(MONEY Magazine) – A countertop is a fussy thing. Ideally it should be beautiful, adding character to an entire kitchen. It should be strong, able to endure the abuse of a sharp knife or a hot pot. And it should be easy to clean, even after a puddle of Merlot is left sitting overnight. Oh, and it should be affordable.

Granite's been the kitchen surface of choice in the past decade, but other materials have recently become more popular. Poured concrete, ceramic tile and butcher block are all gaining favor.

If you're in the market, start with some soul searching: Will you really take care of the sealant on a porous material like soapstone? Do you enjoy scrubbing grout between ceramic tiles? Do you prefer warm and cheery or sleek and modern?

Then do some wallet searching. Slab granite can cost $150 a square foot, but 12-inch-by-12-inch granite tiles top out at $18 at Home Depot. Want the rich appearance of natural wood? One dealer we spoke with sells teak for $88 a square foot but also offers maple for $30.

Aesthetics, of course, are subjective. Wine stains and chipped corners, however, are not. To test the durability of six counter surfaces, I ordered factory samples and gave a good culinary beating to each one: I chopped vegetables on its surface, sans cutting board; I placed a hot pot on it to see if that would leave a burn mark; I left a dribble of wine on it overnight; and I scorched it with a small kitchen torch for 60 seconds.

In the end, was there a clear winner? Yes, but each material has its pluses and minuses--with a large variety of surfaces out there, it's just a matter of finding the one that works best for you.

NOTES: All prices quoted are from the suppliers of the samples we used. Warranties listed are those offered by the manufacturers that supplied our samples. SOURCES: GRANITE Monticello Granite (monticellogranite.com); SOLID SURFACE DuPont Corian (corian.com); CONCRETE Concreteworks (concreteworks.com); SOAPSTONE Vermont Soapstone (vermontsoapstone.com); BUTCHER BLOCK Old World Butcher Block (butcherblockspecialist.com); CERAMIC TILE Ann Sacks (annsacks.com).

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Soapstone's kitchen-friendly characteristics make it tops in counters:

• It's stain-resistant, repelling both red wine and cooking oil.

• It's easy to clean and repair with some oiling and sanding.

• It's heat-resistant, so setting down a hot pot won't leave a mark.