I had also read a lot about issues with honed absolute black, but that seems to be the only problematic granite and it seems the issue is with honing, not leathering. I bet you'll be very happy with the steel gray option and leathering vs honing. My experience is with quartzite and as yoboseiyo pointed out, quartzite is a very hard material, but granite isn't "wimpy". Had I not preferred the colors in my quartzite slab to the granite choices, I would have not hesitated about going with a leathered granite - except possibly absolute black.

Thanks Ann! The one I happen to like- the Leathered Steel Gray- is level one and huge slab alreadey leatherd. Cost is most inexpensive and one I like best as of now- go figure, do women ever pick out what is the least expensive and love it!

Is it ok with grease on your island. I cook with tons and tons of oils so that is my concern (this is first time to do a kitchen, and keep reading how some surfaces really show oil- especially honed).

Steel Gray is more charcoal- kind of reminds me of soapstone- and with color variations in it picks up leathering (reminds me of slate which I love) way better than Absolute Black . The girl at the granite yard thought of it as we were talking and so glad someone was actually listening (wish I could say the same for my cabinet guy!).

Thanks again!

Thanks so much- you are a huge help!

Would leathered granite be a good application for the counter of an outdoor kitchen that would be covered?

We were so excited to have leathered granite in our kitchen. We have absolute black on the perimeter counters and Cyngus leathered on our island. Immediately we inquired as to whether it had been sealed before moving in and were told absolutely Yes! Well, day 1 oil stain on island and marks appearing on the perimeter counters. I love the look and the texture, however so far we have not had a solution which helps with the differences in color. The island continues to darken and around the sink it is substantially darker we are told where water is absorded. We use our kitchen, no children, but we do a lot of cooking and host parties. So we will need to find a solution. Even after poultice covering for several days on three occasions, we still have stains. No matter how careful we are with the granite, it stains. If I knew this, I would not have leathered the granite.

We have Cambrian leathered black granite and ours is very easy to maintain....zero stains, no darkening around the sink, etc. I love the look and texture!

Hi Coastalblue. I am in the process of remodeling my kitchen right now and am also loving to look of leathered granite. I was trying to learn more about leathered granite and came across this chain. What did you end up going with? How is it holding up?

kittate, did you ever find a solution to your spots? Just had mine installed yesterday and there are splotchy areas everywhere. I have not even used them yet. I may have to have them replaced. From all the research I did, this should not happen with leathered granite, of any color.....I hope you were able to find a solution.

I put black granite in my kitchen and ensuite 4 years ago. It bugged me that it was starting to look discoloured/faded in areas. My brilliant and greatly appreciated cleaning lady told me it needs to be oiled periodically and to use plain old olive oil. This is a close up of the counter.

I still do not have a solution that I can live with. The island is darkening with splotches. The leathered absolute black has stains. Still working with the supplier.

I have not read this entire thread, but I hope someone corrected the designer above who is confusing quartzite with quartz. Yes, granite and quartzite are not the same, and quartz counters (Caesarstone, Cambria, etc.) are manmade, but quartzite is a natural stone and not the same as quartz countertop material!

veggiemama3, I thought I was going crazy with everybody saying their leathered granite stained etc. I have leathered (Cambrian Black) too, and it's as good as it was 10 years ago. I've read negative and positive reports here about the same granite and technique. I wonder what makes the difference.. perhaps different techniques of leathering? A kitchen designer I spoke to the other day described the whole process to me as he knows it, and even though I can't remember everything, I remember him saying flame is applied at some point until pieces splinter off and then it's smoothed out. Perhaps flame might expose smooth surfaces?

This is all wild and unsubstantiated speculation on my part of course, but I sure wish we knew the answer! Perhaps we should compare leathering outfits instead of types of granite and techniques..

I initially was terrified that I had made a HUGE mistake going with leathered absolute black granite. After installation it was all splotchy and it just looked terrible. Turns out it was just some silicone from the installation process. My installer came out and cleaned it up with some acetone and ever since that day it has been amazing. I had done a lot of research and decided to try it. I am so glad I did. I love it.

Don't do it!!!!!!!!! Just had absolute black leathered installed in kitchen....HUGE mistake! While I love the texture, the maintenance is a nightmare. Shows every drop of water, every fingerprint, every speck of dust. HATE IT! Costly mistake for sure...will try and live with it for now but already planning on ripping it out. And if anyone tells you to use boiled linseed oil to darken the "grey" color, don't do it. You'll end up with a gummy mess that will require acetone to remove. Be safe and stay away from this granite on kitchen counters.

We just chose Steel Grey leathered for our small busy kitchen. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It's going over the existing 15+ yo natural cherry cabinets and will have a marble subway tile backsplash. We were going to go with something light like Bianca Romano, but I fell in love with a display of the leathered steel grey and marble tile in the wholesaler showroom. The main maintenance issue I've heard from the fabricator is that it's not great for baking (rolling kneading dough, etc) but I figure I'll just use a pastry mat. Keeping our fingers crossed that our experience with use is as good as Allison Young's.

Hi, Mich-Bagn I think you made a great choice. My leathered steel
Gray granite counters are still gorgeous, nearly a year after install. They don't need special care, but I do use Formula 404 Stone and Granite spray cleaner on them, but only because our grocery store displays it next to the regular kitchen spray cleaners and I figured why not.

For some reason, the rest of my previous post didn't go through. I just took the photo above to show you how well my leathered steel gray granite has held up. ;-) I saw the cautionary words up thread, but that homeowner installed leathered absolute black. I probably wouldn't go with that, TBH, as that stone lacks the physical drama (for lack of a better word) of steel gray -- which is only enhanced by leathering. I can see where leathered absolute black might be disappointing.

We recently renovated our entire house.......it was a huge undertaking and we knew we would only do it once. We really did not want granite, we originally had considered concrete for our surround countertops, it's a long story but we did not go with concrete. But once we saw the leathered absolute black, we knew it was perfect for us. It gave us the texture we wanted and the black is more like a charcoal color. I did my research and was very nervous at first because of the negative reviews. It is very confusing to read such varying opinions. Some people love it, some people hate it. It's been over a year now and we have had no problems at all. I honestly don't understand the concern about fingerprints?? We use our kitchen daily and I do like things clean, I don't consider myself a clean freak. When we use the kitchen, I wash the countertop with a dishcloth and dawn dishwash. I did the exact same thing with our plain white laminate counters we had before the reno. I have started a blog about our reno if anyone is interested in more about our kitchen redo.

Oops, forgot the link.

Angela Wells you should NOT be speaking as a pro. Very shocked at the misinformation you are posting. Quartz and Quartzite are NOT the same thing. Quartzite is natural stone and often mislabeled as granite. "Quartz" is a man made mix of natural stone and polymers. It is usually more expensive than natural stone and is the most durable. Quartzite is often slightly softer than granite and more susceptible to scratching. If you have a countertop with a lot of pattern or veining in it, you may not notice it. It can be sealed just as well as Granite. I have used quartzite extensively in many applications. Keep in mind there are many different brands of sealers and new, exceptionally improved products are introduced every year. There is so much misinformation by people who are not up to date on products. Keep in mind that the name of certain stone options are also regional. For example- "Super white" and "vermont white" granite is actually quartzite, many do not know this. Cambria is a brand of quartz and often confused with Cambrian black or Galaxy Black. As a consumer I recommend you go look at slabs of polished vs leathered and really experience it and educate yourself on what is an expensive purchase.

We have super white quartzite in our kitchen and it is polished. Is it possible to have the leatherette finish done on site? Thanks

For those who have leathered absolute black granite, what kind of edge did you use? Does it match the top surface? Thanks.

I wish it was very clear answer on leathered absolute black granite is it hard to keep clean or not!!!

I'm even more confused now than I was before I read this thread. Absolute Black Granite -honed is so popular but there is so many negative comments. I was hoping the leathered finish would be the answer, thinking the texture would be easier to keep clean, but even that has many unhappy customers. It's a crap shoot. I don't want to spend thousands and end up hating it. I may have to rethink the black countertop and go back to a neutral. I was trying to step out of my very neutral box I live in. Planning on medium cherry shaker cabinets and a oyster color painted and color glazed island. Black sounds like such a good idea.

There are many other black granites you can try.

Over the last 15 years I have had polished, then honed and now leathered/antiqued granite in 3 different homes. Love, love, love the leathered/antiqued granite. Mine does have a fair amount of movement and color variation against a black background so that helps, but it is the easiest maintenance by far of all three. No constant battle against streaks and spots. We're going to build again, and I wouldn't go any other way.

Decided on AB leathered. Hoping it's not a huge mistake will attach pics in a few weeks after install. Reason I went for it is my sisters friend has had them for years and she loves them. They are gourmet cooks and bakers. It's hard to understand why such varying opinions. Hope I'm on the love them side because these are the last counters I will ever have.

could any tell me how much a sq ft they paid for Cambrian Leather Granite? please and thank you to all that respond. AMG

I am considering leathered granite as well. I saw it ,loved it and thought it would be a great alternative to polished granite that I am a bit tired of keeping the fingerprints and water marks off of. I wonder if the confusion above is because of the difference between honed, which does seem a nightmare, to leathered, a completely different surface. Wouldn't it be great to have as surface you could just wipe with a cloth or sponge and not have to polish dry every night? Ah yes I remember it fondly, Formica!

I am considering leathered via lactea granite for our kitchen and I can't find any reviews on this granite. Anyone have it or installed it by chance? Here's a pic from the granite store. Looks like soapstone. It's gorgeous but I'm scared that it'll show every wet spot. If anyone has feedback I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

Late to the conversation but posting to anyone else that sees this thread from Google and reads the "PRO" comments that this countertop is a mistake. WRONG. I have Absolute Black granite in the leathered finish. I am a regular cook and am very hard on my kitchen counters and appliances. The first couple of days I thought I had made a mistake because of the hand prints and water marks. The installer told me to use this product that would seal them and leave a slight sheen. It was toxic and you had to wear gloves to apply. I want this where I am prepping food? No thanks! Then I thought of coconut oil. I apply it once a year. Seals them from water marks.

Gives them a nice low sheen look and no more hand prints. I LOVE my countertops. They are two years old now and there are no stains, chips or marks on them.

Curious...I do not want leathered...but need to match my island granite...they have leathered version...
Does the granite get treated to become leathered...a polishing method, or does it come sort of like that?
Can it be polished to make it shiny, or would we be breaking it down? I like Tan Brown, which is common and black w/black flecks...goes with my cabinets...

I had mine installed 2 weeks ago and i have water stains already. I am always cleaning and wiping dry. The look is amazing but stains bother me alot. I clean then with bullet proof conditioner and stains do not go away

We fell in love with a honed Black Vermont granite, which looks like a charcoal grey rather than black. It's so soft and natural looking, which appeals to me more than the shiny surface of a polished granite. Now I'm afraid that it will be a maintenance nightmare, especially since we use a lot of citrus in our kitchen. Would we be making a huge mistake going with this surface? I see that there are some makers of quartz that now offer a honed finish. Any thoughts on that if we decide that honed granite is too porous/difficult to maintain?

You simply have it sealed well.Have a pro seal it, then get it re sealed every few years. DO NOT use vinegar based cleaners on it. If you wipe up after cutting lemons on a cutting board, you are fine.

Just wanted to update. This is my leathered steel gray granite counter at three years since install. No fingerprints, scratching or staining. No maintenance other than regular cleanup with soapy water or Formula 405 granite cleaner. I love it as much today as when I picked the slab. This photo is of the granite on the island, where I do the majority of meal preparation.

I too love the black vermont honed granite and want to install on my perimeter counters and bar area. It will be where sink and cooking range are. I LOVE it, but am concerned about oil staining. Put lemon, hot sauce and oil on a sample and let it sit for awhile. No etching, but oil did stain a bit. Washed with soap and water and you can still see it somewhat. Anyone have it installed who can provide feedback?

Honed is tougher to keep spot free than leathered, spots will definitely show up more. If you do get a spot of oil, there is a poultice you can put on it that pulls most of the oil back out. Check with your installer. . But, I’ve had honed (although not black) and leathered and I love the forgiving nature of leathered!

I know this is an old thread, but I also have leathered steel grey granite and I adore it! I've had it about a year and a half, and I have a large family and a busy kitchen... so easy to clean and to keep looking clean.

veggiemama3, dsylvest

So after a few years, how did you still like the Cambrian Black? I am considering it for my kitchen countertops and am concerned about stains and water marks around the sink.

Just found this thread and it is both helpful and confusing. We bought a house with “absolute black granite with leather finish” (realtor’s description) that is 3 years old by now. The granite is still in excellent shape but I feel it is much harder to keep clean than the many other counters I’ve owned in the white/marble category. This picks up water stains and needs continual wiping since EVERYTHING shows on black. I’ve had the best luck with Soft Scrub Advanced Surface but do not apply directly. It will leave streak lesions that look permanent. After reading this thread, olive oil removed a stain from a method cleaner bottle that I could not eradicate. Thanks! Any professional advice on whether this counter should be sealed again?

Beautiful!!!

Quartz and Quartzite are not the same thing. One is natural and one man made. Man made is garbage and cheaper to produce. Everyone is falling for Quartz. Because of the marketing. Easier to maintain...... Can't get easier than granite. Their is a giant margin in quartz.... That is why you are being told to buy it

Has anyone used leathered granite outside? I’m reading conflicting things. It would be under a pass through window from my kitchen similar to what’s shown

Mine is not outside however it shows all water marks or circles left from pot covers, etc. much harder to keep looking clean than most countertops.

Savannah:

Get some sort of small roof over the stone and you'll be fine. You're after shade.

Regarding the absolute leathered black granite..... In October 2016 when I was researching which stone to put in my new kitchen, it was a very difficult decision. Even with all of the negative reviews, we went with the leathered black because it is different and neutral. I decided to take the chance that I would be one of the folks who love it. It looks great in my kitchen with the cabinets we chose and the rustic style of my house. As far as upkeep goes, I agree it does show watermarks, oil, grease splatters, and crumbs. But I’m not finding it that difficult to clean it up. Dawn dishwashing soap with & water on a sponge works excellent. I also use a diluted Lysol liquid concentrated spray to sanitize it often. Weimar Granite spray occasionally but not sure necessary. I’ve had the counter since January 2017. Upon delivery it had a weird sticky sealer on it that was gross. I thought it would soak in but it didn’t. I had the guy come back and wipe it off. Also he sorta repaired a chip on the sink rim by filling it in and coloring it black. I still see it but I was not going to have them replace it for that little chip. I am not a clean freak. I’m the one running around cleaning up when company comes. Overall We are very happy with our choice. Here’s some pics.

Pics for above post.

Third property I've installed leathered granite in. This one is called "Negresco Leather". Love it and cleans easy. See pics. Weirdly I don't have a photo of the finished place, but you can see it on this matterport tour (it's on the bottom floor). Curtis St (matterport.com)