Can anyone show me their dark stone worktops please

[Bearbehind]

I have my heart set on black or dark grey stone worktops but can't decide which to go for.

I'd originally thought I wanted quite plain ones but, having read about visible watermarks after wiping then down I'm erring on the side of quite a patterned style.

I've looked at images online but they seem to either focus on the cabinets or be close ups of the worktops- neither of which help when trying to decide.

Can anyone share photos their dark, patterned quartz or granite worktops please.

Hi OP. Is this patterned quartz? We inherited this so it was done pre 2012.

(I was tempted to widen the view to show you all the piles of utter crap on it!)

Thanks kitty I'm thinking probably less patterned than that but it's the right kind of thing.

I'd like something with a small, repeated pattern IYSWIM.

You won't get any watermarks or any staining with quartz. You may with granite.

I have black granite, no pic, becayse well it's black granite. Looks great and I've no issue with marking at all. I've also read those issues and have no clue what folks are talking about. A quick wipe down with method granite cleaner and it's all shiny and lovely.

I don't mean marks in the stone itself curcur I mean water stains where you wipe over with a dishcloth.

I cba to polish it every time I wipe it but visible watermarks would drive me mad.

Don't know if this is lighter than what you were imagining?
Ours is quartz. It is still porous so still need to be a little careful with tea and red wine. Oh and calpol! They are the only things I have found that leave marks.
We have a specialised spray cleaner that we use for stains...bonuses what it is called off the top of my head though

Bonuses?? No idea what autocorrect was trying to say there
*but I have no idea

I don't mean marks in the stone itself curcur I mean water stains where you wipe over with a dishcloth

Me too, as said I genuinely don't have any, the stone is sealed. It is easy to reseal if it needs it.

This is so confusing- I thought quartz wasn't porous at all.

I'd read granite is porous but quartz, because it's man made, is so dense it's not porous at all.

I wish you could test it in your own home before you commit to it!

No wipe marks here - definitely couldn't be doing with polishing? I thought granite was porous and that's the reason for sealing it. So, in theory, as long as it's sealed, it shouldn't stain! No need to seal quartz.

Ah, my possibly quartz? surface above does get annoying water marks on it. (I also cba to polish it!). They disappear with a standard flash spray though. It has not stained that I have noticed.

I sympathise OP. I am admittedly clueless about interiors but choosing anything like that makes my head hurt.

Star galaxy granite here, absolutely love it

Granite is sealed at the point of fitting, you can then reseal whenever it wears off. Mine have been in a year, they said to do every six months but water still bubbles on the top so not needed. You can buy sealant on line, it's dead easy, just a clear fluid you wipe over and leave to dry, no harder than wiping it down. Basically fluids just sit on the surface they don't soak in.
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Black Granite. No water marks or any marks at all from just under 5 years in use. Photo doesn't really show how black it is, easier to see in daylight!

I have black quartz with mirror flecks. Looks amazing, not as durable as granite but absolutely no sealing needed. It does get marked by water but it's ridiculously easy to clean off without any special effort in a fraction of the time keeping my old worktops sparkling took. My DP have granite and the sealing is a bit of a nuisance, but they were advised that the very dark black granites can get away without sealing.

The mirror-flecked quartz is a bit distracting (you often think you can see something in the corner of your eye at first when the light catches one of the sparkly bits) but it's so pretty I don't care. My local shop had samples people could take away to test with their cleaners if they wanted.