Cevemal; An appreciable fraction of natural stones have matting and resin on the backside of the stone to reduce the risk of cracks during shipment. Additionally, there are a number of natural stones that, when polished, have miniscule surface depressions too small to feel with a fingertip but visible when the lighting and viewing angle are correct. To make the stones more attractive to the market a process was developed where a VERY thin layer (.060") of resin is impregnated into the top surface of the unpolished slab using heat and vacuum. When the slab is then polished the surface irregularities are filled by the resin so the stone has the preferred glassy smooth finish. This process has the additional advantage of making typical sealing of natural stone unnecessary since the pores in the stone are filled by the resin. Regarding solid surface vs. natural vs. engineered stone all are good looking and durable countertop materials. Make sure you understand the different material properties and then pick the look you want with material properties appropriate for your application.

I am a fabricator. In a previous life (before I started my granite shop) I was the VP of service for a major manufacturer of printing equipment. We sold a million dollar machine to China. Three years later we got a request for a service call and I sent a service rep to China. When he returned he told us that the Chinese had the machine we sold them AND a virtual duplicate right next to it. The duplicate was copied to such a degree that the copied parts even had the original part numbers stamped into them. The Chinese can be adept at copying stolen technology. However, there are also many stories where the copied parts or machines were of woefully bad quality. A machine tool company in my town was bought out and the brilliant new owners closed the plant and moved all the manufacturing to China. It came within an eyelash of destroying the company and the manufacturing was moved back to the USA. Regarding the chinese slabs; The Breton process for making slabs requires a significant level of sophisticated process control to consistently make good slabs. Even Breton made slabs occasionally have defects that cause problems for the fabricator. If a fabricator has experience with Chinese slabs and says they're OK he's probably right. The one concern could be the color-fastness of the slabs since a deficiency there might takes a long time to reveal itself. This is not an issue with Breton slabs unless they're exposed to unfiltered sunlight and then they'll fade very noticably in just a few weeks. Hope this was helpful.

One mistake you are making in your thinking is a common one - that all granites are lumped together in one group. There are thousands of granites. Some are carefree and will not stain and can take all kitchen tasks for years and years without showing anything. In the other extreme are granites that are more stain-prone, require sealing every few months and can be etched and/or stained. My granite counters are more than 10 years old. They have not been sealed. I do not baby them, and have spilled things like wine and tomato juice on them while cooking. They look like the day they were installed. I have never in all this time grown tired of their natural beauty. Go to a stoneyard, and ask to see granites that have "low absorption rates", i.e. they are dense, and therefore won't stain. If you see a granite you like, and can't find information on its durability, get the name, and also take a photo, and post on this forum. Likely someone will have information on it.

It looks like marble, but more than likely it is quartzite (similar to marble.) Especially since it is stored outside. Quartz is not good out in the elements. Be careful if you are choosing it for your kitchen. Quartzite and marble will scratch and etch. Unless you are not much of a cook and the kitchen is more ornamental, I would choose quartz or granite.