Tell them that unless you have samples to test, there will be NO purchase.

And walk out.

And they will let you keep walking. When granite slabs are in the exotic category, no yard will knock hundred dollar chunks off to random shoppers. Now, if you are working with a well known fabricator, and put down a substantial deposit, they might be willing. But without that, forget it.

If you want a feature stones your focal point, you have to accept that you are purchasing something not likely to be a true granite, and something that requires more maintenance. If you can't accept that tradeoff for the beauty, then pick something else to be the focal point and choose a standard bulletproof basic stone for your counters.

Check out the karin_mt geology threads, or contact her directly. Some stones are more porous than others. It sounds like your original granite really met your needs, but there are a great number of stones that will not be able to withstand food color and crisco without sealing, and clearly, you can't seal. Could you post an image of your existing stone? It might help her figure out what you have.

Countertop Geology

That Sandalus slab is really nice! It seems to be pretty widely available. Maybe you could find a sample piece at the next granite yard down the road.

Ask DH if he will consider a bullet-proof granite with a show-stopping backsplash. Certain granites have a reputation for imperviousness, like black pearl and its emerald and blue cousins.

Sandalus is a sandstone. Some sandstones are terribly porous but some aren't. If I had to guess I'd say this one is on the less porous end of the spectrum. But it would still absolutely need sealing.

In general the white granites tend to be more porous than the darker colors. I'd be a little wary of these.

Taj Mahal quartzite is quite bulletproof and dense. Spendy though. Also, I agree with cawaps about Black/Blue Pearl and the like.

if someone made a countertop of recycled lawn clippings with a peanut butter binder, I would install that before sandstone.

I hear you, but you don't need to paint all sandstones with the same brush. Yes, some of them are too porous to be used for a countertop, but others are perfectly great. It's all in how tightly the sand grains are cemented together and what the mineral cement is. (And in this case, 'cement' is a natural thing. It's what holds sedimentary rocks together.)

Wild Sea is tightly-cemented, has silica cement, and is pretty dang nonporous. We have it in our kitchen. We've never re-sealed it and it's holding up beautifully.

OTOH, Palomino/Stonewood, Rainbow Teak and similar are all super porous.

Since other posters have already commented on the care/maintenance of these counters, I will comment on how, IMHO, they will look with the cabinet and flooring samples you show. The Purple Dunas does not look good in that combination. The Sandalus looks too much the same, there is no contrast, and the combination will be too monochromatic. The Typhoon Bordeaux has a nice contrast, as well as an interesting pattern. Since we can't see the rest of your kitchen, it is hard to tell if Typhoon Bordeaux would look good, but it looks like it would be very pretty, and by far the best of the 3 from what you've shown.

I believe that Typhoon Bordeaux is one of the denser granites, needing sealant just once a year. Here is a link which shows a number of photos of this granite in different kitchens. http://www.minimalisti.com/kitchen/modern-kitchen/04/typhoon-bordeaux-granite-countertops-ideas.html

P.S. Your fabricator who said to clean your granite counters with vinegar is wrong. I would never do that to my counters. You got lucky with your previous counters, but don't do that with your new counters, OK?

I had Typhoon Bordeaux in my last kitchen. 6 years with no problems at all. It really was the perfect stone.

Thanks
everyone for your input. We just got a quote for the Sandalus and at $194/sf,
it’s out of our price range. So it’s a
little easier to hear that it’s sandstone.
It was gorgeous in person, though.
Thank you, karin_mt.

Thanks for the info about Taj Mahal being
bulletproof. I remember seeing it at the
stone yard. I may ask about it to see
how it compares to the price of the Sandalus.

I would be perfectly happy with a standard,
bulletproof basic stone with a fancy backsplash (like I have in my current
house), but DH really wants the stone to be the focal point. I’m the one who bakes and I’m the one who will
be taking care of the counters, so we’ll see how this turns out.

Thanks again.

If you are wanting a stone that has a wow factor and is pretty bullet proof, you could try looking for some Fusion quartzite. We put that in our bathroom and I love it. It has a shiny, very hard surface and requires no sealing or pampering. It will be up there in price tho. I haven't seen any pics of your kitchen so not sure if it will look good. Fusion varies a lot and has the kind of wow factor that your other samples have. So you need to find a slab to know if it would work for you.

Another stone that has wow factor and has been completely maintenance free is our Titanium in the kitchen. But you may not be looking for one that dark. I cook and bake a lot and have had it for about 5 years with no maintenance other than to wipe with mild soap and water. Looks like new.

Good luck in your search!

Thanks silken1. I've seen several Fusion slabs and you're right . . . it has a wow factor! It stopped us in our tracks. Unfortunately, it's out of our price range. Sandalus was listed as a "W" at $194/sf. The Fusion was listed as a "Z"!!

Titanium was on my top 3 list, but DH nixed it. I may have to put it back on my list. Thank you!

Yikes. I knew Fusion was expensive but I guess because it was just a bathroom, it didn't break the bank for us. The Titanium has a lot of black but with UCL and good lighting overhead in the kitchen, we don't feel it is too dark at all. And we had white counters before the kitchen refresh.

Others have recommended that you check out the geology threads and I agree. There are three tests that are recommended and one of them (the glass test) can be conducted on site without a sample. Those threads are amazing though. If you take the time to read them, you will be able to provide a geology course to the fabricator and teach him/her a thing or two :)

Edited to add: I disagree that you have to take risk just because a stone is expensive and that expensive stones are not granite. It all depends on the specific stone.

We have blue pearl in our kitchen for about 15 years and it
is very low maintenance. We have have never
sealed it. To me it is like looking at rocks in the bottom of an
aquarium or a shallow river bed. There is a depth or sort of 3d
appearance to it. It was a pretty low cost granite when we installed
it, probably still is, but, it is extremely durable.

My dh wants a
sandalus bar top in our next kitchen with the rest of the counter top
being stormy black soapstone (my choice).

We were told the sandalus is quartzite. I will see if I can get a sample and test it, I haven't done
that yet with the sandalus.

Sandalus is sandstone. The curvaceous lines in the stone are cross-beds, which is a distinctive feature of sandstone. Plus, you can see an overall granular texture. Sandstone can become quartzite if it's exposed to heat and pressure that fuses the sand grains together. That would make it a metamorphic rock.

Metamorphism happens on a spectrum, from lightly baked to broiled so much it nearly melted. Some lightly metamorphic quartzites still retain their cross-bedding patterns. If the stone gets thoroughly metamorphosed, though, the patterns are erased.

But I'm pretty sure this one is straight-up sandstone. It may or may not be porous. Some are, some aren't. It depends on its age and how tightly the sand grains are cemented together. So be sure to test it for water absorption and staining. And it would definitely need sealing.

>>>Ahh, I see that I already wrote this same thing upthread, about a year ago. Nice to see that I am consistent. :)