We got granite counters about 10 years ago, and have never resealed or buffed them. I use water and a paper towel for general wiping down and a 409-type product for oily or caked on foods. (My husband cooks and bakes, and he’s pretty darn messy about it, but the food is good.) No problems at all. It still looks shiny. It is an overall dark brown color with a lot of variation and a mix of colors, so I don’t know that stains would even show. But, nothing seems to soak in.
The bottom third of the following is close to what it looks like. The kids called it “Jupiter” granite.
Get what you like! All the products have improved tremendously. We have caesarstone, which btw seems to have originated the modern quartz/resin slab method, but they’re all fine as long as you don’t expect absolute perfect wear. There will always be a chip or a mark or something in any product over time.
Here’s a tip to skip the counter top chemicals. We have family friends in the granite business. They suggest cleaning with a 50/50 white vinegar/water mixture. We spray it on and wipe with a paper towel. No streaks and gorgeous every time!
I redid my kitchen and two bathrooms last year. I put granite in the kitchen. I love it. It’s very forgiving. Which is also a slight problem as you might have a spill and not notice it until you run your hand over it.
I found remnants for the bathrooms at the same place that was cutting the two slabs for the kitchen. They only charged for cutting and installation.
In one of the bathrooms I put in a quartz countertop. It is beautiful. It also shows every single water spot. I would be tearing my hair out if I had put that in the kitchen. It is a fairly light color which may be why it shows the spots.
I actually like the stains in my wood. I like my kitchen to look like a working kitchen. I have all of stuff hanging on the walls and all the trays, pot lids and cookie sheets are in open shelving. I’m sure when we sell the house there will be people who won’t like it, but I love my kitchen.
I also see, MaterS, that you have a light colored Quartz. Ours is darker, so that may be a factor also. What color range is your granite? I’m just wondering what you have that doesn’t show spots.
I’m always perplexed at the discussions about granite and how difficult it is. I’m so NOT the proverbial homemaker/housekeeper, but we’ve had ours at least 12 years or more and we’ve never re-sealed it and I clean it with Lysol Kitchen Cleaner, some sudsy water and/or Windex and it’s perfect. Thank God I didn’t choose one of the persnickety ones because I would have surely ruined it.
And I never dry my countertops with paper towel - just air dry. Call me lazy, but I don’t want the additional step. I wipe down my countertops multiple times a day, so that would be too labor intensive for me. :((
I just spent two hours at a granite yard this afternoon with H. He has been trying to get me to go look with him for years but I don’t know that I want to spend money on that upgrade yet. There were so many choices it was overwhelming. I did have a couple of favorites and I will admit I am definitely warming to the idea. Seeing the patterns in giant slabs makes a huge difference. As others mentioned, they had a ton of remnant pieces for a reasonable price that could easily do our bathrooms.
We had quartz composite countertops installed a few years ago. I love them! We originally wanted granite, but kept hearing that it stains with oil. Um - I actually cook in my kitchen sometimes!
The kitchen remodel company we hired also recommend the quartz over the granite.
We’re very, very happy with the quartz. A little granite cleaner, buffed into it with a dry cloth every few months, makes it look brand-new again.
Oh, and our kitchen is also tiny - 10 x 12 feet; and definitely not fancy or high-end (except for our counter-tops, ).
A dark granite is better than quartz. The quartz is bound together with resin which can burn.
Do NOT use vinegar on granite.
If you can tolerate a seam every 24" you can get granite installed in prefab sections which is remarkably cost-effective.
A caveat about granite and other surfaces made from an aggregate of particles: it’s not idiot proof.
S1 left a drinking glass for a couple of days on top of a small spill of lemonade on a granite bathroom countertop. The acid & sugar leached under the seal and left an ugly ring-shaped stain under the drinking glass. There’s no way to fix it.
Corian is very forgiving. Over the decades we’ve had it, it has a few scratches and signs that I did spill superglue and also pounded a nail into something that was on the counter but can tolerate lemonade left on it with no problem. It still looks amazing, despite our abuse and neglect. We’ve put very hot off the stove and from the oven on it and no burn marks. We now put a dish towel between the very hot dish/pot and counter; don’t want to press our luck.
You have to have the right kitchen for Corian. It doesn’t look natural at all. The worst drawbacks, however are that it scratches, burns and stains viciously.
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