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People who like their Honed Absolute Black Granite - November?

16 years ago

A quick review: we are adding a small peninsula to a small square kitchen and need a countertop to coordinate with an existing grey speckled corian counter across the room.

I have looked at lots of blacks and absolute black seems to coordinate the best because it is the most solid. I prefer the look of the honed absolute, but know that I will have problems with fingerprints, etc. November, you have said that you no longer have a problem with fingerprints and that you use Method granite cleaner. Did you seal and/or enhance it?

Do others find the fingerprints to be a problem or do you just get used to it? A granite salesperson told me she hates AB and wouldn't use it for the world. Any positive reviews?

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Comments (2)

november
16 years ago
you know I have a positive review! I don't have a problem with prints and I use Method (but I imagine any other granite cleaner would also be fine). Water also seems to be fine. We did not have it sealed, but I think the fabricator cleaned it or treated it before installation with something that really caused fingerprints for the first few days. After that substance was gone, we haven't had any problems. Actually, we DO have a problem if my DH wipes it with a very soapy cloth - then it looks streaky until it's wiped with water (or Method).

I'm trying to be completely honest, so I will also say this - I wipe it down frequently because I loooooove how it looks when there are no crumbs, etc. And my kids make a lot of messes, so I have to clean all the time anyway. Maybe if you didn't wipe it very often, it would look yucky. But what wouldn't?

The look is so quiet and simple and beautiful. I am so happy with it.

And I love gardenweb for these kinds of questions!! No one in my real life wants to hear me talk about my granite any more! Or my cabinets! Or my pulls! I'm so TKO...
auchmedden
Original Author
16 years ago
November - I am glad that you love your AB and are having a good experience with it. I was in a showroom looking at all the fingerprints and the salesperson said "Let's clean it with a granite cleaner/sealer." The fingerprints did not come off!

I like the look of the honed AB and feel like it is my only option for this peninsula, but I don't want to become obsessed with keeping it clean!
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We have honed AB also, and our kitchen sounds just like November's: soft white cabinets & marble backsplash. We love the softer look it has. Our is sealed with Tenax Ager, which darkens the stone a bit and helps hide the fingerprints. We have some fingerprints, but also had the same with the 13-year old dark blue laminate it replaced. I have also used the Method granite cleaner, need to do so more frequently to build up the patina. I wipe my counters down every night, so don't really mind the fingerprints/crumbs, but I'd do this no matter what kind of counter I had, so no worries. I highly recommend microfiber cloths for wiping/cleaning, the ones at the dollar store are great! No issues with staining; any "stains" you are seeing are likely sitting on top of the stone, since real AB is one of the least pourous stones out there (honed finish makes it *slightly* more pourous, but not enough to make too much difference). Good luck with your decision!
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Hi there. I do not have absolute black honed, although I have seen it and think it is really great looking. jb1176 is right about the warnings re: absolute black and honed granite in general. You should speak again with your fabricator and maybe do some independent research regarding the chance that it was dyed. However, and this is really the point of my post, try to keep it in perspective. This site is great, and trust me I have learned so much, but I think that it encourages some unhealthy obsessions with the ideal kitchen. I am not immune, and I do not mean to sound condescending. I am in the middle of redoing my kitchen right now and between the disarray, my high expectations and the sickening amount of money (even for our modest kitchen) being spent, I am often at the end of my rope. I practically had a stroke when I saw that the color of the new wood floor didn't match the old wood. My kids backed away from me, as I sputtered and spewed while examining the floors. Sputtered and spewed are euphemisms for swore and threatened, by the way. Later that day, I had a little pow wow with the gc and the floor sub. And they made it better. They didn't make it perfect, but the floor, like your counters, looks good. And that is ok. Good Luck.
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