Black ab honed or polished is one of my favorite stones-polished is acid resistant,virtually non porous and easy to deal with.Yes it must be a good quality slab as there are lesser quality (not true black ab)coming from china and india that have been doctored (dyed) to look blacker. There are methods to test this such as a simple lemon juice test.Anyway-I like honed as well. I think if the right cleaning products are used the stone will be easy to maintain. By right I mean products that are no rinse and contain no wax and or sealers to make the surface slimy and greasey which in most cases the fingermark complaints come from. Color enhancer works well too and will darken the stone quite a bit. It is a topical coating as the black absolute is non porous and the color enhancer just sits on the surface-it will wear so from time to time it will need to be refeshed. Misty grey can be porous so test for porousity and seal correctly-it will be fine. Stu Rosen www.mbstonecare.com www.stoneshine.com

I am not familiar with a satin finish. Is it at all bumpy? I saw a sample yesterday with a flamed brushed finish and it was slightly bumpy. I am not sure it would be good for writing. I am also considering soapstone, but I am just doing a small peninsula and am hoping to get a remnant. I am assuming the the AB is more popular and therefore I will have more remnants to choose from. If I got lucky and found a SS remnant that is the right color, size and price, I will go with it. November - I like the AB with the oil, although I probably like the charcoal color without the oil better. I am going to try the oil on the sample later. Right now I have two plumbers under my sink and I would have to climb over them to get to my mineral oil!

I personally don't have the honed AB but have done a lot of research about it because I want to use it in my daugther's bathroom reno. It seems that since the honed does not have a shine to it, that when you touch it or it gets wet, it leaves marks, just form the natural oils in your hands absorbing into the stone. I have read mixed reviews that some people don't notice it at all and it bothers others. I also read a great way to solve the fingerprint issue to spray method granite cleaner and polish all over it with a rag right after it's installed and the polish will soak into the stone, so you won't notice the fingerprints as much. That is what I have decided to do if I go that route. Sorry I don't have personal experience but that is what I have read about. If it is really the look you want go for it! I love the way it looks in kitchens.

If you're having problems "with ring marks and other stuff coming through", are you sure you have true AB and not a dyed/doctored stone made to look like AB? I would test it b/f you do anything else. If you hone it and it's dyed/doctored, I don't know what you'll end up with. Have you checked to see if a sealer was inappropriately applied? If so, it can cause all kinds of problems b/c it's sitting on the surface and was never absorbed like it's supposed to be. If so, you need to remove the sealer...then see how things are. True AB should be impervious to rings, etc. I think you should first test your granite b/f you do anything else. You don't want to make things worse. (I also have AB polished and have no problems with rings, etc.) Here is a link that might be useful: Thread: Stone Information and Advice (& Checklists)