See the thread below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thread: Stone Information and Advice (& Checklists)

Wow! The jackpot! Thanks so much.

Probably because she is talking about a black granite, she doesn't talk about testing for stains. I used lemon for etching, spaghetti sauce, and mustard and thought I had a winner. Then a stone expert suggested I test with oil. I put a teaspoon of vegetable or olive oil on the stone and it turned into a sponge! Imagine if butter or salad dressing got on it? So, give it a couple of your most stain worthy sauces and some oil and either lemon or vinegar for etching. If it passes them all you have a winner!

Sue

To be honest black granite - Absolute black or jet black for example are some of the most dense granite available. Most fabricators tell everyone to seal any stone what so ever due to their lack of knowledge. You do not want to seal either of these stones. After a while the sealer will start making the black stone appear lighter over time. You are basically just waisting your sealer and time. Sure you can do a test on most granites, but keep in mind lemon, for instance will not show a significant result unless it has sat there for a while and dried for some time. Etching is a process that does take time for it to happen in most cases. Just for your input.

Oil is a tough one to test as well, if its a very porous stone such as paradisio then sure it might appear that your stone was not sealed and leave a dark spot, but that does not mean it wasnt sealed. Porous stones will still absorb spills, but if sealed properly that dark spot will evaporate within a few days to a week believe it or not and you wont even be able to tell it was there.

Hmmm...it was supposed to be for all stones (granite, marble, SS, quartz) and colors. Did I miss the lemon juice, red wine, etc. tests? I'll add them if I did.

How do you save an entire thread?

Thanks,
Judy

I personally didn't want a countertop that every drop of oil or butter would take up to a week to go away. The black granites and some other very dark ones are probably the easiest to live with I would think. Most don't need sealing at all and won't show stains as much. I was looking for a lighter granite, though, and didn't want one that I had to be really careful of. Those were the kinds of tests recommended to me by stone experts here and Maurizo on Stone Advise forum 6 months or so ago. Yes, I do remember hearing about the red wine, also. The Kashmir White I had tested showed no indication the stain was lessening at all after a week. I would not not have used it at that point, anyway, though. The stain was immediate and left no time at all for clean up. Everyones tolerance for stains and how careful they are willing to be is different, though. I personally left a slice of lemon on for several days until it pretty much dried up and then removed it. None of the ones I tested had a problem with that, but I would have ruled it out if it did.

Sue

My KD suggested to put some water on the granite, and then place a glass of water ON the water on the granite & leave overnight. See if you get a ring, and if so, does it go away?