Test it. Sandstone is usually Extremely Porous.

Thanks, @live_wire_oak!

I had been reading that. Am wondering how often I'll need to re-seal it, if I actually use it.

This is the sample I was looking at. Love the grain! Trying to decide if I want that much busy going on... Could be a statement piece, though.

Sealing it is not a solution. You can never apply enough sealer to something as porous as most sandstones to keep them from absorbing water, or water with staining materials. Like cherry juice. Or soy sauce. Sealer only slows down liquid absorption. It does not render it waterproof. That adsorption rate is inherent in the stone itself.

I'm not a fan of sandstone countertops, polished or otherwise.

I live about 12 minutes from the Berea Formation, my fireplace is made of locally quarried sandstone, and I love the idea of using local materials. You could not pay me to use sandstone for my counter top. The maintenance is never ending, and it stains so easily. Have you considered soapstone?

How about using the sandstone for the backsplash instead and using a solid surface for the countertops?

I remember a designer showcase house where an area had polished sandstone counters ... it was not the kitchen, it was an area on the patio.

They did not survive the first cocktail party for the bigwig donors without staining ... you could see grease spots from the food, wine stains and it looked horrible.

If you like the look, some granite varieties have a very sandstone look to them, without the porousness

Find a coffee table metal base and have a sandstone top made for it. It would make a beautiful coffee table ... just make sure people use coasters!

Some sandstone is crazy porous, but not all. It really depends on the particular stone and how well 'cemented' it is. Cement is the geologic term for how mineral grains are glued together in a sedimentary rock.

We have Wild Sea sandstone which has been excellent. I am not familiar with the one in your photo. It's pretty easy to test it. Just put water on it and watch what happens. On the really porous stones, it's kind of awesome to watch - the water gets sucked right into the stone.

Ideally, test a non-sealed surface, like a broken edge, or the back of the slab.

live_wire_oak not true actually, there is one product that is permanent and made to migrate the entire surface of any stone. It will seal the entire thickness of the stone, also allows it to naturally transpire as stone should

It is from Dry Treat, - Meta Creme and is mainly exported to the USA.

It is much better than any stone film, or impregnating sealer as these at best protect about 1mm of the surface and need to be replaced or reapplied every 6 months in a high use area

It would be the only thing we would recommend or use. It will stop delamination of sandstone around a salt water pool... Nothing else will do that.

So its tough and the best on the market

http://www.drytreat.com/sealers/residential/meta-creme.html

Ps the only way to polish sandstone to a high gloss... you have to apply a resin to the surface otherwise the sandstone is too porous to hold a polish. You can get a semi-gloss but thats it

Be aware that most highly figured sandstone products that are high gloss are not in fact sandstone but Quartzite which is sandstone a sedimentary rock been subjected to heat and pressure to form a metamorphic rock - Quartzite. Similarly limestone to marble. Hence Quartzite and Marble can be polished as the pressure an heat compacts the density of the grains in the stone and it is able to take a polish to the surface. Quartzites are still porous just like marble and granites are

Meta creme is suitable for any stone to seal it.

Unlike Stoneguard, Meta Creme does not stop etching.