Update: The granite tech/owner was here again yesterday. He repolished the surface but it still does not look consistant with the shine. He states that is the stone. My kitchen granite is a different granite color but the shine does look consistant. The polishing he has been doing looks like it has cloudy spots throughout the granite. This shows when the light from the bathroom window is reflecting on it. You can't tell when the bathroom lights are on, but it looks horrible when the natural light shines on it. He said that he used two different sealers this time and then he slapped the water in and showed me it did not darken. He did this "slapping" technique in less than a minute and said "see, it didn't get darker". I just don't know anymore. When he originally put the piece in I don't remember if this cloudy and shiny look was present, I just noticed the big scratch. Any help would be appreciated with your suggestions. He did say that he would change the whole piece if it doesn't stay sealed.

Glad: There's many different types of sealers that are out there on the market - the best advice I can give you is to - first - find out EXACTLY which brand and type your stone has been sealed with, then look up the reccomended maintainence methods that YOUR sealer company suggests... If YOU applied the sealer, check the label on the container it came in - many companies have websites that can give you what you are looking for... IF your Fabricator applied the sealer - get with him and get the name and the type that was used - maybe he'll have a partial container that he can give you with the info on it.... maybe / maybe not, but it's worth a try.... It's been MY experience over the last 30 years, that many silicone based sealers (which are pretty much the majority of sealers these days - that I run into anyways) can be affected by acetone, alchohol or MEK solution exposure (all snotty solvents) - Again, I am NOT a Chemist dude.. I am a Fabricator, and I like happy customers, so I prefer products that do not let me down, and perform well for MY customers - after all: "Call backs - AIN'T always GREEN BACKS" Anyways......... As for cleaning, many salers work well with a simple solution of warm water and a drop of dish soap if needed... But AGAIN - consult the company info that was provided by the sealer that YOU have on YOUR counters to play it safe. hope that helps ya kevin Kevin M. Padden Fabricator, Trainer & Consultant to the Natural Stone Industry www.azschoolofrock.com www.naturalstone101.com

wow- I so get this one! This is happening so much down here. I am in south florida, and this seems to be a kind of weird thing thats going on right now- its like real estate agents (or owners) are thinking 'this kitchen is a wreck", (oh- those pink and black formica cabinets that were huge down here in the 50's and the laminated white ones with the wooden strip on the bottom? Not exactly Eames.) So they think, lets plop on a granite counter top to fix this, up the price and sell it all as new! More than a little nuts- right? For goodness sakes- give an allowance for the kitchen to be redone (even gutted) and leave it to the buyer to chose if it fits their energy to redo. !*sigh*! Just as an example- my ex had a condo right on the beach that was amazing until you walked into the kitchen. (Shiny marble floors, floor to ceiling windows, a view of the ocean from the living room and a view from the dining room of cruise ships coming and going- total Hollywood glam.) Then- the Kitchen. The cabinets were plastic- really, truly- hard shiny molded plastic! and- ta da! the countertops were a silky gorgeous polished marble. Nuts! Anyway- I have done this ( moved both marble and granite slabs.) The trick is to find someone who knows how to crate it before its moved at all. Even if its not going anywhere but to the back yard, (or the living room) crating it stabilizes the stone. I have two large pieces that I have moved twice now- one of each. It's expensive, but a good moving company should be able to give you quotes to do it. If you love the stone please dont just rip it out and dump it, it drives me crazy (personal opinion) to think that granite has become a design element that can just be replaced if it doesnt fit a new "look", like on the show "flipping out". If you find that it's prohibitive in terms of cost to do this, then do at least put it on Craigs list. You will be surprised at the number of people who will respond to take it out for you. At the beginning of negotiations, adjust your offer accordingly. The problem is that most of the desirable areas down here are older and the kitchens arent antique-y looking, just really horribly dated. Just because folks spent money on kitchen counter tops doesnt make the kitchen updated. I so get that! Good luck to you on your house search... :D

Great info and thanks @frieda. There's SO many stones and names and styles, good God. You can do a lifetime study on granite or any countertop for that matter and still never buy anything. Having said that, is there a list of granite with lower absorption rates or ? Color wise, our cabinets are all white with the exception our prep island and dining island will be sage green. Based on y'alls experience can you recommend a good color palette for these colors and a stone with the lower absorption rates? I can sift through information on boats, computers, motorcycles and the like pretty quick. When it comes to counter tops, I am lost and can sure use all the help I can get. It's going to either be a good granite or quartz. I've got a line on a good fabricator from a friend who is a builder within a 2 hour drive. But I'd like to zero in on a few general ideas first or we'll end up camping out there. TIA and CP, we sure hope your home weathers the storm. I've got friends down that way and it's pretty nasty and friends in the keys and they got slammed very hard.