I have leathered Virginia Mist (aka Jet Mist) granite and am very happy with it. Low maintenance - a big plus with my busy lifestyle! No need to baby it at all. And it mimics soapstone in its general appearance and “feel”. So you might look into it as an option. Good luck!

Uba Tuba is from the 1990's - I'd look into something like the Virginia Mist or Absolute Black.

I've had leathered Absolute Black in my kitchen for 9 years now. It's never been sealed, looks as good today as the day it was installed, and has a similar look to soapstone. The only downside is the leathering creates very tiny pits in the granite, and I have hard water. If I don't wipe up water immediately, it evaporates and leaves white mineral deposits in the pits, which I then have to scratch out ( a scrubbing sponge usually does the trick). If you don't have hard water, that won't be a problem.

For the new house we're building, I'm going to use a smoother honed finish to avoid the pitting and water marks--I'm considering the Virginia Mist granite @Mom mentioned, and Silestone has a quartz called Charcoal Soapstone, though I haven't seen a a slab in person yet.

Thanks for the feedback! We do have hard water that leaves marks when left to dry, so that’s an interesting consideration.

As far as uba tuba being 90’s - no argument here, but price is what it is and everything else costs more. Looking online, they are all reading pretty dark to me. I’m mainly looking for concerns like “the stone is dyed not natural” or “fingerprints everywhere forever”.

I have hard water too, and haven’t had any issues at all with water marks or fingerprints. It was sealed when installed and again about a year later. I am quite certain my leathered Virginia Mist isn’t dyed, but certainly understand your concerns. I have no experience with a honed finish.

We have leathered steel gray granite. We love it. Pretty much bullet proof.

Uba Tuba is not lower quality granite.

I agree with @vinmarks that Uba Tuba is not lower quality granite. But it's all about perception. Personally, I think it's a beautiful classic stone. I would not care that it is not the latest trend, etc, and would use it myself in a renovation or new build. I'd get a good slab, of course. Leathered is also a good option. But I would use it because I like it, not because of cheap pricing. Although that's a nice perk.

I think the shine of polished dark granite like Uba Tuba is what makes it look outdated. We had honed Uba Tuba in the house we sold two years ago, and I think it still looked very nice. I would definitely go with honed or leathered. And it is not a lower quality stone. It's more available; thus, lower priced.

Both honed and leathered finishes should leave the fabrication shop with sealer already applied. Both finishes have become very popular over the past 10 years. You should not have any issues with water, regardless of it being hard or not. Just confirm with your fabricator that they indeed seal it prior to finishing your job. Good luck and have fun with your project

Thanks for the additional thoughts and commentary, especially re: uba tuba. I agree “more available” is totally different than lower quality and clearly I had them mixed up. I’ve read so much on these forums about the varying qualities of quartz counters, all the mismarked quartzite/etc. I just applied that to granite when it sounds like it wasn’t appropriate.

Steel gray is another “budget” granite. We have it leathered and love it. It’s a dark gray very subtle and low maintenance.

I don’t see anything wrong with uba tuba. It’s pretty and there’s a reason it was so popular for a while. But it had green tones so you need to know if it will work for your color scheme

I had UT in my last home. It is bulletproof. Doesn't need sealing. I cleaned it 20/80 rubbing alcohol & water. Mine was polished, that might make a difference about sealer.

I am in th eprocess of DITCHING my honed uba tuba (It was in our condo when we bought it and I thought it was an interesting look ) - fine in areas where I don't cook .... it is a PAIN INTHE NECK to clean - I havie to brush it off with a wisk brush first and then scrub it with a scrub brush and then use a non-shredding cloth to use as a rinse aid.. I like the look - but the upkeep is untenable. Sealing it did NOTHING to help with the upkeep. If there was a way to polish it out onsite, I would do that - not a possibility. Run away from this if you want something reasonablly easy to care for . . .

Haha, funny you should bump this thread. We ended up pinching our pennies (a used but new looking faucet and sink) and got a striking granite that we both loved in person - the templaters are coming early early tomorrow to measure and we are so excited! Horrible photo because of the lighting and angle, but you get the gist. :)

I have leathered Absolute Black granite in my kitchen and love it. We have had it for 7 years now and I would choose it all over again. It looks unique here in the Pacific NW with the leathered finished as you don't see it much here. It is solid, dependable, and I only have to use a microfiber cloth with water to clean it up. There is no damage or scratches to it after 7 years and three kids.

Beautiful choice, sparkshooter!

leathered and honed are very different anmals . . . . the honed is like running your hands over rocks. glad you like your finish, have looked at some leathered products as I said VERY different than honed , , , did try some clarks paste oil (great product)

- makes it look better but no improvement on the cleaning.

Sparkshooter -- beautiful slab! Please post pics when it's installed.

yes, I like it too! would love to see it once it's installed.

@sparkshooter, has your counter been installed by now? I'd love to see some pics of the final result!

Just to add a few cents, I agree with others about Ubatuba Granite...it still is the most popular granite sold on the market today as it was in the '90s.

I’ve had so much trouble uploading these. obviously the kitchen remains in progress, including the baseboard and floors.

@sparkshooter DROP DEAD GORGEOUS COUNTERS

OMG! Those are so beautiful! Thanks for sharing those stunning counters!

Awww, thanks guys. I think it's really interesting how "light" the counters seem in real life, even with the leathered finish. We weren't going for bright and airy, but for a kitchen with limited light (north facing) and dark cabinets, it certainly reflects light well.

@sparkshooter Those countertops are gorgeous! Would you mind sharing the name of the granite?

Beautiful! Looks a lot like soapstone.

@smace73 It is "Titanium" granite in a leathered finish. Based on a quick google, there appears to be really wide variations from slab to slab for what this granite looks like.

Thank you for posting pics sparkshooter. We've decided on leathered titanium as well but have been worried about such a bold choice. Your kitchen is just beautiful!

We have leathered ubatuba, and LOVE the warmth and feel of it. It's pretty much indestructible.

Sparkshooter those are beautiful!!!

What is this granite called and how has it held up now that it’s been 1+ year?