Many granites have a looser crystalline structure that sheds. It's an inherent property of some stones and is not considered defective or low quality.

I saw a site that said it could be poor quality, but I also found this- I'm cutting and pasting. Maybe it's worth a try...it could be what's happening, depending on what you're using to clean the counter:

Cleaning your New Granite Countertop

Many people think that the best way to clean their granite, or marble, countertop is to take their wet dishcloth and just wipe her down. After all, isnâÂÂt dishwashing liquid just the kind of mild detergent recommended for the job? There are two problems here: Dishwashing liquid can help get soil into solution, but a wet cloth canâÂÂt absorb the dirty solution and merely moves it around. Notice the swirl marks on the counter after it has dried?

Gritty Granite Counters?

So far, itâÂÂs not the dishwashing detergentâÂÂs fault. But have you ever noticed how many granite countertops feel gritty no matter how well or frequently you clean them? HereâÂÂs where the dish detergent problem comes in. Most dish detergents, like most other detergents, have chelating agents in their formula. These are agents that cause minerals to clump together and also increase the efficiency of the detergent by effectively decreasing the hardness of the water (i.e. the volume of dissolved minerals in the water). The trouble is, the chelating agents cannot distinguish between those minerals in the water and the minerals in the stone! The result is a slight etching of the stone, causing tiny grains to break loose. That is the source of that gritty feeling we mentioned above.
A Non-What Cleaner for Stone Counters?

So, what do you clean stone with, then? The answer is with a neutral, non-chelating cleaner. The best way to be sure a cleaner doesnâÂÂt have chelating agents in its composition is to buy a product touted by the manufacture as being a stone-specific cleaner. Another option is to simply use a high quality microfiber cloth (and yes, the quality does matter) with plain, everyday water.

Here is a link that might be useful: source

Thanks so much!! Have tried different things to clean and I can always get it back to a smoothe to the touch surface. But the grit returns soon after. It's never been particularly shiny - which is actually okay with me but now it's looking much less than pristine for sure. Have reached out to the fabricator for additional advice.

Some threads have said this problem goes away eventually. I sure hope so!

This does not happen often, but it does happen. In 30+ years, I have run in to this problem one time...I wish I could remember the name of the stone. And I don't know for sure if it's prone to certain stones or luck of the draw. I'll second LWO, it is a natural occurrence in stone.

oly, that was an interesting re-post. I have never heard that before regarding cleaners. I once had Uba Tuba in a home about 15 years ago and it was impossible to keep looking clean without first wiping off, then cleaning, then drying and finally applying a pro stone polish of some kind. It was very labor intensive to keep looking good. Which is why I now have quartz and will never go back to granite.

This post was edited by kompy on Thu, Jan 29, 15 at 8:50