A sealer's function is to temporarily inhibit the intrusion of staining agents into the pores of the stone. End of list of performances. So a sealer will basically be temporary protection from staining agents. I think it is important that you know how porous the stone is for your own sake. While some sealers are very expensive and formulated with the highest quality resins. It is really the stone that dictates what sealer and application process is used. I think that any well known sealer will work with the proper application. If you started with the stone tech impregnator pro stick with it. Test with water the porosity of the stone prior to the second coat. Then test 24 hours after the second application and see if the porosity is less. The water test is done using a palm sized puddle of water. Leave it on the surface for 10 or 15 minutes wipe it away. If there is a darker mark left it needs to be sealed. Take it from there.

That makes a good case for standard precautions and removable prep surfaces such as wood cutting boards. Since only one counter surface was tested, no conclusions can be made about if it's more or less likely to have cells adhered. I'd love to see a study of multiple counter surfaces! But in the end it probably doesn't really matter. Even an antimicrobial surface needs proper cleaning and time, and then we're back to the original food safe question with antimicrobial treatments! I know wood surfaces and soapstone can be conditioned with food quality oils, so food safe. I would have to imagine a sealer for kitchen counters would have to be food safe in terms of contact, but I don't think I'd necessarily want to cut things where that sealer may be scraped off into the food I'm cutting. Guess I have another thing to add to my research list...though I might just skip it as we always use a cutting board. Running out of brain cells to devote to kitchen research at this point :-) Speaking of oils for soapstone, I ended up ruling it out because a lot of products are walnut oil based, and I have a walnut allergy. Didn't want to worry about that. Something to think about if you have friends or family with tree nut allergies.

Ugh! I typed a whole story and just lost it! I will try again... I love marble too and the light quartize but opted for LG Minuet Quartz because of its ease of maintenance. I have 2 kids and a messy DH. We push and pull and drag stuff all over the counters. We don't clean up spills in a timely fashion. I tried but couldn't find a real quartize and now after a few weeks in my new kitchen I am glad I have a low maintenance counter. I can even understand why people use laminate. It's durable and you don't have to think about it. i have to use hot plates but I have always had too so that's no big deal to me. I haven't had my Quartz long but so far it hasn't stained.

The Antique Brown doesn't need a sealer as it is a very dense granite with a low absorption rate. Alpine White needs a sealer. Most counter fabricators will seal at the installation as part of the job--not "Dupont Heavy Duty" or whatever, but just regular sealer. The $90 is ridiculous! As for the Bulletproof stuff, we've seen posts on this forum that it adds a plasticky look to the stone and ruins the appearance, so I would decline on that. If the fabricator won't do regular sealant as part of the installation the way most normal fabricators will, then just go to Home Depot and buy 511 Impregnator Sealant in the smallest size possible (the 16 oz. size). Make sure it's not the "Enhancer" version, just Impregnator Sealant. That 16 oz. size will last you longer than you will be in that kitchen. The directions are on the bottle, but it's a simple wipe on, then wipe off the residue, finished. Just takes a couple minutes. You should seal the Alpine White once or twice a year. The way you can tell if your stone needs to be sealed again is to drop a bit of water on the counter. If it beads up and doesn't absorb, you don't need sealer. 511 Sealant at Home Depot