We had ours installed in December and posted similar question last fall. It has a tactile quality unlike anything else and I’d waited years to use it, but I had so many people try talking me out of it. The feedback I got here gave me the boost I needed to go with my heart. We went to a couple of stone yards to find the slab we wanted. I tried finding domestic stone, but in the end went with a Brazilian called Black Unique. It has some veining, but a lot of quiet solid area. I love it and glad everyone here was so helpful.
It’s really forgivable, tolerates heat without shocking or other damage, isn’t affected by chemicals, etc. And when you want to fix up the superficial wear, you can just give it a good scrub and a coat of wax. (Carnauba, beeswax mix) Poof, good as new!
Q