Hi.
I have leathered cambrian black. It's really cool looking. I was originally going for soapstone but found this to be a great alternative. So far, I'd say it's bulletproof.
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See the subtle texture.......
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It appears matte black from a bit of a distance
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Impala black leathered. So far it's holding up well, except we cracked it by using a crockpot directly on it. (No warning from the fabricators.) I love it, and it's easy to keep clean!

It looks great! I was planning on using Ceasarstone in Raven, but maybe I should consider leathered granite. Oh no... here we go again... I think I should change my screen name to 'indecision-mama'!!!

Hey Jsweenc - looks like your done. Did I miss your "finished" kitchen announcement on here?

And Rookie_2010 - you are probably close to being done with your kitchen too? I am trying to focus on bathrooms lately (although I am not making much progress)... and can't wait to see yours. From what I see in your kitchen, I am sure I will love your bath pics too. And I am desperate for inspiration :)

remodel-indecision-mama, you haven't missed it. The kitchen is practically done except a couple of details, but I am waiting for the laundry room to be painted. I got put off last week, so this week it should happen. Once that's done, I'll post ASAP! Thanks for asking.

I have leathered Jet Mist and love it. I can also vouch for leathered granite not showing fingerprints and wiping up easily. It is bulletproof and the easiest to care for counter top I have ever had.

I don't know if you are going to get the true and full effect by looking at a picture. I had never seen leathered granite in person until today and I got to see just about every exotic granite they had in polished and leathered finish.

What I discovered was that some granites look best polished while others look and feel really cool leathered. Judging from what I saw today, I would say that if you want a granite with many of color variations, go polished, if you choose a granite in similar color tones and/or with lots of dark veining, leathered is an awesome choice.

If you have the chance please try to see your choice in the leathered finish before you commit to it. I thought the leathered was so interesting when I saw it on display but I found out that my favorite, a Delicatus White with lots of subtle greens and reds looked much, much better polished.

I have honed Spectrus. It is a soft gray-blue with some cream and brown areas.

It is gorgeous. Looks so soft and weathered (in a good way). But you have to touch it to really appreciate it. I can't stop touching it and neither can anyone else who enters the kitchen.

It doesn't show anything except drywall powder. So easy to care for. Can't see fingerprints, spills, water rings.

It was the right one the first time I saw it, and I looked at literally hundreds of slabs. I saw this and never got it out of my mind.

great pics everyone...keep them coming. I am for sure reconsidering honed AB and all the problems it comes with!

You might have seen my recent post about my granite installed last Friday and a problem I'm having with the island placement. No problem for me and the stone. I have Chocolate Brown in a Leather finish. I love the look. I can't speak for the durability or how it works. We don't move in for another 6 weeks.

We fell in love with this slab before our foundation was done. We made room in the budget, because it greatly exceeded our allowance. I'm sure glad that we granite shopped early.

I was hoping that they could avoid the highly pitted portion on my island. I thought it would be more sanitary. The way the marbleing worked out though, the fabricator advised me to try to go with the least obvious seam placement, which meant placing the more pitted portion in the island.

Here's some pics. Sorry it isn't completely clean.

Island with Ogee edge

Here is a link that might be useful: My granite post - more pics here

home4sale,

Yum! That granite is beautiful!

I'm still hoping to be able to post my leathered Antique Brown tomorrow (fingers and legs and arms crossed)!

jwseenc,

How did the crockpot crack the granite?

The heat from it caused the crack? I thought granite was far more heat proof than that!

We put in black pearl antique. We have just begun to use the kitchen (its not done) and so far we love it. The stone is beautiful and I cant imagine it ever staining or chipping -

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Home4sale, your house is looking beautiful.

Motleydog, I thought so too, but apparently it was the heat emanating from the bottom of the crockpot which was on high, so it must have been pretty hot under there. When I mentioned it to the fabricator rep, he promised someone would come fix it (they did) but didn't give any indication of surprise ("It's not supposed to do that"); rather, he said "I'll send a couple of Corian trivets with the repair guy". (He did, and they blend in pretty well with the counter; we will definitely be using them from now on.)

home4sale - I love your granite!
doonie - can't wait to see yours...
jama123 - When I first started looking at granites I really liked the polished black pearl but over time I've come to like the matte finishes more... so I love your antiqued black pearl!

One question for everyone though...is the irregular surface hard to clean and can you still roll dough????

Jsweenc,

Makes me reconsider and keep my bulletproof 2in white, glossy ceramic tiles! I would never have thought a household appliance like a crockpot, electric skillet, Geo Foreman grill, or toaster oven would even begin to be a problem for granite. That's scary.

I really don't care about my current countertop, so I have set hot skillets on it and have hammered on it with no damage. I don't want to install $5K+ countertops and then crack the heck out of them. I will have to have giant trivets constructed to fit over the entire surface of the tops!

We put in Blue in the Night antiqued/leathered about a year ago. Have had no issues with cleaning and I have not really noticed any impressions when rolling out dough. One thing I wish I had asked about prior to installation was the finish on edges. Our fabricator did a polished edge. It looks fine, and I'm probably the only one who notices it, but something to think about.

Yeah! Hurray! My center island got installed today...leathered Antique Brown. I am thrilled after waiting nearly one month more than anticipated!
Here it is with Cafe Brown Blanco Sink:

very nice Doonie!!!
I also have a long island...I have been trying to find a slab long enough to do it without a seam, but yours is hardly noticable.

Are those of you with this type of finish sealing or enhancing your stone???

doonie, you have one of my top choices for your counters! I love that stone, and it looks beautiful in your kitchen. Congratulations!

motleydog, I hate to scare anyone off from granite. One thing I didn't mention was that it was in the corner and it may not have cracked if it was on a straightaway. Not that I'm going to experiment to find out. I hope the trivets take care of the problem, and otherwise it's bulletproof. I understand your hesitation after hearing my experience, but I'd ask lots of questions and get a sample to abuse before ruling it out. Overall, I'd much rather have the granite (that does not mean I'd rather have granite that cracks) than clean grout on a counter, or have the other issues that go with other surfaces. I'd choose it again in a moment, even knowing what happened to mine.

lisacan, I can set a piece of paper on the counter with nothing under it and write as smoothly as on any surface. I know the Antique Brown has a very smooth texture as well. (Mine are Impala Black... don't think I mentioned that before.)

I have rolled out both fondant and pie crusts on my leathered granite and no problems with either the pastry or the cleanup. The texture is actually pretty smooth, much more even than say a slate texture and because the stone itself is not porous (at least mine isn't, some could be) I haven't had a problem.

Like nhbaskets we found out that edging leathered granite is a bit tricky. Each fabricator has different comfort with the different options, and the type of stone will impact it as well. We ended up with a mitered edge to keep the finish consistent on the edge and the surface.

doonie, congrats on your install. It looks great. So happy you like it. My marron cohiba is very similar, but more gray than brown so I know you will love it just as much once you are using it.

does anyone have pics of leathered/antiqued absolute black??

I know this post has been quiet for some time but I was wondering if anyone has pictures or any experience with brushed/leathered/antiqued absolute black. ( not honed but the textured finish)( absolute black only - not cambrian, which i have read is bulletproof) I have a sample that I have been testing and it does not etch. the only problem I saw is that when i put oil on it it stained. I tried it again once sealed and it seemed ok. I have read that it should be enhanced before sealed. Anybody have it installed? Any pictures? Any experience?

There are a number of pictures of various materials leathered on our websites (see link) as well as descriptions of other finishes (besides leather). FYI most engineered stones (ie Cambria, CeaserStone, SileStone, etc) when leathered have a subtle orange peel effect similar to leathered Black Absolute granite (black granites are much better leathered than honed, there is an article on our blog about that too). I personally have leathered Jerusalem Gold limestone in my bathroom at home and love it. The floor is 24x24 tiles (3/4" thick) & I cut two pieces from another tile for the window sill. The countertop (a floating banjo style on metal brackets out of the wall) as well as the corner shelves in the shower are out of 3cm slab material with a dupont edge. Don't have any pictures of it here at work though.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures of Natural Stone Kitchens (leathered, honed, & polished)

Informative website, Percoco. What are your thoughts on leathering/caressing Blue Pearl Royal? Thanks!

How can you crack a grate countertop by just laying a crockpot on it?