If you are thinking of doing that, then you haven't found the right surface for your counter. Besides, wax on top of a shiny finish will make it shinier, and yellow besides. Remember the old adds about "removing yellow waxy buildup"?

Look at a quartz in a leathered finish.

Thanks for your reply :)

Has to be granite due to dh. Leathered granite is too vulnerable to stain. This particular wax sounds like it would have a somewhat matte finish, but yellowing would be an issue. I can live with the polished granite look, but wondering if there's a way to tweak it.

I put wax on my island to try to get it smoother. It wore off quickly because of all the daily use and wiping it gets but it did not turn it yellow. There may be a wax specifically recommended for granite but it has been so long ago I don't recall and I just ended up using wax I had on hand. I remember looking all over for advice for our very rough new granite and came across a wax suggestion. Use as clear a wax as you can find. I used the cake type of wax not the liquid. Maybe you could try it on a sample. My granite is an ivory color, very light but not white. It made water bead up which was pretty great and as I recall it didn't make it any more shiny and maybe just a smidgeon less but not that you would notice. I don't think it will do what you are looking for in a more matte honed looking finish, at least it didn't for me. Maybe you could get it honed and just seal it with one of the new very hardy sealers.

Getting a polished rather than leathered surface will not prevent staining if your stone is porous. There are some natural stones that won't stain/etch (even if leathered), mostly darker ones like blue pearl, but some lucky folks have found light colored quartzites that work.

Yes, that's nuts. Look at a different stone instead of trying to change the nature of the stone itself.

Our granite is a lighter granite and is leathered and sealed. It seems to resist staining pretty darn well when I did the tests on samples. I don't think that putting a wax on a shiny surface is going to really take down the shine the way you would want if you're looking for a leathered surface. Also, it's my understanding that leathered is different than honed, so they aren't a "/", they are two different processes...again, that's my (very) limited understanding.

But in the end, don't try to make a stone something that it's not. Look for something that does work for you.

BTW, our stone is "Leathered Diamonds", although it goes by different names.

Sounds like you and your DH really need to sit down and talk about what you want and need for a counter top. While I'm sure you have already spent a lot of time looking at counters maybe you need to start at the beginning. Agree on the look you want and then look at the different materials that can give you that look.

How about a matte finish backsplash? It could possibly tone done the shiny feel of the granite.

I love my shiny backsplash and granite, but there is room for everyone here.

Thanks for all the input.

I wanted to love the leathered granite. I took a sample that was actually pretty dark but it did have lighter areas and tested it. I let some wine sit on it for 2 hours then rinsed and scrubbed it - but you could still see a significant stain from the wine. That just doesn't fit with our lifestyle - a family of four, nightly scratch meals, and two messy kids who are just getting started with cooking in the kitchen.

Our children are getting bigger and we're outgrowing this small home. We really have to consider re-sale as likely within the next 3-5 years. I could live with my own countertop patina, but I don't think anyone wants to buy someone else's patina, unless it's an ancient British seaside cottage or something. The condo market here is pretty unfavourable so the granite has to be a selling point, not a minus.

Based on my tests and reading, polished granite is the most chip-resistant and stain-resistant natural stone so that is what we have chosen. Dh was not open to considering engineered stone.

The granite I've picked (White River) is a true granite, from my understanding. It is not another stone that is being marketed as granite (like dolomite, marble, etc.) - it is not calcareous and should not etch with acids (and didn't in my tests). I've left the sample lying around during renovations, etc. and it is holding up very well.

I actually have researched countertop choices to death and I think I'm making an informed decision. Wax was just an idea to make the surface more pleasing to me. Like I said before, I can live with the polished finish even though I adore the leathered/honed finishes.

Gr8day, thanks for sharing your experience with actually using wax on granite :) . I have read about people using wax to get their old granite counters more shiny and that's what gave me the idea to use a different kind of wax to make counters less shiny.

River White granite has the following characteristics:

Compressive Strenght: 153.8 MPa
Water absorption: 0.26%
Hardness: 6.0 Mohs (harder than a knife blade)

The Marble Institute of America says this about granite:

"Absorption rates (% water, by weight) of stones in this group range from 0.05% to 0.40%, indicating that the available pore volume capable of harboring a staining agent is very slight."

Here is a link that might be useful: River White Granite

This post was edited by feisty68 on Tue, Mar 18, 14 at 11:50

Ellendi, I am using matte finishes elsewhere in my kitchen - matte paint backsplash, matte cabinet finish, matte wood floors. I'm hoping that that will tone down the intensity of the granite shine.

AndreaK100 - your counters are absolutely gorgeous, and I'm glad that they are proving to be practical for you!