We have polished Absolute Black Premium throughout our new kitchen and love it! Yes, we would do it again! Scratching...I think Weissman is referring to me! I scratched my counter with my diamond ring...it was, unbeknown to me, under a book on the counter. When I dragged the book toward me, I heard a scratching sound. When I picked up the book & saw my ring, my heart sank...sure enough there was a scratch about a foot long on my counter. Luckily, the scratch is so fine that I have to really search to find it...I'm sure no one else sees it! Our counters look as good today as the day they were installed (spring 2008)...no "wear & tear", etc. other than that scratch, but no one can see it but me (and I see it only if I search for it). As to "streaks"...if you wipe your counters in a circular motion you rarely see streaks...unless you have too much detergent on your dishcloth/sponge. If you do, you will probably see streaks and/or a haze...but they wipe right off with a rinsed cloth. When I want my counters to look "pristine" and shine their brightest, I use Method Daily Granite Cleaner (found at Target, BB&B, and other stores) and a microfiber cloth. Note: The microfiber cloth is a great item...it works on granite, stainless steel, etc. better than even cotton materials. There's no lint. [FYI...my ring would have scratched any surface, so any counter I had would have been scratched!]

I am thinking of going with Piatra gray for my kitchen countertops. I was trying to decide between that and Raven. The Piatra seems like to be a bit lighter and a slightly warmer gray that it could so with both hardwoods and/or stainless steel and white. Some times of the day I lean towards one but later the other. Any photos of the Piatra Gray in your kitchen would be appreciated!

I have steel gray in a bathroom. Steel gray is aka silver pearl. It tends to pick up colors around it. Love it.

Thanks Beth. The problem with the pics is that the marking doesn't show up (not that the pics don't load). Unless you see a large amount of it from standing back you wouldn't notice it. We got a lot of variable advice on sealing when we were considering this leathered finish on this particular granite. The general consensus was that it's one of the most non-porous varieties, and that sealing it would head us back towards a shiny finish, which is not what we wanted. At the start we pooled water on it for over 30mins with no apparent absorption, and in general it wipes up really well. It may be that this marking is down to soap rather than water, but it's hard to tell. If there's such a product that seals without changing the appearance I think we'd go with it. Do you have any specific recommendations?