Granite is metamorphic and hard. Marble and limestone are sedimentary and comparatively soft. Granite often contains bits of quartz or feldspar that sparkle. Sedimentary rocks do not.

A bit of bad data previously ... sorry. Granite is igneous, hard and usually uniform in texture. Marble is metamorphic, not quite so hard and often with veins or large patterns. Limestone is sedimentary and often chunky. Looks like limestone to me, probably from Mexico, 'cause it looks like some tile we bought recently with that provenance.

I don't know if it is granite or not, but it's very pretty. I like it.

I thought it either looked like crema marfil marble or maybe polished travertine.

That was my first reaction, too-- on BOTH counts.

Looks like limestone to me

Very likely. Travertine IS limestone, and Crema Marfil WAS travertine several thousand years ago.

I don't know if it is granite or not

It's not granite. Not even close.

So, I guess what I'm hearing is that I should treat it like travertine/marble and seal it as such. Miracle 511 Porous Plus?

-Sarah

Test a spot first before you put it all over!
I have a thread on the forum now asking about Travertine in the bathroom.

Regardless of the price, I'd still want Lowe's who erroneously advertised it as something it's wasn't to tell me what it really is and what I need to use to properly care for it. I'd do that by calling the store manager and asking for his/her assistance to find out.

Agreed with Bill; it *isn't* granite, that's for sure. My first guess would be a less expensive marble, or perhaps a limestone (although most limestones are more expensive than inexpensive marbles, so I would say marble as my main guess). Travertine without any holes or fills would be way too expensive for this kind of mass-marketed top. I would think it needs sealing too (although you might want to try an underside first to see how it takes it).

And lukkiirish, if Lowe's thinks it's granite, why would you trust them to tell you how to care for it? :) Lowe's wouldn't know. I would *NOT* ask them. I'd call a fabricator, maybe even take a pic to a fabricator and ask them.

Thanks for the input!! I kind of think it might be crema marfil. When I was looking online at (what I considered to be) reasonably priced vanities (I am planning on getting advice here for sealers and also at our local (very reliable & knowlegable) tile shop when I go to get grout/sealer/etc. for our tile installation.

Everything is DIY, so I have the time and patience to figure it out. And I actually don't really care too much what the top is other than for maintenance/sealing purposes...I just kind of liked the way it looked. Initially, I wanted carrara marble to match a really neat old phone table I had...but I found it tough to find a granite yard that would fabricate and install a carrara marble vanity top for less than $1000...for the stone alone--not the sink or the vanity. So that idea was nixed.

Sometime down the line, if we get a windfall of cash (or miraculously they start paying teachers more!!), I might swap out the vanity for something higher end, but for now, this will work...and I won't feel too guilty if we beat up on it :)

Sarah

Here is a link that might be useful: Really...they call it

Could it be cultured granite or engineered stone? We have engineered stone in our bathroom and it looks a lot like what you have in your picture.

Sarah, I bought this vanity last week after seeing yours. I love it. I am building a new house and won't see it for a while, though we did put it together. I think it is some kind of Chinese granite or marble. I hadn't thought about care! I have granite in my kitchen and never sealed it, so it hadn't dawned on me. I will be interested in your experience with it.

Gosh, I don't think it's engineered. It's definitely natural--I had to get the backsplash replaced and the second backsplash they gave me has a little amber coloring at the top that the first didn't have. But I'm sure it's probably cheap and from China. Oh well! I still think it's pretty...and it adds a little bit of bling on a reno that's on a tight budget (after blowing our wad on our kitchen...whoops!).

**Oh, and just for a little good news in the remodeling world of big box stores, since I'm generally pretty un-impressed with them--Lowe's was GREAT--bought the vanity back in August and my husband JUST opened the box that had the backsplash in it--and it was broken clean in half!! I called Lowe's that minute and explained what happened, and they got a new one out, gave me the backsplash and put the other one out without the backsplash as "damaged" on the floor (in case anyone doesn't want that 4" backsplash, the Lowe's in Glenmont, NY has a super-cheap vanity just for you!!)

Hope you like it, kelleg...I would feel terribly guilty if people buy this because I posted pics of it and it turns out to be junk! I DEFINITELY think it needs to be sealed--no doubt. Like I said, I'm going to ask my fabulous local tile shop (that just happends to be darn expensive...hence the reason I'm only buying the grout and sealer from them!!) and see what they say. They've never steered me wrong before. And maybe they can identify the stone for me.

:)
Sarah

(oh, and my mantra for all of my renovations as a fairly young couple with little kids is to try to get the bones of the reno right...and leave room for upgrading when we're older...for example, I got a 36" gas cooktop in the kitchen and double ovens...both Frigidaire...someday, if/when we get more cash, we might up the ante and get Wolf/Bosch/Thermador...whatever. Same with the vanity--right size, right placement...easy to swap out down the line)

I'd still want Lowe's who erroneously advertised it as something it's wasn't to tell me what it really is and what I need to use to properly care for it.

No you don't. The very LAST thing you want is any kind of info from either Lowes OR HD. As evidenced by this thread, you can't trust it. Ever.

Could it be cultured granite or engineered stone?

Just from the pic, I'll tell you right now it's not man made.

As for the Porous Plus, I wouldn't bother with it. The 511 Impregnator should be fine.