In most houses, interior designers tend to use granite countertops in the kitchen and throughout the house. There’s nothing like having a nice patterned countertop with that glossy finish over it. While granite is widely popular and used in most homes and apartments, you can still make your home unique and personal with the type of granite you choose.

Just like choosing a couch or paint color in your home, choosing your countertops is also an important aspect of home design. Since you’ll be using and looking at your countertops almost every day, you should definitely choose the ones that fit your home aesthetic and personal design style.

If you’re in the process of renovating your home or kitchen, you can’t go wrong with a leathered granite countertop. These countertops are appealing to interior designers and homeowners because of their smooth look, character and easy maintenance. Here’s everything you need to know about leathered granite countertops.

What Are Leathered Granite Countertops?

Leather granite countertops are different from granite countertops in that they are polished but more matte and natural-looking. Similar to granite, leathered granite countertops are durable, easy to clean and easy to maintain. Leather granite also provides a more textured look as opposed to smooth like most granite types. Because it is more textured, you can see and feel the ridges, grooves and lines in this granite type.

Leathered granite also has a different manufacturing process than other types of granite. Because it offers a more textured look, there’s an additional process that takes place to form the shape of the texture. You can also customize your countertops to look more or less textured depending on the type of look and home design you’re going for. The finish on these countertops are treated by using a diamond-tipped brush, which creates the textured look that makes leathered granite so unique.

Countertop Maintenance

If you’re considering leathered granite, lucky for you, they are so easy to clean and maintain. Because they are textured, they are also more low maintenance. With regular granite countertops, you have to worry about scratches and smudges, whereas leathered granite embraces the imperfections. To clean this countertop, you really only need a brush and a cleaning solution. Use a brush to get rid of any crumbs and a soap and water cleaning solution to wipe down the counters.

Just like sintered stone or granite countertops, leathered granite requires a re-seal every once in a while. For this, you can either hire a professional or do it yourself if you’re an expert in countertops and home design.

Design Style for Leathered Countertops

If you’re battling between countertop options and colors, leathered granite comes in several shades. Grey and black are the most popular colors used in homes and kitchens, while colors with blue, gold and cream are also great options. People also tend to blend hues together, typically pairing black with white or brown, cream with white, blue with gold, gold with white or black and grey with black or white. The pairing possibilities are endless and so many of the combinations blend well together.

As far as expenses for installation, leathered granite is slightly more expensive than other styles of granite. Because of the texture, the cost of materials is slightly higher, around $15 to $25 per square foot. If you plan on hiring professionals for installation, this is another cost to consider.