I'm no expert on these things, but wouldn't the actual material you're talking about make a difference? Are you discussing natural stone? If so, what kind of stone?

You can get a calm, soft look with no shine using Formica. So I think you'd get more pertinent answers if you were more specific about the material you're considering.

Im considering quarts or granite

Quartz is synthetic. I have it and like it, but if you want pure stone, look at quartzite as well as granite and other stones.

I prefer honed granite. I picked a granite I liked for my first kitchen renovation. It was polished but I had them hone it, even though they tried to discourage me. It was so beautiful, I was so glad I had it honed. I had no troubles with staining or anything else. I think it was called Silver Cloud, I will try to find a picture.
Leathered is nice looking but it’s a somewhat rough surface, for instance, it would be difficult to white something on a sheet of paper on top of it.

*write

Here’s a few pics

I have found that honed usually leaves grease marks on granite , they do fad away but not a look Ilike at all. Qusrtz comes in some different finishes I guess it is never my choice no matter the finish I like an easy to clean surface that is real stone and polished . Never found a polished counter to be not calm

It all depends on the stone you are looking at and how matte honed (soft to the feel) vs leathered/brushed/sueded (more textured to the touch)....I love the look but depends on the stone. An absolute black granite that is honed will show grease marks (cleans up well but you do see it until then)....but, a honed 'busy' looking granite will not show much at all. My advice is to go look at slabs in person with your other finishes including floor material and cabinet material. Narrow it down and then post back what you like.

I'm not a polished/shiny surfaces fan, so I'd go with honed. I have honed Jet Mist granite and love it. My son has leathered Oyster White marble and that is beautiful too. You don't see any imperfections in it.

Honed Jet Mist granite:

countertop materials · More Info

countertop materials · More Info

Leathered Oyster White marble:

Honed Olympian White Danby marble:

Suburban kitchen · More Info

Go visit several slab yards in your area and see what they have available.

If you want a natural stone that is durable, in any finish, then look at Taj Mahal quartzite.

@Diana Bier Interiors, LLC - I've never seen oyster white marble before - it looks interesting! Honed Jet Mist granite is always a safe bet for a nice looking + durable countertop!

I want your countertops, Diana Bier.

I love the look of honed dark granite (Jet Mist, Virginia Mist, Nero, etc. And the examples above are beautiful!) For many reasons (including the fact that the whole lot of my original choice had cracks, and my fabricator was concerned about fingerprints/oil spots with honed) I ended up with a leathered black granite. (Weirdly called White Titanium.) It's so easy to care for - doesn't show oil or fingerprints, and wipes up with a damp cloth. I used it for the kitchen, one bathroom, a lower level wet bar, and the fireplace hearth. I'm about 2.5 years in and it looks like new in every spot.

If you love the soft look of honed granite, I'd also recommend checking out soapstone. There are gorgeous varieties, some harder than others (like Belvedere.) Personally, I've never met a soapstone I didn't like. I'd visit a stoneyard (or several) to see the slabs in person. See if you can get a sample to test at home.

My leathered granite:

Wow that’s beautiful

ive been to many many places looking at samples and slabs… so many choices! Its very hard for me to imagine a stone in my kiychen even after looking at it in large slab form I suppose ill just have to keep looking until something really speaks to me its a huge and costly decision and i want to get it right tha k you ao much for your input very hepful!

@dani_m08 I hadn't heard of Oyster White marble either until my daughter in law mentioned it. It's just fabulous--it looks like swirling ocean water. She has amazing taste!

@porkchop_z5b_MI Haha, I love the Jet MIst, and have it only on the beverage bar. It was a remnant, and not too costly. For the rest of the kitchen I have the Olympian White Danby marble.

@chicagoans I might have done a leathered finish on the Jet Mist, but it was already honed, and I spent a lot of the marble so I didn't need to gild the lily on the granite! Love your counter tops!

@Sue Johnsen good luck with your search and let us know what you decide!

" I love the Jet MIst, and have it only on the beverage bar. "

Laundry room re-do is next up on my list of "big" projects to takle (cabinetry, flooring, counters, etc). I'm going to try to get the best match I can to my kitchen cupboards, since I leave the laundry/mudroom door open all the time, but I'm not hopeful I'll be able to match the Costa Esmeralda granite I have. If I can't, Jet Mist is definitely on my list. That's what I was originally planning on getting for my kitchen until I fell in love with the slab of Costa I have. I still occasionally pine for the Jet Mist, I think it's gorgeous and right up my aesthetic alley.

I have the suede finish quartz from Silestone (Serena) I like it.

and I have calacatta marble on the island.

also comes in the suede charcoal

any granite can be honed or leathered.

quartz is man-made

what's the design of the entire space? what do you want?

The feel im going for is calm country i need a soft calm feel

We used leathered steel gray granite and love it. So easy to care for. Doesn't need babying. No finger prints show.

Beautiful! thanks

Considering Perla Venata Quartzite- honed

Let me know your thoughts

Gorgeous. But slabs vary so choose carefully and when you decide, make sure you mark it for your fabricator.

We have polished African Ivory granite on perimeter counters and leathered Absolute Black granite on the island. I guess the definition of "calm" is whatever makes you not scream "OH MY GOD!" when you're in the room :-). Whatever blends well with your cabinets, floor, appliances etc. to give you that "Ahhhhh" feeling is what is "calm". I like the shine of the polished it just makes me think everything is nice and clean even though the granite has a pattern. And the leathered on the island is just "there" - nothing fancy, nothing "in your face".

I

I have leathered Fantasy Brown which is a ”hard marble”, which my fabricator says is ”bullet proof”. I chose the leathered finish because 1. it is more forgiving for etching, etc and 2. it compliments the stone so beautifully. My fabricator was correct and I have not experieced any etching or staining on the heavily used counter tops. I find the leathered finish to be very easy to clean. Below are photos; the backsplash over the range is the same material.

mjocean, there is no such thing as a hard marble. Fantasy Brown is marble. and it's certainly not bulletproof. yes it will etch, and it will stain. but, the stone pattern and finish will disguise those things.

Sue, Perla Venata quartzite is stunning.

so is Taj Majal.

They are both quartzite. very strong stone that won't etch. you can't go wrong w/either one.

Thanks so much for this!!

I have leather countertops and I love them, you don’t need to treat them as the leather is the treatment. I have also had black honed countertops and loved them also, no problem with any thing marking, staining or streaking it.

Grest to hear!!! Thanks so much

It's really amazing the misinformation that is promulgated by so called professionals, like the fabricator in a previous post. Beth is correct--there's no such thing as "hard marble." Marble is made of calcite or dolomite, both of which will etch when they come in contact with anything acidic. It's a chemical reaction that you cannot prevent. You either accept it or not. And you don't "baby" it--you wash it with a mild cleanser and call it a day. Trying to avoid etches on marble is a fool's errand.

Thanks for the info i have no interest in using marble for our project

"Marble is made of calcite or dolomite, both of which will etch when they come in contact with anything acidic. It's a chemical reaction that you cannot prevent. You either accept it or not. And you don't "baby" it--you wash it with a mild cleanser and call it a day. Trying to avoid etches on marble is a fool's errand."

This is no longer true. MORE Anti-Etch prevents marble etching. Fact.

Yes, Joe, I understand about the coatings. That adds cost to the marble, and most homeowners are not told about them when they choose to install marble. I probably should have said "marble in its natural state." I've seen discussions where the marble is not coated, and the homeowners are trying to buff out etches, which doesn't work.

wow, Beth, that's good to know. I had been considering treating my marble, but decided against it considering the cost. Glad I didn't do it, especially since I have NO staining on my Danby marble. Just etches and chips, AKA patina.

yeah, I think its worth it for the staining. I have the calacatta from Antolini. factory applied coating. the area around the cutting board on the one end is pretty etched. you can feel it rather than see it. No stains tho. and the rest of the island looks brand new.