I have a soapstone called Santa Barbara, which Florida Joshua used to have (don't know if he still does). It is a really interesting soapstone--almost all talc--very little veining. but incredibly compressed and dense. I have 2 sons--wild, active sons. Within 2 days of installing the stone, they were driving their matchbox cars over the runnels. One afternoon I heard, "clang, clang, clang, clang." I went in the kitchen and found my 3 year old banging a glass up and down on the runnels. They are fascinated by the runnels. A differnt day, my 3 year old had 2 spoons, and he was pretending they were people, marching them around the counter--ding, ding, ding, ding--went the spoons. But NONE of this is noticible. None! When it first happens, you see white marks (talc residue). Plain old water washes much of it away. But a dab of oil, and it is GONE. It seems like magic to me. I have this crack in my stone (working on a resolution), and I have played around with it: scrubbed it with green pads, gone at it with sandpaper (100 grit, 400 grit). It easy to work with! Truly! Add a bit of oil to the top, and it all looks the same. Now, I do think there is something special about the Santa Barbara. It seems to oxidize differently. Some stones need a lot of oil. My stone was oiled almost 3 weeks ago, and barely looks any different. I have to go at it with the scrubber or sand paper to get the dark color off (regular soap won't take it off, nor will scouring powder). So, I say all this to explain that soapstone (Santa Barbara, at least) is incredibly easy to maintain. I have some "patina photos" that I have to get downloaded. Basically, my husband was sanding plaster on the ceiling over the counter, and then--uh--standing on the plaster grit. The soapstone looked rather buffed. But add oil, good as new. Add fine sandpaper, even better. However: I haven't had a giant ding yet. I have dents. No big deal. Can't see them. But a big chunk out of the side of my runnels would be sad. I am just amazed by soapstone. It is just magic! Magic, I tell you!! I can totally see how folks devote their careers to the stuff! Francy

Polished, Honed, Leathered, Brushed, Matte, Flat, shiny... What do you really like? Get what you love and you will enjoy cleaning, cooking and using your counters. I happen to love the clear, shiny, polished elegant counters in my sisters house. In my home a soft matte honed look with my white cabinets is what works for me. Sometimes people look at the surrounding elements. Do you have a craftman kitchen ? A more polished contemporary look? Or maybe a french bistro kind of feel? If you have lots of shiny surfaces maybe a matte leather will be a good balance or maybe the shiny is what you crave. If you have lots of flat plain matte surfaces a polished look could be amazing too. ~boxerpups A bunch of white kitchens with different black counters. From polished or honed. All look beautiful. Craftman Kitchen A soft flat matte look to these counters. Take a look at this lovely shiny surface on the perimeter counters. This is a blue based counter but it looks lovely with the leather look NorthShore White kitchens Has a leather look Polished in this Gart Kitchen More Shiny in this beautiful space MP Haverhill Images of hood and tile A flat matte surface

Trecia, "Genuine" Absolute Black is not cheap, compared to other blacks. (those that are saying it's inexpensive are not talking about REAL Absolute) True AB has no grain,(like you would see in basalt) no gray tone, no inconsistent coloring, And it's black as black can be. You'll also have to be very careful to get the genuine AB and not the India black that they dye. True AB comes from parts of Sweden and South Africa, if I remember correctly.(Sweden also produces famous Ebony Black granite) If they're selling you absolute black from India/Asia it's not genuine AB. It's another black granite that does not have the rich black tone like AB does. What some stone places do is pass off black granite from china and india as AB. They dye it. What you can do is take some acetone and a rag with you and wipe it across the face. (it won't hurt real stone) . If the rag comes away w/black residue, you have a counterfeit. You can then take MEK (Methyl Ethel Ketone) and apply to a different part of the stone. If you get any color transfer the stone has been dyed. Dyed black granite will eventually wear in the most used areas leaving you w/lighter patches and graying. Also, True AB is so dense, you won't need to seal, nor should you, as a sealer would just sit on top. It's so dense, a sealer will not penetrate. Even installers are ignorant to this fact. A sealer on top of real AB will leave haze and streaks. There are several quarries of Absolute Black in India but very few produce the deep intensive black color. The solution to meet the demand is to apply a resin with color so it matches the natural Absolute Black. Once, the resin is applied, there are many lesser quality black granites that can be used to satisfy the demand. Buyers beware. There are many types of resins so the color could yellow over time or show some cracking or who knows what. In addition, the edges need to be darkened with a lacquer and there are several types of lacquer that last longer than the others. Basically, your beautiful elegant black granite kitchen countertop will fade into a darker grey but, the original owner saved some dollars. Now, if you don't mind a knock-off, that's up to you, but don't pay premium price for something that's not real AB. There is a slew of black granite from all over the world and they all got grouped into the Absolute Black' heading. They're not. I just don't want anyone to pay premium price for something they aren't getting. Other alternatives: however, if you want another true matte stone, look into basalt. also know as Lava Stone Mongolia black basalt (basalt comes in diff finishes and different shades of black/gray) (I did fine this Italian pieta lavica basalt countertop) Neolith makes a basalt look-alike You're not willing to have a just a little veining? Silestone Eternal Charcoal matte, is pretty close. I have this one in the light gray and it's a great countertop

Call me crazy and soooo out of style, but I used Crema Bordeaux with black cabinetry and very light gray island. I like color and movement. Oops: Edited to say mine is granite; you were asking about quartz. Yep, out of style on that, too, but I've been using granite for 30 years, with quartz thrown in here and there in some kitchens, and I always go back to granite.