About granite:

(1) There is no granite that does not need maintenance. Some needs more than others, but a maintenance-free granite does not exist.

(2) A chip in granite can be repaired. It is expensive and it is hard to completely disguise the repair. And you have to have saved the chip or chips.

(3) Some granites emit measurable amounts of radon radiation. The jury is out on how much of a problem this is in an adequately ventilated house, but why add radon? For more discussion see: the CBS news report on radon and Consumer Reports on Radon (you may have to subscribe to read this report).

check out malibu soapstone from m. texeira.

Furlet, I'm glad to hear that the Uba tuba looks good with the SS sink.

Followup question for anyone with a really dark countertop...what type/level of lighting is adequate for you to see your work?

Hadn't thoroughly considered the radon issue...I guess I thought it wasn't a real problem except for certain of the reddish granites.

There ARE granites that need no maintenance, you do not need to save a chip in order to repair it - most granite installations will never chip in your lifetime, and the radon issue has been debated ad nauseum here and granite owners are not scared of their stones.

I have a darkish granite but my kitchen is south-facing and very light so lighting is not an issue. If you have a darker kitchen you may want to have extra task lighting.

I am not going to start a battle with an old time carpenter, but as Gina says there are a large number of granites that are maintenence free.

AND a chip should not be terribly expensive to repair.

Ditto on the Radon issue Gina.

Blessings

warmfridge, can you email me from my page? Sears sale. Can't do it now.

If you want something that has a very green look to it, you may need to go with a synthetic product like quartz. Most of the green granites don't have an intense green color. They are either like ubatuba (murky black sea-green) or verde tropical/san francisco (swirly grey/taupe with green hues.) I'm not criticizing either of these as they are both distinctive and beautiful. However they generally don't have an overall GREEN appearance that would leave a first impression of "green countertop."

That aside, it seems like stainless and maintenance-free are big priorities. Go with quartz and you can get any color green you like. We're using Silestone "olive green" on our island for our remodel. Pics are in the attached link where we stain tested many different materials (including the Silestone.)

Here is a link that might be useful: Countertop Stain Tests: Bye Bye Tiny Sad Kitchen Blog

Hi Festus,

I haven't really looked at granite yet, but unless I find a piece that I really like, I think I'll probably go with quartz. I ordered some samples of Zodiaq, Silestone, and Cambria in assorted greens. Also looked at the WilsonArt integrated sinks but didn't like the look of them and it seems like their sink choices are pretty limited. I saw your experiment in the other thread...nice to have first-hand data.

WF

Just my $0.02 . . .

For stain-resistance, chip-resistance, and near-zero maintenance issues, I think the engineered quartz-composites are the best: either Silestone or Caesarstone brands. Both have very modern color palettes, but we chose Silestone for their available matte-finishes (never liked the "shiny granite" look). We just put Silestone's Expo Grey in a "leather" finish (matte-finish), and love it (it looks like smooth concrete). We have a medium-sized kitchen, and it only cost $2,880, installed, including tax, which surprised me by how affordable engineered-quartz countertops really are. Good luck!

Studio,
Why do you prefer Silestone and Caesarstone over Zodiaq or Cambria? The color selection, or have you read something about quality differences?

Warmfridge:

My mom just installed Caesarstone in her ultra-modern, mega-makeover. The quality of the materials appear identical, so the choice for Silestone for me was simply due to color and finish availability. Silestone is also just what Home Expo happened to carry. I'm sure all modern quartz-composites have similar performance characteristics.

Thanks for clarifying.

We went with Verde Peacock granite and I can assure you that ours is really maintenance free. We had a big Xmas dinner at our house and were so exhausted after that we went to bed with eggnog spills, beet soup splashes, and many unidentified blobs on the counter (along with many dirty dishes). There was no concern for staining or anything and sure enough, the next morning everything came right off with a wet cloth or a razor blade (for the dried on goop).

It's a dark green counter, and I love the natural look of it. In photos it looks a bit splotchy but in real life you don't see the details as much. As far as lighting, we have one overhead fixture in the kitchen and one in the dining room - that's mostly what we use, plus over the stove light when cooking. I was concerned that it would be too dark since there's a fair amount of counter space but it's not at all.

I'd definitely recommend you see some of the granites referenced here in person - you'll either really like them or go straight to quartz IMO.

Here is ours:

Not to start a battle either, but I also have maintenance-free granite...no sealing required, no enhancing required, no "babying" required, ...

I have Absolute Black Premium and I assure you there is absolutely no maintenance required! I did test it b/f we finalized our purchase just to be sure since I didn't want to have to worry about sealing or enhancing.

We have left all kinds of things on the counters...mostly b/c we didn't notice it right away or b/c we were in the middle of a cooking or baking marathon...vinegar, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, raspberry wine, blueberries, strawberries, lemons & limes, etc. I haven't used "a green scrubby(quartz crystals) sponge scrubby," though, so I don't know how it would hold up with that...but I've never needed to (if something is stuck on, I just soak it in hot water or put a hot, sopping wet dishcloth on it for awhile).

I also put hot pots/pans on the granite straight from the oven or off the cooktop, although I've read there is a possibility of thermal cracking. But, as there is no resin in my counters, I don't worry about melting.

For cleaning, I just use a dishcloth w/a little bit of liquid dish detergent. Now that I've stopped overdoing it with the dish detergent, I no longer have streaks or much of a haze from the detergent (which would be true of all counters...quartz, laminate, glass, etc.)

HTH!

I think I read on the Caesarstone website spec sheets that the hardness or ability to withstand scratching corresponds to the higher numbers, which corresponds to the larger chunks of quartz. I tried to chip several samples from 5 or 6 quartz companies. The finer grains chipped and scratched very easily but the larger chunks did not chip. There are some quartz countertops that can stain. I only stain tested the ones that did not chips, and those passed.

Triclosan (Microban) is in Silestone and is somewhat controversial if you google it. I read a rumor on this forum that it was in Cambria. I called Cambria and they told me that it isn't.

Unfortunately, the green scrungie side of sponges really can scratch granite! They have silicon carbide in them which is the material just below diamonds on the hardness scale. If you use the link, go 1/4 down the page to question A1990. The stone expert there explains that and countless other issues, pitfalls, and solutions. HTH!

Here is a link that might be useful: granite info site

Gina & VRJames,

I'm sorry, but it is a fact that there are no granites that are maintenance free. If you think there is such a stone, name it and I will show you (1) it is either not granite or (2) it needs maintenance.

Radon is an issue that has been debated for years. Some people find it to be a concern. Others do not. But it is an actual issue with all natural stones, so I mentioned it as one of the considerations a person looking at granite as a countertop should be aware of.

Chips in granites are unlikely after installation. But I will stick by my guns on this one. If a chip occurs it is expensive to correctly repair. Please notice the word correctly. Any fool can do a poor job.

That findstone Q&A site is enough to either scare one away from granite completely, or make one think the only competent fabricator in the entire world is the barely literate wise-a$$ answering the questions.

If vrjames can list some granites that don't require sealing, don't require me to buy stone cleaner instead of using inexpensive soap and water or windex, and don't get oil stains when I set down the salad dressing or the olive oil, then I would probably buy that granite.

Also it would be more helpful to hear actual pricing on repair of a granite chip rather than opinions on whether or not it is inexpensive or expensive because people don't share the same views of what is expensive.

Bill V has a link that has been passed around the forum that list absorption rates of stone. Anything less than .25 will not even absorb a sealer.

Blue Pearl, Emerald Pearl, Tropic Brown, Tan Brown. Juparana Lorean, Juparana Tier, Carbonia Blue, Black and Pearl, Platinum Pearl. Already Mentioned Ab Black and Peacock Gold, Ubatuba.

The list of "mintenance issue" stones from a sealing standpoint is actually quite small. What has happened to us in the industry is the competition and marketers of sealers has taken Cashmire White or Shivakashi or Ornamaental, stained it up real good and said SEE all stones are this way and you need to WORRY about them.

Nothing is further from the truth. I compare this method to clothing. Do you treat all your clothes the same because silk is delicate? I do not think so. All stones are NOT the same. A large number of them will not take a sealer. Add into the mix most stones now have resin on them which just adds to the protection.

Now as far as clean up. I will tell you what I and several people I know in the industry clean our stone with.

My stone Juparana Lorean has been in 7 years. It was sealed by my friend prior to install and none since. I wipe down with soapy water for general clean up. once or twice a week we spray it down with Wndex (YES regular Windex) which removes the "build up residue" of the soap and shines it up. I have been doing this since day one. I know 2 people personally in the industry that do the same. My stone looks as good as the day it was installed.

I MUST QUALIFY that I am speaking of granite counters, Not marble, Phyllites, serpentines, slates.

As for the repair of a chip. IF you have the chip, it would be the cost of a service call. 1 to 2 hundred bucks. As for quality of work as the carpenter points out. THAT my friends is a different subject.

Blessings

Do Platinum Pearl and Carbonia Blue have other names?

Is Black Pearl another name for Black and Pearl? The first search I did came up with someone asking how to get white water glass ring stains from her Black Pearl countertop. Is this a common problem with Black Pearl and what is the solution? Does honed finish make the problem better or worse?

Warmfridge, sorry to ask questions about black, forgot you were looking for green. (I am considering black). I think I read that emerald pearl is prone to chipping and if so, you would want a rounded edge.

sorry Carbonia Black, Carbonia Blue and Carbonia Pearl. NOT Black and Pearl.... They are from the city of Carbonia in Angola and are sometimes sold as Angola Black, Angola Blue and Angola Pearl. Also Labradore Black et al as well.

I missed an issue with a white ring on Black Pearl.

Vrjames, do those granites go by another name? I called the largest slabyard within driving range and they do not have anything starting with Carbonia, anything starting with Angola, and the only Labradors are Labrador Verde and Labrador Antique.

Carbonia Blue is also sold as Blues in the Night. I do not know of any other names.

Vrjames, my first search turned up this post from findstone about "blue in the night" granite:

My new "granite" counter top has water rings from where a glass was sitting on it. When my husband purchased them, nobody told him he needed to seal them. They are sending someone to buff out the stain tomorrow.....will this work? Then, it gets worse because as I was clearing the counter for the buffing tomorrow, I dropped a heavy piece of crystal and chipped the same section of counter. Can they buff that as well or is all of this just going to be a mess?? The color is "Blue in the night", which is black with blue flecks in it.

So is this a common problem with "Blue in the Night" granite and what is the solution?

Do the other granites have another name? Because if I can find a granite as low maintenance as quartz I might buy it. Warmfridge is looking for dark green.

Monkey puzzle,

I am not sure where this is going. I set out to assure you that Granites can be as low maintenance a material as anything offered. I shared with you how I and my family personally abuse and clean our own countertops. We have a kitchen here in the office with Sapphire Brown and I can assure you the people abuse it daily, warehouse guys are slobs. It has not been sealed in 12 years and is cleaned with soap and water and windex.

Granite however is not indestructible. If you drop a heavy crystal object near the edge of any stone, you run the risk of chipping it. I have heard of a complaint of a cracked countertop and "No" explanation, "It just cracked one day.", then the couples child came in and said in front of everyone, "See what happened to when dad threw the bowling ball at Mommy."

So, in answer to your question, NO this is not a "common problem" with Blues in the Night, but it is a possibility with granite.

I know of a salesperson in a Tile showroom that I am very well acquainted with, her husband scratched their granite countertop when he was cleaning parts of his metal deer stand and accidentally dragged it nearer to the sink. The pieces were quite heavy, according to her. It cost her $300 to have it repolished out.

As for the "water rings", the causes for these would need to be addressed on a case specific basis. Many water ring issues are not stains.

I hope you are able to find a material you can accept and enjoy.

Be blessed.

I challenged you to list some granites that don't need sealing, don't require me to buy stone cleaner that I can use windex or soap and water on, and don't leave rings when I set down the olive oil or salad dressing. You listed some. Then I googled the names and apparently those granites have problems like white rings from water glasses and chipping.

So far none are as low maintenance as quartz. If you buy certain quartz countertops, you won't have problems like chipping, staining, scratching, water rings, oil rings, and you can use windex or soap and water. Also some quartz countertops have enough matteness that dark countertops don't have fingerprints or glare. With granite you often need a honed product to do that.

I will buy my countertops in a couple of weeks so I was hoping you could point me to a granite that was as low maintenance as quartz. Warmfridge is looking for stainproof and scratchproof and low maintenance in a dark color just like I am, and I am sure many other people are too.

If what has been presented has not convinced you, then please proceed with an engineered product.

To get back to my original question...is there a list somewhere that describes the stain-resistance abilities of the different kinds of granite and which require sealers and which don't??? It seems to me that the biggest issue with choosing granite is not knowing which kinds need what type of care. With quartz, the maintenance is all the same.

Warmfridge,

Yes, there is a list that is not all inclusive, but has a good number of the popular choices on it. I have provided a short list of the types. If you will post the name of a specific material, a group of us will tell you what we know about that specific material.

Bill V and many of the regulars here have a link they always attach, I will try to find it but maybe they can chime in.

NOT ALL Quartz products are equal. Please keep that in mind. Some scratch easier than others. Though you are right, I do not think any of them require sealers. I could stand to be corrected on that point as well.

I have "Blues in the Night" granite. Have had it since about June or July 2005.
It is about as maintenance free a counter as I can hope to find. It cleans up wonderfully, doesn't stain, doesn't require sealer, hasn't scratched and is duly hard.

It is a dark stone and does show when "stuff" is on it. I use a Miracle cloth to clean it up and use the stone cleaner once a month or thereabouts.

I don't know how it can get "white rings from water glasses" unless you have very hard water that leaves mineral rings as the water dries. Wipe it off or else get a white stone so that left-over minerals don't show up.

As for chipping when heavy crystal is dropped on my counter: even I'm not daft enough to think that if I were to drop heavy chunks of crystal on my granite that I won't damage the crystal, chip the counter or even both. Make no mistake, dropping heavy items on any hard brittle surface - granite, marble, soapstone OR engineered quartz will cause at least a chip on the counter. Possibly even more. Mercifully, I've not been that butter-fingered with my stone. Yet. (crossing fingers here)

I'd recommend using mattresses for counters if you plan to drop heavy crystal and want the counter and the material to bounce.

Warmfridge,

Not all quartz requires the same maintenance.

Some quartz countertops chip, some stain, some scratch.

Warmfridge,

Emerald Pearl, Ubatuba, Verde Peacock granites do not need sealing.

Dark granites have problems like stains from oil, white rings from hard water, rust stains, stains from acidic things like cranberry juice, fingerprints, and glare.

If you get the right quartz product you won't have stains, fingerprints, or glare.

see my post, honed green granite that looks like soapstone. I have pics of it on there. found an old post on here that had a picture of what i think my samples are, and they referred to it as finlandia soapstone granite or italian granite and debated what it actually was. It looks alot like soapstone to me. i've tested the samples with oils and acids without sealing first, and they have come clean.

Dark granites have problems like stains from oil, white rings from hard water, rust stains, stains from acidic things like cranberry juice, fingerprints, and glare.

Eh?

Monkeypuzzle,
What are you talking about?!

Dark granites in general, and the ones you listed above in particular AND the "Blues in the Night" you asked about earlier do not stain - from oil or wine or juice. "Do not need sealing" means that they don't stain.

Water rings from hard-water are a consequence of the hardness of the water, not the darkness of the counter or the fact that it is stone (granite). Hard water evaporates, leaving its dissolved minerals behind. You are deluding yourself if you think that hard water drops will magically recognize a dark counter as being a dark engg quartz and decide not leave the mineral deposits behind!
Fact: when I lived in a hard water zone, I had mineral deposits on my dark laminate counters.

Also, not to put too fine a point on it, but "stains from acidic things like cranberry juice" is confusing a few issues. "Acidic things" react with and may etch a stone - in general they won't etch many if not most "dark granites" and won't react with the stones you listed above (Ubatuba, Emerald Pearl, Absolute Black, etc.). These acids won't react with these darker granites simply because the composite material of those rocks (silicon dioxide, quartz etc.) are relatively stable elements & compounds and won't react with the weak acids you'd find in your kitchen.
Staining, now that is a consequence of absorption of the liquid into the stone - not about reaction. Your dark granites listed above won't stain because they are dense and won't absorb the liquid.

Also, you have to decide if you are probing or advocating. If you want to purchase your engg quartz, you should go ahead and do so. Zodiaq's "grey topaz" or some such colour was high on my list of candidates (2 or 3, if I recall right) so I'm hardly opposed to them. However, your granite posts are is quite disjointed and I'd hate for either you or anyone to go by the opinions you are forming.

Well said Mindstorm. I could not have said it better.
I have relly been scratching my head over this dialogue today and appreciate your input.

Hard water/mineral rings will form an any surface...granite, quartz, laminate, soapstone, etc. The darker the surface, the more obvious the rings. The rings have nothing to do with the counter material, they have all to do with your water. Visibility of the rings is based on the color of your counters, not your counter's material.

Everything MindStorm said as well! (And, I'm speaking from personal experience with my AB counters! Love them! Would definitely put them in again!)

Hi All,

For those who are interested in a granite counter
that is fairly maintence free, I have VA Jet Mist Honed.
Now because it is honed it can absorb oils, acids but
eventually they do evaporate. This has been a super
granite counter for me. I am beyond thrilled.

Jet Mist is a fantastic stone that has been used for tombstones
(I know a little morbid) but tombstones see all kinds
of weather. And Jet Mist has also been used for Monuments,
statues and Governement buildings because is is just
about Bullet proof. Well don't shoot it but you can let
your messy children drip food, sticky fingers and you
name it on Virginia Jet Mist Granite and you will have
no worries. I am so happy with my choice.

The other special thing about Virginia Jet Mist it came
right from Virginia. That makes me smile.

~boxerpups

I would just like to say that I've learned a lot from this whole thread and would like to thank everyone who tried to unconfuse me. I'll go look at UbaTuba, Emerald Pearl, and Verde Peacock, and see how they impress me vs. quartz.

Warmfridge,

Verde butterfly is another dark green granite that you may like. In the samples and slabs that we were shown, it seemed to have less blue in it than verde peacock and was not as dark as uba tuba.

Sarah

Dark granites have problems like stains from oil, white rings from hard water, rust stains, stains from acidic things like cranberry juice, fingerprints, and glare.
Granted I don't have hard water and rusty things do not typically sit on my kitchen counters. But I'll repeat what I said earlier - we have NO stains from dripping oil bottles, any acidic juices, etc. I clean our granite (Verde Peacock) with just a wet/soapy sponge and dry with a microfibre towel (makes it nice and shiny, it works great on stainless appliances and my black cooktop too).

A lot of the stuff you read about different surfaces is scare-mongering or someone trying to sell a product. If you see any granites that you like, be sure to ask for a sample to take home and abuse the heck out of it to see how it performs. We put a bunch of different liquids on ours overnight to test (lime juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine).

Speaking of uba tuba and green granites, I saw a granite named 'green olive'. Does anyone know how this compares color-wise with uba tuba and the others?

Dorothy

I saw a green olive granite at a granite place last week. I have no idea if it's the same as the one you're talking about, but compared to uba tuba, it was lighter green, more olive in tone, with a smaller pattern and minimal movement. HTH.

Thanks, warmfridge-it does seem that I saw what you described. The light was not very good so I could not be sure about the color. The granite was at a warehouse in the Atlanta area. The 'resident expert' told me it would be a good match for my warm honey-colored cabinets.

Would anyone by any chance be aware of its properties as far as problems etc. and the cost compared to uba tuba etc?
Thanks very much.
D.

All very subjective, but I didn't think the olive green that I saw would be a good match for honey cabs. You need to bring a sample home and look at it in better light.

The latest I read is that granite is on the way out.....and someone I work with is going to be installing Pyrolave (enameled lava.) It is constructed from natural lava rock from the volcanic flows from Volvic in France...I did a 'search' and it is impressive although costly. "Because of its inherent hardness reinforced by the firing process, the surface is one of the most resistant to shock and scratching. It is also unaffected by thermic shocks, frost or direct contact with flame and is impermeable to water, greases, alcohol and cleaning products.....Zero maintenance with cleaning completed with a wet sponge or light detergent."

Even if you do just one area, it might be worth it. I hope I get invited to view his finished kitchen to see it personally :)

Holy cow, I just googled Pyrolave...$180/sq ft. Not in this lifetime.

Yeah, well this doc can afford it :) But it was interesting to learn there are alternatives.......

It's funny to see this exact same discussion going on since 2006 when I redid my kitchen. The statement that all granite requires sealing is false.

My mother said (and still does) "you just can't have anything nice". You know the stereotype of men not being too concerned about everything being cleaned up right away, and making huge messes when cooking that may take a day or two to clean up from? Spilled liquids, oils, vinegars, etc left overnight? Cleaning with whatever cleaner is in front, under the sink? That's us, but there are *two* of us that way.

So the ability to withstand that sort of treatment and still look great when we scrub everything down was requirement #1. I got a large number of samples, unsealed, and brought them home and abused them. Oil, wine, vinegar, lemon slices, tomato sauce. Left overnight. Left a few days.

Some of the very light stones soaked things up like a sponge. Some took a few days to get a soaked-in stain. And one that we liked was like glass. Nothing phased it. And it was a pretty unique pattern that we both liked, having that "natural stone" feeling that we both loved.

It's four years later, innumerable multicourse dinners for 10 later, high-temperature stirfries, 8 types of vinegars, 5 types of oils, bottles left on the counter over night. Sangria or fresh lemonade in the summer so citrus fruit remnants pile up.

That's a really long way of saying that there are some stones you can not seal, can abuse, can clean with whatever, can use green scratchy pads on, and still clean up to look as good as the day they were installed.

It's pretty, too:

It's called "iguana green", it's from All-granite in NJ, it was pricey but compared to the subject cost of living with a beatup countertop that we hate on a daily basis it made sense. And except for there being a backsplash (finally!) and trim around the window, it looks exactly the same.