I personally prefer polished. Have you seen slabs of Taj Mahal leathered? How do you use your kitchen counters? Do you bake? Roll out pie / pizza dough?

I think it's here to stay, but for TM I prefer polished.

I don’t roll out dough and I have seen it but a few fabricators have said the same prefer TM in polished.

When it comes to marble, I love honed.

When it comes to quartzite, I prefer and love polished.

My dd has brushed Via Lactea granite. It is luscious and very forgiving. I actually like her countertops more than mine and mine were significantly higher. I have quartzite and I prefer polished quartzite. Don’t get me wrong...I love my countertops but there is just something about the feel of the brushed granite.

my kid has honed quartz in her showroom and it shows everything.

i wouldn't leather Taj. it's too pretty polished and would lose it's character. It's not a stone that should be leathered. It just loses it's beauty, IMO:

if you want a leather, go w/one of the fierce looking granites like Cosmos Magma gold or Black Horse or something dramatic. when you leather them, they tend to be muted.

My fabricator said the whole beauty of quartzite is its depth of color which disappears when it is honed. She said it looks like mud and since she’s from Brazil and English isn’t her first language, I think she may have meant clay.

Frostyfootball, I agree.

This is leathered taj mahal with the edges mitered in order to continue the surface over the edge, otherwise you get a polished edge. More $$ to miter. Client is an avid baker.

2018-19 El Dorado Hills Ridgeview Village · More Info

Polished for Taj Majal 100%. I have it in my bathrooms and laundry room. I did leather my Wicked White on my Island but that is because it is a softer stone and can etch.

The color of polished vs leathered is definitely different.

I have leathered Taj and I love it. I looked at both and chose the leathered.

Enjoy!

Gusman

Perhaps my post was too long. For the OP and any others who read this later and want leathered natural stone: It is misleading and incorrect to say you cannot have the original 'polished' depth of color in a leathered slab.

Stone, when originally cut, loses color. Polishing enhances. Leathering will cause it to mute again, but you can bring back the original polished color using a color enhancing sealant in the correct way. And you do not have to have the 'wet' look if you do not desire it.

I'm stating this again because after my post several people, Pros and non-pros, whom I respect, have stated the color would be lost if a stone were leathered. I was told this by the slab company and the fabricators, but I was already familiar with the use of a variety of color enhancers on both natural and man-made stones/surfaces so I knew this to be untrue and had our granite leathered. I've had 2 people come into our home asking why my countertop is so rich in color and still leathered when they were warned not to have theirs leathered as it would mute the colors. They were both sick to learn they could have had their countertops leathered and regained the polished color. Color enhancing sealants vary, but please know, when properly applied and buffed, some will work beautifully.

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For further edification: you can put a penetrating sealant on prior to an enhancer sealant without having issues, and you can put a non color enhancing sealant over a color enhancing sealant if you wish to have 2 applications of sealant. Do not put 2 coats of color enhancement as it most likely will darken the stone color more than the original polished color. Always test a piece first as color enhancing sealants vary. Ager, by Tenax, is what I recommend for granite (I don't work for them). Apply it somewhat thickly, wait 5 minutes only and buff firmly with several clean microfiber cloths. Buff overall to remove excess, then sections at a time, and repeat a few times (as you would to remove wax from a car). This will result in a very low sheen/satiny finish. It is safe to apply a 2nd coat without over-darkening your stone, after the first coat begins to absorb water - as you would with any stone sealant.

Hi, I am in the process of having my 10 mo old Tahiti quartzite counters replaced because the edges are darkening. Apparently the supplier didn't allow the slabs to dry completely before polishing the stones and now there's water stuck inside. I have my name on two leathered Perla Venata Quartzite slabs. Has anyone had any issues with leathered quartzite? Thank you!

Natalie S...my quartzite is doing some weird thing too. I’ve read about silicone bleed but I wonder if your problem may be what I have.

would you post a pic/pics of your stone and the problem?

thanks

Kitchen Sink

Island - with no water source.

Natalie S - What happened with your counters? Did you replace them? How did that turn out? I have a leathered quartzite that has been soaking up water and oil even though we sealed it. We had another fabricator look at it and he said the initial fabricator didn't install and seal it properly. If I could do it all again, I'd NEVER buy a leathered quartzite - or quartzite. It's money down the drain.

Mine looks exactly like Natalie’s. Sorry I didn’t say thank you Natalie for posting pictures. My research indicates (here and on the stone sites) it’s more than likely from adhesive that’s bled through. removal of the stains is rarely permanent or successful.

ive had a lot to take care of in the last year so I haven’t called my fabricator yet. It’s a good company and I’m confident theyll make it right. But what a pain.

my stains didn’t appear immediately but this stain was on my sink area on installation day. I should have known there was going to be a problem, but I was too tired to mess with it. It looks like a repair where the adhesive has bled through.

Sorry you've had that problem for so long ILoveRed. It really is a beautiful stone. Hope you are doing well. It has been a crazy year.

Thanks NEG. doing Ok. Hope you are too. And enjoying your beautiful new home!

I had my Tahiti Quartzite replaced with leathered Perla Venata quartzite in November. I haven't noticed a problem yet and I'm praying I never do.

ILoveRed - Have you talked to your fabricator? What are they going to do for you?

Natalie S - Did your fabricator seal your slab? What did they seal it with? How often are you resealing it and are you having it done professionally?

I have leathered Hutque Quarzite from Brazil that looks similar to the Perla Venata. We started noticing stains from water and oil just a few months after sealing it and it's been a nightmare ever since. I've done poultices many, many times and purchased multiple cans of oil stain remover. My fabricator said it's the stone and pointed the finger at the company that sold the stone. The stone seller has pointed the finger at the fabricator for not sealing it properly and leaving it us (the homeowner) to seal ourselves. However, the stone seller has offered to have a new fabricator enhance and seal the stone or replace it (at my expense for the demo, fabrication and repair of my backspash, etc. However, the seller will only replace with the SAME STONE I have now. It's quite the dilemma. I just want a countertop that is FUNCTIONAL. Mine isn't.

Would those who have had issues with Hutque quartzite be willing to share stone supplier name?