fhmiller,
Somewhere on another thread a poster said to look at the first digit on the left of the number of the quartz color. Evidently the lower that first number the greater propensity for scratching. Expresso's first number is a 3 which is pretty low. Some others start with a 9. If the fact that the lower number indicates smaller particles (quartz dust evidently) as opposed to larger chunks of quartz is indeed accurate I would guess that your choice would scratch more easily than a larger particle slab.

Most of the quartz manufacturers warn against honing their product. You might want to read the disclaimer in their warranties before your make a commitment to this finish.

Good luck in your search for the right product. You might look at the Venetian finished Lido that is a special finish on slabs of Absolute Black granite. There are several other colors that the company advertises with this finish. It would give you the matte look but be more resistant to fingerprints and smudges. I think the product is coming out of Italy and there are distributors around the US that can get slabs to your fabricator. It has an orange peel kind of look which helps prevent the fingerprint/smudge problems of dark matte finishes. Reportedly it cleans up nicely.

JB1176

thank you JB1176 - Has anyone else heard of this Venetian finished Lido in granite? Sounds like what I'm looking for. Matte finished black granite that is easy to maintain?

Here is where I found information on the Venetian finish.

http://www.venezian.com/contactus.html

I think we will seriously consider Lido in the Venetian finish or I just saw somewhere that Cambrian Black now comes in a venetian finish. We are also looking at Honed Virginia Mist. We absolutely love honed Virginia Mist. It is so calm and soothing and has a look similar to soapstone.

Hope this site gives you some information. I went to the "Distributors" link to find distributors in the Chicagoland area. Don't know where you live, but if you are interested in actually seeing the product perhaps your state has a distributor that could send you a sample.

Happy Hunting

JB1176

I found that link too. So it sounds like "venetian" is the finish of it. Uses an acid wash to it I saw somwehere. It also sounds like sometimes this finish is called "leather" or "antique"??

We're in San Francisco area, so there is a distributor of the "Venitian" there.

I love the verginia mist as well. What color cabinets are you going with (or do you have) JB1176? We have a rustic knotty alder with cherry type finish. Thus our desire to keep the counter-top rustic and less polished feel.

thanks again

Right on the finish clarification. Guess I didn't make that too clear.

Our cabinets are oak - put in by the builder as new construction in 2001. There are 40 doors in the kitchen so we as an older couple aren't about to replace the cabinets as this is our last space before transition to the great beyond.

I should explain that we live in a one level condo built in 2001. We are the first owners. All the rooms, including the bathrooms have vaulted ceilings to 12' and the windows are huge, most of them going to the ceiling. However the kitchen has no windows but opens up to the living area, dining room, large sunroom with windows on three sides. So the kitchen gets ambient light from the open space. I tell you all this to justify looking at a dark countertop - something the professionals advised us against.

The floors are African Sepele wood - part of the mahogany family and similar in appearance to Brazilian Cherry or Santos Mahogany. The range of colors in the floor allows for the blend of oak with the furniture in the great room which is 18th century cherry and very dark. The space has a very formal appearance to it and light colored countertops just didn't seem to work with the space. However, if I were a little more brave I would consider honed white marble, but I guess that is foolish.

So there, you got me started and now you know far more than you wanted to know. We do love the matte appearance of both the venezian finish and the honed Virginia Mist.

JB1176