" I think the granite requires too much care for a rental property."

The correct stone should not require much of any "care."

Our fabricator includes the 15 year seal in the price of all their jobs. I'm not sure how it holds up though.

For a rental kitchen I would go laminate. It looks good, wears well, and is a good deal less expensive than granite, quartz, or solid surface. I don't necessarily agree that granite takes too much care, but I don't really see the point of using it for a rental that could once again be trashed.

Thanks for the suggestions. I've seen greasy granite too many times. We have dark brown granite in our kitchen and I am constantly wipe out water drops near the sink area so that it won't show water marks.

I have not purchased laminate before. Are you talking about the ones I can just buy from home depot? Do I have to hire another contractor to fit it after the cabinet is in place?

Thanks,

Jane

Get a bulletproof granite like blue pearl or uba tuba and it won't need sealing or any maintenance. Those lifetime sealers are a bit of a scam - what's the remedy on the warranty if they don't work!

Uba tuba is the granite they used to quote me. I thought it must be the lowest price. What makes it low maintenance?

Dark granites like uba tuba and blue pearl are dense stones that don't absorb liquids so they don't stain and don't need sealing. There are charts online that show the density of various granites.

We had laminate for years and years, but we've never actually installed/had it installed. People DIY it all the time, so it can't be too tricky or require special tools. If you're not doing it yourself, then I presume you do need someone to come in to install it. Maybe someone who's done this can help out here?