Some of the big box stores can be higher in price on granite, BUT---I would be VERY VERY concerned that a reputable granite fabricator would be able to come in less than laminate. Something sounds just not quite right. There are plenty of "counter top guys" who are buying container loads of pre-fab slabs from China and setting up shop calling themselves stone fabricators when it just ain't so! Definately check out samples of his work and how long he's been in business before going with this guy. In the end, if you can't get a reputable granite fabricator for the price, I'd suggest going with the cheapest possible laminate countertops (NOT the HD stuff!) until you were able to save enough money to get the stone you want from a good source. No point in throwing dollars at a temporary countertop when they can be saved for the better quality one. And, sealing granite is NO big deal at all! No, it's not hassle free, but nothing else in life is either. If you fall in love with a beautiful granite, the 15 minutes you might spend annually won't be a big deal to you. It does sound as though you really haven't found "the one" granite yet though.

We had beautiful Calacatta Gold quartzite counters & island top installed weeks ago; DH didn't like the polished look, so we paid to have the surface honed. After installation, a coat of GranQuartz sealer (413S Impregnator, I believe) was applied and left to dry overnight. The next day, I ran my hands across the surface, hoping for as smooth a feel as we experienced with the honed sample. Instead, grit. The installer (not due back for a couple of days to put another coat down, since one coat still led to water absorption) told me it might just be surface dirt/dust, and to go ahead and wipe/rinse everything down with plain water and a lint free cloth. We did as instructed, and the grittiness got worse: just like throwing water onto unsealed wood/lumber and having the grain rise up! The installer is scratching his head. I contacted one of the technical experts at GranQuartz, and he said a different GQ product (353P specifically for porous surfaces) should have been used. He couldn't explain the grittiness, but said to definitely begin by using the correct product. The initial coat of sealer was stripped with some solvent (recommended by GQ) and left to dry 48 hours. After 24 hours, I could still feel the grit. Guys came back Wednesday with a stiff brush to loosen up whatever the grit was (not sure if it's old solvent, old sealer residue, or the quartzite itself); then wiped down with acetone. Even before they left, however, I had them feel the counters and they, too, could feel the bits. Oddly, most of the time our fingers picked up no particulate matter . But when we ran a razor over the surface, something was definitely 'powdering' up and onto the razor blade. Upper left photo is a clean razor -- white fragments on the other three, after scraping various areas of the counter: Just really floored what this might be. GQ said this might be one of the unintended consequences of honing a surface: opening up the pores and possibly loosening up natural particles or even resin that may have been applied in Brazil. I don't mind at all (in fact, love!) the natural fissures and grooves we can feel from the honed surface. We knew not to expect the glassy-smooth finish that a polished surface offers. However, this grit is throwing everyone for a loop. Installer will be by Tuesday to 'lay hands' on the counter and see what we're up against.

Granite is a natural material and pits and fissures are perfectly normal in many stones. Only a very small percentage of stones, such as Absolute Black, are glass smooth when polished. Most have some spots where crystals came out, or small pits in the surface. You CAN NOT make those type of granites glass smooth. Sealing has nothing to do with it. Even impregnating the stone with a resin won't make it smooth to the touch. It will fill in some of the microscopic pits, but you'll still be able to see and feel the larger ones. That's the nature of granite. There are other options available to someone who wants perfectly smooth and polished countertops, but they will all be man made, such as quartz or even laminate.

" Is there a way to enlarge only the underneath of the granite so that I can push the valve assembly a little further up to catch the handle?" Yes, but it's a PIA. You'll have to pull the top, 'cause you're not getting a grinder between the back of the cabinet and bowl.