It is not indestructible. In my prior kitchen I dropped a class pitcher from standing on the counter top height (I was getting it down from the top of the wall shelf). It broke, of course, when it hit the granite but it also chipped the edge of my granite. Now it was probably just my luck that it hit that exact spot because some areas of the stone can be weaker than other areas since it is a naturally formed stone. There can be "fizzures" ( i think that is the name) in spots which make that area weaker than a more solid area.

I never had a staining problem with my granite, but I was always careful about what to clean it with - either the solution you mentioned or just soap and water. no hard cleaning products. But yes - you can set pans right out of the oven on it - one of my favorite features.

I still think it is much better than marble for the kitchen. I put an exotic marble top in my guest bathroom and somehow has a nice long scratch in it. I never scratched the granite counter in my kitchen.

So, can't be scratched or burned, or stained, but can be chipped.

Any other experiences?

There is no such thing as "granite," in a kitchen context.

Meaning, there are different kinds of granite. And many things sold as granites are not geologically granites at all. It all depends on the type.

What type is yours?

I wonder if it can be burned. I know people often say not to put anything from a hot oven, or a pot from the stove, directly on it. Others say they do it all the time. I'd be afraid of anything that hot interacting with the sealer, but I am not that knowledgeable.

I believe granite can also crack, depending on the kind.

bean

No problem with staining, but the sink edges in both granites have several small chips. Probably small collisions with iron skillets, which we use a lot. Not visible, but there when I run my fingers along the edge.

There are hundreds of type of stone marketed as 'granite.'

The true granites are pretty indestructible (beyond maybe chipping at an edge if you hit them hard enough with a hard object).

Many of the other stones can be susceptible to staining, cracking from heat (they will not burn, but localized thermal expansion can produce cracking).

The problem is that the other stone types are often the most decorative.

You need to find out exactly what type of stone you have.
It may take some work since the marketing names often mean nothing.

The type of granite I have is called "Queen's Gold."

I know it is from India. And that is about the extent of my knowledge! The fabricator told me that "names" mean next to nothing, as different slabs can have different colors and effects. When I went to pick out my slab there were six or so that were light colored, and the next set all had a much more amber hue.

I know it is granite--the warehouse had the marble and granite pretty well segregated.

Three of the granite places I talked to said not to put a pan hot from the oven down on granite because it could crack. Maybe they gave this as a general warning because it's too complicated to explain which granite is really granite and which is something else. Because one of the guys who said this was the guy I used, I alwaya put a hot pad or a tile trivet down first. I know many, many people put hot pans down on their counters all the time, but I figure better safe than sorry.

Here's a link to the Countertop Specialty website.
When I was looking for granite info, I found it to be the most comprehensive single source I could find.
HTH

Here is a link that might be useful: Countertop Specialty

I had granite in an apartment. No clue what kind, but it was light-colored. It stained from tomato sauce. My sister-in-law has a multi-colored granite and it chipped.

My limited experience is that at least some varieties sold as granite can stain and etch.

We moved into a house that has a granite vanity in one of the powder rooms (it is a place mostly used by my kids). It is one of those gold / white / black / brown speckled types. I have not done anything to it since we moved in (sealed or anything) and it has stains on the counter near where the soap dispenser sits. I kind of feel like if I scrubbed it really good and let it dry thoroughly and then sealed it, that might help the stains, but I haven't had the time to do that yet.

More recently I got a sample off a slab of Super White Granite (that's what it was called at the stoneyard). I let a lemon wedge sit on it briefly and it etched. I have no idea if it had been sealed or anything, but it was highly polished and it had some kind of finish applied to it (at least on the rough edge) because I could see on the rough edge where part of it was covered with a glossy plasticy coat and the rest was rough bare stone.

Read Brickeyee's post; he hit the nail on the head. You cannot make a sweeping statement about whether granite is or is not indestructible. It depends on the granite, and there are thousands of them. What is best to do when choosing a granite is bring home a sample you like, and leave wine, mustard, ketchup etc. on it and see what happens.

A rough rule of thumb is that the very light granites stain more easily, like Bianco Romano for example. Or "quartzites" (some people call them granite) like Super White will etch like marble. Having said that, there are the bullet-proof (and gorgeous) granites with white backgrounds like Alaska White and Delicatus. Then there is the lovely Costa Esmerelda which is a swirl of many colors with a green tone, and is bulletproof. So, you see what I am saying? It's that the answer to your question is, "it depends".

I have Piracema granite for 7 years. It looks like the day it was installed. Not a mark and I have done all kinds of things to it. A really handy website is findstone.com which has many granites listed and their absorption rates. The lower the absorption rate, the less it will stain and etch. So, for example, Bianco Romano's rate is 0.2-0.4% and it is more prone to staining. By contrast, a granite like Blue Pearl or Volga Blue is tough with an absorption rate of 0.05%-0.15%. I could not find your "Queen's Gold" granite on the list. You can seal your granite to protect it against stains. If it is prone to etching, you will have to be careful.

Regarding chipping, I have no chips, but I suppose if I dropped something heavy against the edge it might chip. Some granites have a lot of mica, and those chip more easily. But actually, I can't think of a countertop that wouldn't chip or scratch if you threw something heavy against it. Perhaps the manmade ones, I'm not sure, but that's an entirely different look.

Here is a link that might be useful: findstone.com list of granites

True granite (think half dome in Yosemite) is pretty indestructible. Stones called granite are typically a composite of all sorts of materials.... and their durability will vary. Slabs that contain alot of mica are typically vulnerable to chipping and flaking..lighter stones can stain....it all depends.

As for hot pans....Our contractor/fabricator said that heat will not affect most stone (ie, granite) counters but it will "swirl" the finish/sealant. This is not permanent and can be polished out.

Just regarding your cleaning recipe of 50% Windex, 50% water. Most Windex formulations contain ammonia, and ammonia is a big no-no for granite. According to Windex's own website: "All but two Windexî Glass and Multi-Surface Cleaners contain detergents, solvents, fragrance, Ammonia-Dî, and alcohol. They should not be used if ammonia is not recommended for use on surface. Windexî Multi-Surface Vinegar and Windexî Outdoor Multi-Surface do not contain ammonia. They are safe to use in these cases."

I am also not a fan of putting food down on surfaces that have been sprayed with "solvents, fragrance, Ammonia-D".

A lot of people on this forum swear by the inexpensive home mix of 30-50% rubbing alcohol and 50%-70% water. Use that instead of the Windex mix your OP mentioned.

Quartzites don't etch - they are composed almost entirely of quartz which is very stable. We have had Azul do Mar quartzite for over 5 years in our kitchen and it is bullet proof. It doesn't stain or etch, not even the pure white areas and I live in a household where some people aren't always careful and a spot of tomato sauce can be left on the counter over night.

The issue seems to be that some slabs of Super White are a mix of quartzite and a mineral with calcium, possibly dolomite. It doesn't etch has easily as marble but it etches.

I've read that the problem with ammonia isn't that it is likely to hurt the stone but that it may break down the sealer causing the stone to require sealing more often.

Most "granites" (i.e. stones sold as granite) don't etch but there are a few that do). We tested the samples we had of stones we were considering by leaving lemon juice and vinegar on them over night and none of them etched.

Once sealed, staining shouldn't be an issue with granite.

Granite won't burn, but it is possible that sudden heat on a weak part of the stone could start a crack. I don't worry about it for the most part - for example if pot that was boiling on the stove was set on the granite, but I try to make sure that at least pans coming out of a 450 degree oven are put on the rangetop, a cooling rack or pot holders rather than directly on the granite.

Our plumber was canning tomato sauce and put the jars on his black granite. A few minutes later, he heard a big bang and thought a jar exploded. The granite cracked.

Well, I have three samples...I may have to do some science expedients.

I have colonial cream and it so definitely not bullet proof. It has a large mica content so it does flake in spots. The fabricator already filled some of the larger areas and left me his number in case I have issues with areas that need to be filled down the road. It also absorbs oil like no tomorrow. Someone left a dish with bacon fat overnight and it left a ring:( we did a politice overnight and it helped but it's still sort of there. Only my husband and I see it though since there is so much going on with the granite.
Our granite is also not shiny like most others which drew me to it in the first place. It is in between polished and leathered finish if that makes sense- again the mica content at work. It does not etch though and coffee, lemon juice, red wine and barbeque sauce were all left in small spots overnight with no staining what's so ever.

There are geological granites but many of the stones sold commercially as granite are not technically geological granites - on the other hand, that's not really the issue. I have blue pearl which is not geological granite but it is gorgeous and it is one of the stones that is essentially indestructible. Typically the darker, denser stones are the ones that don't stain or etch and don't need to be sealed. You need to research the particular stones that you interested in to determine their specific properties.