I too had samples of AB honed granite but mine did look black...soft black. Perhaps you have a sample that has not had an enhancer applied to it. When I was in the process of choosing a countertop I was almost certain I was going to get AB granite, that was until I heard horror stories about it. There is one person here on this forum that has had a good experience though. I believe she uses Method on her granite. (not sure if it is a cleaner or what. It is sold at Target)I can't remember exactly why AB isn't great but if you google it or type AB honed granite in the search forum you will find some informative feedback. However, I have heard great things about honed black pearl and honed cambrian black. We ended up with soapstone as the price was close to the some of the granites we concidered. I hope this helps a little and good luck!
Meg

Thank you for responding. I've been in couter top prison since March. Our closest yard is two hours away and I've been there three times. They are great to work with and honed and mailed the three blacks that they have on hand.

Is the enhancer or Method a sealant? Does it enrich the color?

Hi Lodalady,

I wanted a black too. Honed Jet Mist is what I have.
not nearly as dark as I wanted but I fell in love with it.
Everyone who walks in thinks it is soapstone.

~boxerpups

I also have honed Jet Mist. Here are some pictures of it as it looks now, but, like, ebse, I am going to have the fabricator apply an enhancer this week. The enhancer I applied myself to the test slab darkened the stone significantly (which is what I wanted) and also seals it and helps prevent stains. I'll post more pics after the enhancer is applied.

I originally wanted soapstone, but ended up with Antiqued Nordic Black. I love it. It has a nice feel, which was one of the reasons that I loved soapstone. I was afraid granite had a cold feeling, but not mine. It is incredibly low maintenance and doesn't show fingerprints, dust or rings. You really have to look at it sideways to notice anything. My neighbor has AB and she is constantly wiping it down. I keep meaning to tell her about the Method cleaner to see if that will help her out. Countertops are a tough choice and it took me a while to settle on mine. It was my third or fourth choice, but now I can't imagine having anything else. If I did another kitchen, it would be my first choice.

It looks darker in person than in the picture.

I was so glad when I ran across your pic of antiqued nordic black granite. I did a search on it and love the look of it. Want something black, but I did read horror stories about polished AB and also the honed AB. Can you tell me if you have had any problems with staining?? Any additional info. is greatly appreciated! I know this is alot to ask and don't know where you live as sometimes this has a bearing on price, but was it very pricey?? thanks so much!
Dana

I have honed AB granite in my kitchen and am in the process of planning a new kitchen. I do love the look, but it is a bit messy. So, I am trying to figure out what to get that will have a similar look. The Antiqued Nordic Black sounds intersting. The KD was showing me samples of Cambria Inubas? It's black, but I'm not sure if I like it as much as a natural stone. It is hard to choose from such small samples.

Not one problem with staining. I live outside of Boston. It is a bit pricey but was the least expensive option that I looked at. Soapstone was a lot more expensive as was another stone that I wanted. It was the same price as Honed Jet Mist and Leathered Black Cambrian. Ironically, I chose it because it was cheaper than soapstone, but I think that I am happier than I would have been with soapstone. I still like the look of soapstone, but my granite is virtually maintenance free. I am supposed to seal it every six months, but I haven't even done that! I really love it.

I just had two coats of StoneTech Enhancer Pro (from DuPont) applied to my honed Jet Mist and it really looks gorgeous now. The enhancer darkened it considerably and also appears to be sealing it nicely. I would definitely recommend this product for all honed black or gray granites.

i am getting virginia mist for my fireplace surround. i really like the gray color it is when honed but apparently the oil from my fingers turned the sealed honed to a darker color. any advice on wheter to just seal the honed virginia mist or go ahead and put the "aged" stain on in...is that the same thing as the enhanced stain the above is talking about?

add to above note...i haven't had the fireplace surround installed yet so nothing has been done to it yet....thx

You could try a poultice on the oil stains. I'm not sure of a recipe for granite but if you search this forum in the box at top of page, something like 'poultice granite' or 'poultice oil'. Then you can handle with kid gloves until you choose which way to seal and what product to use and aren't forced into a decision based on what you are trying to cover up.

Further to above, you could if you'd prefer after removing oil marks with a poultice, seal as this will stop the oil sinking in.

An enhancer will bring out the colours in the slab but they do, because of that darken. What look do you ideally want for your slab? Darker? If so, yes enhancer and then seal. If you are happy as is, just seal