We put granite in our kitchen 2 years ago. I love it! It is very easy to care for. The installers said you can do anything to it, including cut directly on it. The only caution I was told about was that while you can place hot pots from the stove directly on it, over time this will affect the sealer they put on it. In a restaurant setting for example that does this all the time, they would have to reseal their granite every few years. I was told in a home setting that you don't place direct heat on, the granite won't have to be resealed. The other caution was to not leave bottles of oil on your counter for extended periods of time (days not hours) as granite is a porous material and it will absorb any oil on the bottom of the bottle and leave a ring. I've also broken a plate on it that slipped from my hand when I was putting it away. Like tile floors, anything that is dropped on granite will probably break. But, all this said, I love my granite and personally feel it wears better than corian or laminate. Of course, for the cost you could afford to replace laminate counters every so often if they wear, but we didn't want the bother. We also have a breakfast bar in granite that could not be done in laminate as it is a custom shape.
