Designsaavy, I am posting a fews pics, as I said earlier the Roccocco is so much prettier in person!

Just beautiful! Can't wait to see it finished. I have a sample of Minuet, but not the Rococco.

Unfortunately, we are limited to picking from remnants within the next 2 months. We got the soapstone at a remnant sale and since that fell thru discovering the crack before templating, we now have to pick something else. I'll be on the lookout for the Rococco.

Back to the black granite.....so glad it's working out well for both of us.

I was relieved to see that I was not the only one with Absolute Black Honed Granite issues. When the marble refinisher came to the re-polish the marble, I asked him to seal the granite, thinking that all the issues were due to improper sealing at installation. I was having all the same issues everyone seems to be having. The marble guy mentioned there seemed to be a film of some sort on the granite and thought the installer had put a stone enhancer on it, saying that an enhancer absorbs into the granite and is topical as well--so it will keep rising to the surface, and that was causing the strange film. So with that said, and all the marks, scratches, water rings, etc., my countertops were a mess! BUT I found a natural solution since chemicals are my last resort: Seventh Generation Disinfecting Multi-Surface Cleaner with a microfiber cloth--it took care of 99% of the issues and the surface feels clean--with no greasy film or residue! If the marble guy was right, and the installer did put a stone enhancer on the granite, the Seventh Generation takes away that film and the counters look brand new!! I am thrilled with the results and love my granite again. And knowing that this product is mostly natural, disinfects and makes my counters look great, I would absolutely pick honed absolute black granite again. I do not work for Seventh Generation, but do use it for many things around the house--even the hard wood floors. It makes everything feel and smell clean, without some strange residue. (Even my cat sitter said my house smelled like fresh lemons:) I'd love to hear if anyone else has the same great results! Also, the marble guy did seal the granite, and I've had no issues thus far.

vskate23 - beautiful remodel! Love the light fixture in the last photo: What is it?

Hi everyone,

Please be careful with Ager, you need to use this product very sparingly. Ager doesn't come off easily, a tin of Ager should last you your entire lifetime.

Honed black granite will mark, it's just the nature of the material. Sealing the material is essential, whether it's with an enhancer or a natural look sealer. You will still get fingerprints and oil on the stone, the only difference once it's been sealed is that it will clean off easily.

Instead of approaching the situation with a temper and automatically thinking that the granite company pulled a fast one on you, you should contact the fabricator or installers and ask what product they used as there are various impregnators,sealers and enhancers for honed and polished stones .naturally the oil from you fingers or foods will leave marks some companies use mineral oil but that creates more of the streaks and spots when you touch it also acetone is used by every granite company it is used to clean epoxy and silicone for an easy solution for your situation is to use a sealer remover by tenax wipe on wipe off, then Use dupont bullet proof sealer also wipe on wipe off I would suggest this option as in the future your fabricator isn't gonna come and Reseal .

Even though I love the look of honed absolute black, after everything I'd read, I was leery. I thought about soapstone but thought the slight chipping would drive me insane. We settled for leathered absolute black granite and LOVE it. It's everything I'd hoped it would be. No water marks. Doesn't scratch. No hazing. Fingerprints don't show. It's so easy to maintain and I still get that matte gray/black look I was going for. It does have a texture but I kind of like that against my flat white cabinets.

Is yours honed? My son has black absolute leathered and it is so rough and shows scratches...we are fighting with the fabricator!!

I definitely have leathered absolute -it looks very different than yours? Attaching photos including the sealer I use- Do it myself- approx once year after cleaning counters well- Have not had any problems, stains, scratches etc- Think you may not have absolute- it's really hard- Somehow it won't let me send 3 different photos will send in additional notes

I'll try again

Now that I made your photo larger it does look the same- Maybe he should try my sealer?

Mine looks like veritas48's and so far, nothing scratches it. I even took a razor blade to a scrap piece before purchasing it. We also used an enhancer/sealer called Akemi. The leathered absolute black has small pock marks but is not rough. My kids can do their homework on it without placing anything under their paper.

OLD POST

Now I've had my flat black leathered granite countertops for two years and they look as good as, if not better than when they were installed. I've also learned that using 409 as the cleaner is the best! Just a little spray and wipe them dry with a paper towel or a dry dish towel. Very easy and effective.

Margobw, I also have leathered absolute black counters and due to problems with dark marks my fabricator recently applied Akemi enhancer. It has been 48 hours and the counters still feel a little tacky. Did you experience anything similar after the Akemi was applied to your counters?

Thanks

Just had a honed granite hearth installed. Blotchy and two big long streaks. Not as expected. Installer sprayed WD40 on the hearth and said he did that all the time. It was shiny when he left and blotchy and streaked a little while later. Any comments about use of WD40?

I never heard of using WD40 on granite. I use a little 409 cleaner on mine. No effort. Spray on just a little, wipe with lightly damp cloth and then dry with dry dish towel. It was installed just over two years ago and looks like new.

Apparently the WD-40 lubricates the check on its slide from the homeowner's checkbook into the installer's wallet. Who knew?

Never heard of anyone using WD40 before. I had streaks and blotches on my honed absolute black granite counters, plus dark water marks constantly. The only thing that worked for me was tenax ager. It evened everything out beautifully, darkened them just a bit, and left a nice satin finish (but not glossy). Only problem I had was a cloudy look a few days later, so on the advice of a granite company, I cleaned them with a light coat of acetone and haven't had a problem since. If you take a day and read this never ending thread, you'll see tons of ideas, but some are contradicting the others, which unfortunately may leave you even more confused!

I must ask OUTERBANKS: Now that you used Tenax Ager, and then cleaned with Acetone, do you have any issues? My honed Indian AB is being delivered tomorrow. My preference is to have the wet/satin look and have it look a little darker than a matt honed look. I asked for NO sealer/No enhancer until I figure this out. Also, did you use the TIGER Ager? And, what are you using to clean it daily now? Any help would be much appreciated, thank you.

No issues whatsoever, I am happy to report! I don't even get fingerprints. I keep a microfiber cloth handy and always wipe up excess moisture from the sponge or water drips. When needed, I clean it with Method granite cleaner, but don't have to do that every day, Usually just wiping down with the sponge and following up with the microfiber cloth keeps the counters looking nice. No on the Tiger Ager, I've been told and also read that it is not for the absolute black honed, something about the molecules being too big and won't penetrate the granite. Just use the regular ager. I got the small size which is twice as much as I needed for a small to medium size kitchen with a small snack bar. Good luck, hope you like your counter tops! It took me a while, but I love mine now!

wcdoran, sorry for the delay! Mine never felt tacky, but after they applied it, they wiped away the excess. Maybe they forgot to do that with yours...is it still tacky?

Thanks so much Outerbanks! So, I will use Tenax Auger (Enhancer/Sealer) and wipe, wipe, wipe it ALL off. Then follow up with a quick wipe of acetone to be sure to remove excess Tenax since it will likely come to the surface (AB does not absorb much). Do you think I should wait a few days before using the acetone?

I waited about 3 days. The residue didn't even show up till the second day. After I first put the Tenax on it was perfect, so I was so upset when I saw the residue. You may be lucky and not even get the residue. Let me know how it turns out! By the way, if you call the Tenax customer service number, they will give you the direct number to the sales rep in your area if you have any problems. Also there is a you tube video which shows how to properly apply the tenax, you might want to watch that first.

Thanks, Outerbanks!

BTW, to those folks looking to get a nice black honed look - I selected a stone labeled "Premium Jet Black" from India (also named "Absolute Black" by this granite place). I was told that it would be nice and black when honed and that this was the TRUE Absolute Black stone -- I was very pleased; they did not lie - I was initially hesitant but they offered to hone to the stone before I needed to commit to it (it was initially a fully polished slab). RESULT: It is a beautiful stone (no white dots) -- It is nearly all black with very little other colors or markings. I had looked at other Honed Absolute black which had lots of white dots - they were terrible looking. Look for the India "Jet Black" stone if you want an all black look and have your fabricator hone it before you commit! My fabricator even offered to do two different levels of honing on the stone, side by side. I chose the standard honed look vs a shiner version which left a little bit of the polished/mirror look on it. My biggest objective was to avoid having a glossy mirror once I hang pendants over this long breakfast bar!

Here's my photo before any enhancer. I love the look now but making it a little more wet looking would be even nicer -- Does anyone weigh in that it would be a mistake to enhance it with Tenax Ager? I can already see that wiping is leaving some streaking with just a damp rag. I think the dust that was made when they installed it is mixing with the water and leaving the streaks. It may need some level of a light sealing, no??? I just want to make the RIGHT decision.

Outerbanks: Quick question, did you have a regular sealer put on the stone prior to using Tenax Ager (enhancer/sealer)? I have not had anything put on the stone. Perhaps you had some spotting if you already had a sealer on the stone?

The installer said that a sealer had been put on, but since I had nothing but problems with this granite company I don't have much faith in what they told me. They were anti absolute black from day one and their whole attitude was "I told you so". Your counters iook beautiful dd.

I love my honed absolute black granite countertops. I wipe clean with a soapy cloth after meals. They get scrubbed a little bit harder on a heavy cleaning kitchen day. That's it. However, I strongly agree the comment that they got better when left alone. I stressed a lot about them when we moved in (we weren't given care instructions either and there is a lot of conflicting advice), had them sealed, used granite cleaner, etc. I thought they looked awful and my husband worried about it all the time. Then I gave up in frustration (we had baby fingers all over them), did less, and now they look really good everyday and amazing on a special occasion if I polish them a bit with a clean dry cloth. That being said, they are definitely matte, but I think that glossy looks dated.

Help, we just had honed absolute black installed 3 days ago and all the edges are turning hazy/splotchy and lighter. Our fabricator used Tenax Ager color enhancer to darken the stone. He did appear to buff the enhancer but it was not totally dry when he left. He told us to wait until the morning and then do a final buffing. However, now that I've been doing research it sounds like you should never leave any enhancer/sealer to dry with the absolute black granite. Im not sure if these spots are caused by it being incorrectly applied, or if our stone is too dense to absorb it? Also, its strange that its on all the corners, like maybe where they handled it? I dont know if he didnt properly clean before he applied enhancer? Help, as our fabricator has been a nightmare to work with and I am dreading making the call that something is wrong now.

Outerbanksgrammy, is the type of cloudiness that you were noticing after applying the Tenax Ager Enhancer?

Yes, it sure looks the same. Acetone removed the cloudiness. That was a couple years ago and my counters have been fine ever since, although they still do require extra attention due to the solid black matte finish. But I've gotten completely used to quickly wiping them down as needed, and don't worry about them at all any longer.

Brandi:

Lots of the Absolute Black granite has been dyed. It allows a lesser stone to be sold at a premium. When fabricators machine the edges, they cut through the dye so the tops don't match the edges. Fabricators apply agers in an attempt to get the edges to match the tops. If you strip the ager to get rid of the inconsistency, your edges may not match the top.

Your pictures look to me like where someone has leeched the dye out of the stone, maybe with acetone. I sure would like to see that rag.

Watch this demo I think it will answer your problem

http://tenaxusa.wordpress.com/2014/09/11/tenax-ager-stone-color-enchancing-sealer-used-on-honed-black-granite-exterior-bank-project/

Thanks for all the helpful tips!
We had a Nero Mist Honed Granite installed, and I do believe they sealed it because we had to wait 24 hours to touch it. Like many above, I'm experiencing spotting from setting anything on the counter.

The worst spot or etch is from the silpat baking mat that my husband placed under a cooling rack after doing some baking. As you can see, it left a big rectangular mark that is of a lighter color.

There's also a pretty significant water ring. I can't remember exactly what it's from, but it was probably just a glass Pyrex or plate which couldn't have had anything intense on the bottom.

Besides all this, we are getting general fingerprinting and marks like crazy. I joked with my husband that it will mark just by looking at it.

Like many above also mentioned, I am getting sick just looking at it. My first step is to discuss with the installer as I'm hoping he can advise on removing the spots, particularly the rectangular one from the Silpat.

Ideally, we will get these looking better and then go for the Tenax Ager Color Enhancer and wipe down with acetone if we experience the white film/cloudiness mentioned above.

We'll post pictures in a couple weeks after we hopefully get this all sorted!

If you have any advise on removing the spots let us know! The installers insisted on soapy water, but that just won't get the job done :( I've noticed many positive comments about the Method cleaner, so we may try that. I'm just a little paranoid because it was a big investment!

Oh, and here's one that shows our kitchen renovation in progress pic with the honed granite if it's helpful for anyone to see the granite in the space.

We've put a lot of work into this small little kitchen (RTA cabinets, DIY backsplash, installed hardwood, etc.) so we really want to feel completely happy with it! The counter is the only thing that's stopping me...

Lori:

I'd do some internet research and try some different poultices.

I have a honed black granite but I have a leather finish. It is not shiny at all. I decided after reading comments when I installed this 3 years ago, not to seal or enhance it. It is beautiful and easy to maintain. I spray it with Windex or Method granite cleaner and it still looks wonderful.

Just had a large honed absolute granite top I staled and lots of blotchy stains!
Yikes, the stone company that I bought it from did not inform me of this problem.
From posts seems like a big problem.

I think we have the exact same countertop, Nero Orion honed granite, correct? It was beautiful on installation day and within one day its a splotchy mess. I just found this thread but haven’t read through all of the replies and am so hoping you’ve found a good solution. We are pretty unhappy with the way they are functioning at this point.

Lori, We have the same kind of stain from someone leaving a Bona stiffer on the counter and now have a rectangular stain. Did you ever solve that Silpat mark? What products helped?

Help! We have honed AB granite with a couple of etch marks and also just some splotchy spots. We had Tenax Tiger Ager applied when it was first installed but still having splotchy dark gray spots showing up. Does anyone have experience with the Tenax Uniblack products? Would it help? Is it too late to put this over the Tenax Ager?

Brandi:

Tenax makes great stuff and the Uniblack is certainly worth a shot, however, I'm betting you're a victim of dyed stone. Foreign countries know the value of consistently colored black slabs, but the stuff they break off the mountain ain't it. So they dye and people buy.

We recently had Nero Orion mist honed granite installed maybe like two weeks ago and I feel like all my research has failed me! Has anyone had success with getting scratches out? We are getting our backsplash installed currently and the one spot that I didn’t cover the guy put his bucket of mortar and it left this circular scratch. I had no idea this stuff scratched so easily!

Joseph - I think you may be right... The spots just seem so splotchy that it makes me think the dye is reacting to something in either the sealer or the dish soap. I've been VERY careful with them from the get go, based on all the comments here and only use dish soap and water to clean them... So if it's dye, will the Uniblack do nothing? Is there a way to re-dye them? Ugh, so depressing since we spent a fortune on our kitchen remodel.

Lori did you get counter fixed? I’m having the same problems with the same countertops!