Granite color choice

jjrbus

I read that granite can stain. Is there a better color choice that will hide stains/scratches, light, dark? I looked at black, but in my experience, cars, clothes etc black is never a good color choice.
JIm

md2lgyk

Granite needs to be periodically sealed. We've had our countertops for four years, and there are no stains. There are a few scratches from people using the counter as a cutting board, but they are hard to see. Ours are a dark color called Ubatuba - basically black with lots of shiny gold and silver flecks in it.

GBrackins

as md2lgyk said it needs to be sealed, typically every year as granite is porous. Black seems to be the popular color around here with silver or gold veins running through it. My last house had black granite and had no issues.

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Daniel Holzman

I have heard that granite needs to be sealed. However, we got our granite kitchen about ten years ago (similar to Ubatuba, not identical) and elected not to seal it because the sealer we purchased appeared to contain toxic chemicals, and we often use the granite surface for food preparation. We have had zero issues with stains, and we are not particularly careful about what goes on the surface, whether it be hot plates, water, occasionally even spilled wine or beer. We just wipe it up with soap and water, and there have been no problems.

I do caution that there are many stones that are marketed as "granite" that are not in fact granite at all, they may be gneiss, schist, quartzite, or numerous other lesser known rock types, and rather than call them what they are, the suppliers call them "granite" because everyone seems to think that "granite" is the best. Certain types of stone are far more prone to staining than others, for example marble, limestone, chert, and travertine come to mind as stone types that will readily absorb stain. Our floor is quartzite, gabbro and schist pieces from Bali, and we sealed that because it was pretty clear that those stones would stain if we dropped a wine glass on them, and we don't prep food on the floor (our dog of course has an alternative opinion).

Fix'n it

1 night i filled the dish soap dispenser. it overflowed. i didn't realize it until the next morning. i thought "its just soap". that soap stained the gold'ish granite about 2" out from the dispenser. VERY noticable. it took 3 weeks of WORK = wet rag and a brush, to "leach" the soap out.

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harlan07

I've seen lighter colored granite get stained bad by coffee and grease.

I've seen some quartz that looks just like granite but since it's made with resins it's much tougher and stain resistant.

I'd try to find a quartz product before granite, in my opinion.

sdsester

Have you considered alternatives to granite or other stone? Toward the end, many of my clients felt they wanted something different and felt the trend was waning. Many went for glass and others for Vetrazzo a beautiful material made from recycled bottles, street lamp lenses and fine concrete. Still had to seal it but the look was great and color choices more broad.





In the hands of an artisan, concrete countertops can be extraordinarily beautiful also.

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repairlady

From my research, I have learned that "dark" granite like ubatuba, absolute black, etc. do not need to be sealed. Some fabricators/installers try and sell you sealer when you do not need it. I have had absolute black in my kitchen for eight years and it has never been sealed -- it does not need to be sealed -- I work on my granite island constantly and it looks the same today as when it was installed in 2004. Lighter colors will most definitely stain and must be sealed.
Hope this helps.

oh'mike

Tip----When picking a slab---bring a few wet paper towels in a zip-lock bag-----lay the towels on the slab---if the water is absorbed into the stone-----that stone will stain easily and might be a poor choice for a kitchen or heavily used bath.

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zakany

Uba Tuba (either the regular green or the black) is a very dense stone. I seal mine annually, but that really isn't necessary (and it only gets about one drop of sealant for 5-10 sq ft). It, also, has a large and interesting grain so it won't show every smudge and fingerprint. There are other good choices, such as quartz, glass, concrete, etc.

But with black uba tuba: stains? never. scratches? maybe my wife's diamonds made one somewhere.

When it gets dirty, with grease and spills, I find that it cleans up well with a rag and hot water. If you use soap, realize that it won'd absorb into the stone and a little with go a long way (try just using a drop of Dawn). Usually, though, soap is unnecessary.