That's normal. I have a 40 year old slate entry way, and it's covered in a fine patina of nicks, dings, and gouges. I wouldn't ever call it a hard stone. Hard compared to wood, yes. It's about like soapstone. Some cuts are harder, some softer. Not anywhere as hard as granite.

You don’t repair laminate. You replace. Especially since you can now buy vanity tops for just a couple of hundred.

If you uploaded a pic, it didn’t post. Try again.

moondance59, I saw your question about which granite I fell in love with, it was Blue Pearl Royale. I had been shopping for stone slabs for over a year, (and could identify most of them on sight by then), when I arrived one day at the stone yard where the owner rushed over to say excitedly that he had something really special to show me, and that he thought he'd found a very special stone for me. He loaded two slabs onto the forklift and drove them out into the sunlight, since he knew I was having a 10 foot, down-to-the countertop, bumped out window. (He had me wait outside because he wanted me to see it first in the daylight.) Well, I just cried at the remarkably stunning beauty of those slabs, it was like nothing I'd ever seen before, and I bought it on the spot! It was the bluest pearl I'd ever seen, and he said the same. The iridescent crystals were mesmerizing, and the stone looked alive. Note: I had seen regular Blue Pearl slabs before, but they were dead looking compared to these, I might have named it Blue Pearl Magic or Blue Pearl Alive, it was so totally different. Blue pearl is also one of the hardest and most dense granites ever found, it won't even accept sealer it's so dense, and fabricates beautifully. (I was also having a flush mount induction cooktop, so needed the perfectly cut recessed lip for it to seat on.) The seller had just 5 slabs and saved them all until I could see them. When they arrived at my fabricator, they also went crazy for them and immediately bought the ones I hadn't snapped up. I hope you have just as much success finding a perfect stone that you will love! Flo Mangan is giving you such excellent design advice. Best of Luck!