wwax at 8:24 PM on April 16, 2020
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posted by mhoye at 1:15 PM on April 15, 2020 [1 favorite]