After living with black (tile) countertops in a bathroom for 10 years I would NEVER, EVER recommend them to anyone who didn't love cleaning or have someone else to clean for them. 'Nuff said.

Lorri

Our black Silestone counters should be installed in approx. two weeks. When we were trying to decided which way to go, we checked out our friends' new black granite counters. Although very striking, they showed every fingerprint,crumb, etc. . . . which was not for us. We decided instead to go with Silestone's Dark Canyon instead. The pattern is small, which is what we wanted, but has enough small speckles of browns and cream to keep it from showing every spot, crumb and fingerprint. I also like that the browns in this Silestone echo the brown woods of our cabs.

I ought to add that the counters were solid shiny black & showed every bit of dust & every dried water spot. Matte or patterned black probably wouldn't be so bad. We currently live in a house with black speckled formica kitchen counters & it isn't bad at all.

Well black is going to be a smudge factory. We have a dark cambria that shows a lot of marks,smudges and whatnot. It does wipe clean easily with windex or 409 but you may not want the work.

I had my quartz countertop installed last week..I saw a black counter on my installer's trailer and commented on how pretty it was...he said he would never install black and he tries to talk his customers out of it...he said it really shows all dirt and is a pain to keep looking clean...but I have to admit, it did look really pretty!
Tara

All I can tell you is my dear friend had a black silestone installed throughout her kitchen and bar area. It showed every bit of dust and fingerprints within minutes of cleaning. I have a light colored quartz and literally have to feel to find spills. Personally, I couldn't live with something drawing that much negative attention. JMO.

The good news is the black soot from the fires doesn't show at all ;-) (another So. Californian here) I went to wipe my down yesterday not even realizing it was covered in black ashes! It does show water spots and streaks, but a microfiber cloth keeps it looking nice.

Didn't I answer someone on the Silestone before?

Anyway, Ebony Pearl is what I have, and it really doesn't show finger prints or smudges. I wanted dark/black but didn't want to deal with every smudge. This gave me the look and easy upkeep.

Thanks to everyone for all the responses. Yikes! I may have to rethink my choices.

I appreciate the comments about the Ebony Pearl. I will need to look into that. Has anyone had experience with any others.

Mariposatraicionera, I think you did answer my other post. I am new to this forum and I messed up. I posted a question then I couldn't find it, so I thought that it didn't work and I posted another. Sorry.... I don't mean to pollute the website! :)

Jennifer

Has anyone had any experience with Caesarstone charcoal? Does it have smudging issues?

FWIW, maybe think about getting a quartz that "reads" black, but isn't actually pure black. I have "Green River" Silestone in my kitchen, which is a mix of green and black, but it mostly looks black (and not-too-shiny at that). My husband, who is blind to spills, dribbles coffee and crumbs all over the place, and I have to work to find those dratted spills to clean them up.

Of course, it's hard to get a read based on just a 3"x3" sample, so you may need to find showrooms where your proposed colors are displayed on a larger scale.

Callaloo... I always thought you had black granite- I guess its how it shows on my screen...very pretty. Also your kitchen makeover came out Beautiful!!!! I love that green paint and the drapes...you have a good eye for color...it looks so clean and crisp.NJ

I think Caesarstone charcoal looks a lot like Silestone's Ebony Pearl.

Black countertops are difficult. I know that I really want black also but I know it will show dust & dirt...I'm torn b/w the look of black and the look of black w/dust & fingerprints! :-)

Have you looked at Stellar Night? We were considering this when we were planning on quartz. It has some speckles in it so it may hide the dust, but I don't know about fingerprints--it might though since it's not black-black like Absolute Black granite or Black Anubis Silestone.

I don't know what Stellar Night would like in the "leather" finish, but it might work out fine...

If you already know about dust and fingerprints why even look at black?

Anyway, I adore black. I love black shoes, clothing, handbags, furniture (leather) etc., but I was afraid of the fingerprints so I went with Ebony Pearl. It hides a multitude of sins. You need to find something that wouldn't show the prints, and dust.

I feel like black countertops are a bit trendy right now and seem hard to keep clean. My recommendation is to go timeless.

Anyone try Verde Butterfly?

Verde Butterfly quartz or Verde Butterfly granite? I believe I had a Verde Butterfly quarz countertop on the buffet in my dining room in my previous home. It was gorgeous.

Just got those installed. Yes. Every fingertip is showing. But I love the look. The back countertops will be white, and we have another kitchen. But I honestly had no idea