I would like to use honed black granite on my kitchen countertops.  I
would like to know how much of a risk that is.  Specifically, how
likely is honed black granite to stain, have discoloration or other
problems?  Is there any particular sealer or sealer process that would
insure a long lasting and consistent color and finish?  I use my
kitchen a lot and have children, so, even though I like the look I do
not want to use this material if it is not going to hold up well or
require a lot of maintenance.  If the honed black granite is not a
good idea is there another material that would provide a similar look
with less problems?

Hi iscott,

No problem ! Honed black granite is a very durable and long lasting
material. No, it will not stain or discolor. [Unless you use very
harsh acids to clean the sink / table tops etc.]
It is better shatter / crack resistant than ceramic tiles
It does not get affected even when hot vessels / liquids are brought
into contact with it.
It is hygienic and non-toxic.

Go ahead and use it.. only precautions would be to make sure that the
base is proper.. i.e there are no air pockets / hollows under the
slabs. So proper laying/fitting is required.

Forgot to add.. I have the entire counter top made out of Black
granite.. the sink and wash counter are carved from a 1.8 ft deep
block. The counter-top is 3" slabs. Been there from 9 - 10 years now..
still as good as new.

Not sure what 'hones' is. My daughter has black granite benches. She
also has two toddlers. No matter what she does they always look
stained and smeared. I do not think they are suitable for family
living. Go for a laminex look marble finish. Not nearly as nice, but
so simple to keep looking good. Sorry to disapoint you.

Hi,

Don't know if you are still wondering about using Honed Granite. I
actually work for a solid surface countertop company in Blairsville
Georgia, so my suggestion to you is NOT to go with the Honed Granite.
It WILL stain and if it ever cracks or does stain, you cannot fix it
or get the stain out. Please remember that THERE IS NO WARRANTY FOR
GRANITE. After many jobs fabricating and installing granite, i promise
you that your best bet for countertops is a quartz product called
Cambria. No sealing required....will not stain...will not
scratch...AND has a 10 year Warranty. Please do your research and
compare the two products. You do not want to pay the price for honed
granite and not have a warranty. You have children and are probably a
very busy woman...you DO NOT want granite. Go with Cambria. My
company's website is http://www.cambriatops.com. Please take a look,
and remember that this is MY JOB to let consumers know the advantages
and disadvantages of countertops products.

We installed honed absolute black in our home and love the look and
feel of the stone.  We have it in the kitchen and bathroom counters. 
We had problems with "stains" and think that we have resolved the
problem, however our answer is outside the conventional wisdom of the
stome experts.  After 6 months our great looking kitchen island looked
real bad so the installer came in and cleaned it with a sos pad and
ajax and then used another stripper product.  We were told to stay off
it for several days and then apply a sealer.  We felt that the
problems we had were sealer problems and not stone problems. We tried
staining a honed granite tile and we have been able to clean
everything up by wiping down with Dawn and if we have a hard to handle
area we clean the area using Bon Ami and a sponge.  So, we decided not
to seal the granite and we have been bare for about 3 weeks now.  We
have had our kids and grand kids over for dinner twice and lunch once
and we have had bacon grease, ice tea rings and other assorted normal
kitchen counter "messes" and the Dawn does the job for the most part
but we always have the Bon Ami to vall back on.  At this point, we are
no longer afraid to use our honed granite conters.

This is working for us on our stone but it may not work for someone
else on their stone.  It looks great.