I don't know much . . . but I saw and LOVED FB at my local fabricator, and then when I asked them to include it on my estimate for my kitchen, they told me they would not sell it for a kitchen because they'd had problems with stains/etches/whatever . .. I rather begged because I loved the look of it! So, anyway, there must be at least some FB out there that acts more like marble, because that's my guess as to what the issues were with it at my fabricator.

I am having Fantasy Brown Quartzite installed in a small kitchen facelift; it's going in next Tuesday. The sample that I brought home scratched glass easily.

My stone center in Maine ordered the slab from MA, and they STRONGLY suggested that I buy the leathered finish. I put lemon juice on the large sample I had along with ketchup and mustard, and nothing stained or etched the sample, which was not leathered.

I read a post here last week where the person interested in the stone tried the scratch test and the glass wasn't scratched. My guys told me that FB has many properties of marble, but with what I saw in my tests, I think it's going to be OK.

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Wow. That's a lot goin' on on a countertop.

Treb, I don't know whether you meant mine or the first photo shown, but here is a better pic of mine that I took at the local stone yard.

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I went there after templating on Tuesday and we laid out the various areas of my counter top. I stayed away from the darker areas, as I wanted a 'calmer' counter top, but really liked the soft greens in it, not really visible in the photo above. I liked the neutrality of it, with the soft movement.

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I almost picked this stone (I'm in Maine too)! I love the look of it and the price was mid-range. However, the polished sample that I brought home for testing easily etched with any of the acidic foods I exposed it to and it did not scratch glass. It did not seem as susceptible to staining. I did not think that the etching was extremely noticeable but, in the end, I opted for something more bulletproof so that I could feel more relaxed when other people worked in my kitchen. I wondered if a leathered stone would disguise etching but I never tested a leathered one. It is a beautiful stone and to this day I sometimes regret passing it by because the etching really wasn't that severe and with all the movement, barely noticeable.

Hi, BirchPoint! How long ago did you look at it? The 'sample' that I lugged home from Blue Rock Stone Center was a whopper - about 2 x 1 foot and HEAVY.

They didn't have any small ones as there is so much variation in the slabs that they worry they'd get one in for a customer and they'd think they got the wrong thing. That's what they said when I asked if what is left from my slab would be cut into sample squares. It will go in the remnant area.

When I brought that mega-sample home, it was honed. I did the tests and no etching or staining, and passed the scratch test. They didn't steer me away from it for my kitchen, but did tell me to get leathered. I hope it'll be OK, and will report back in.

my3dogs, that is exactly the look I would have for a counter. I'm not a fan of busy or too much going on, and I don't think that stone is either of those. It's seriously beautiful and luscious. Did you end up going with honed or leathered?

Hi, Linelle, I got the leathered at the recommendation of the stone center. I just went and picked up my 9 x 9 sample piece that they said they'd include with my counter tops. I tried to get a picture showing the 'leathering' by holding it up to the window so the natural light could hit it. I had to take it close so you could see it.

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Those ridges you see are actually VERY low, so low that I have no way of measuring their depth. Here is a dark amber glass that I just scratched with my sample's edge. I have mustard and ketchup sitting on it now. My original sample didn't stain, but it wasn't leathered. I don't drink coffee or wine, so can't test those things.

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While at the stone center, I asked if Fantasy Brown is NOT recommended for kitchens. He said it is absolutely fine in kitchens and to not believe everything I read on the internet.

He mentioned he had a client read that she could get stains out of stone with a baking soda paste, which she may have rubbed onto the stain, and it just made the area worse. THEN she called them and asked what to do now. They were awfully busy, so I didn't stay, but he mentioned that FLOUR would have helped. I'll find out more about that when mine are installed Tuesday.

I did just Google using flour to remove stains, and found this at This Old House, linked below.

And here is what I found on a stone site about leathered finish -
"Leathering starts with a honed surface and adds texture. Additionally, it closes the pores of the stone (compared to honing) and retains the color better than honing. A leathered finish has a soft sheen but is not as reflective as a polished surface. The amount of texture produced varies from stone to stone and some extremely uniform stones will not leather at all. On a very dark material such as Absolute Black granite, leathering is preferred to honing because the resulting finish is very uniform, preserves the majority of the stone's color, and is much easier to maintain than a porous honed surface."

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Remove Spots from Kitchen Countertops

Update Sunday AM from my stain and etch test - No staining and if the lemon juice etched, I cannot see or feel a difference.

I was looking at staining articles on the web (This one on marble) yesterday and founding this one linked below, while from 2006, still very interesting.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sealing marble: More Marble Weirdness

These articles puzzle me. Nothing, but nothing, has ever left a stain on my constantly used marble counter top. One Thanksgiving, someone covered up a large, perhaps six inches in diameter, cranberry sauce spill with a linen tea towel and then placed a cutting board on top of that. I didn't discover it until the next morning. The cranberry wiped right off, but the linen left a linen textured etch in the marble. I am sure that a stone restorer could repair this, but I'm leaving it there. So, in my experience, etches happen (boy, do they ever!), but stains do not. BTW, I have Thassos, which everyone says not to install in a kitchen. All I knew at the time was that I wanted a white surface for my baking counter, and I wanted stone.

My fantasy brown is leathered. I have lived with it for almost 3 months now and have hosted 3 large parties/holidays, do standard daily from-scratch cooking and baking, and have 2 kids that are sometimes a bit messy. So far, I have no etches, stains, or scratches. I clean as I go during normal cooking, but don't worry about staying on top of such things during parties. So far, I am loving the look and feel of this counter.

My initial sample testing on an unsealed sample showed some etching with extended exposure to acids, but no noticeable staining. Etches were easily removed with a scotchbrite pad. The samples scratched more easily than granite, but much less easily than soapstone and other marbles.

Here is a link that might be useful: Testing a Brown Fantasy Sample

I'm so glad to see that many of you guys have had good experiences with it, especially leathered. Do you remember what your up-charge for leathering was?

I don't know what the upcharge was, sorry to say. I went through Lowes, and once I chose the stone, the stone yard contacted Lowes, gave them their wholesale price, and Lowes then called me with the total price for the stone and install.

I may be going to Lowes tomorrow, and if I do, I'll see if they have any breakdown in my pricing. My counters are being installed tomorrow, and I'll ask those people from the stone yard, if they know what a typical upcharge is for leathering.

Thanks my3dogs! Or if you don't mind saying, what did your total cost for the material wind up being per square feet? I got my quote back and am puzzled with the numbers although they would be getting these slabs for me from a supplier versus what they have in their existing yard stock.

Thanks my3dogs! Or if you don't mind saying, what did your total cost for the material wind up being per square feet? I got my quote back and am puzzled with the numbers although they would be getting these slabs for me from a supplier versus what they have in their existing yard stock.

My cost includes both the stone and the install. When I divide the total from the stone yard by the number of square feet, it works out to $66.89 per sq. foot. Mine is 3 cm thick.

I am in Maine and the local stone yard had to order the slab from Vector Stone in Lowell, MA. I could have made the 200 mile round trip, but instead, looked at slabs from Vector on their website and chose the leathered one I liked best.

I've put a link below to the page with the lots I had to choose from. Lots 013 and 025 are not leathered. I chose lot 083, which now has only one slab left. If you scroll to the next page, you see the last leathered lot, #2475. Fantasy Brown is mis-labeled here as marble.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fantasy Brown at Vector Stone

Hey everyone! I have a sample of fantasy brown, honed. IT is so pretty and I want it in my kitchen, but it does etch! I left lime juice on it for several minutes, and it left a very noticeable etch. You can of course only see it when the light hits, but it is there. I don't have a scotch brite pad to test whether I can remove it...are you all using just the pad or something else with it? I love the idea of this stone, but I worry it will etch at the edge of the island where little fingers are messy with their food.

I love it too I'm in the Philly area and the granite place I went to told me $70 sqft installed but I want the mitered edge so it looks like a thick piece so I'm not sure what the upcharge will be but now I'm worried about the etching and staining issues. My guy called it quartzite.I'm going to go to a few more places to look and check prices.

I decided to just go for it - it was love at first site. My 2 slabs of leathered FB are being installed as we speak... I'll let you know how it goes.

I would love to know what you think if you just had it installed?? I just found a slab of FB leathered that I LOVE!!

I can’t wait to see them

Does anyone know where I can find a slab in 130”x55”? We live in Washington State.