African Rainbow
A countertop we fabricate and install — get your free quote.
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Details
- Material
- Natural Granite
What it costs installed
$4,200–$20,400 for a finished kitchen in Granite
Ace's own installed-project range as of 2026-07-21 — templating, fabrication, delivery and install, for kitchens from 30 to 120 sq ft of counter. Your number depends on square footage, edge profile, cutouts and tear-out. See the full range by kitchen size →
Templated, fabricated, and installed by our own crew across the northwest suburbs.
How we do granite countertops →
Free in-home quoteAbout African Rainbow
Rated 5/5 for direct sun and 4/5 for stains — it shrugs off direct sun and handles stains. Care is soap and water most days, with a periodic job you should not skip — see the care section below.
We laser-template your actual cabinets, cut and polish the slab in our Streamwood shop, and our own crew sets it. No middleman measuring, no subcontractor installing. Installed, this material benchmarks around $70/sq ft in the Chicago suburbs — the table below shows the full range and where it came from.
How it lives — durability & care
Independent ratings and the real maintenance routine for granite.
| Factor | Rating | What that means day to day |
|---|---|---|
| Etch/acid | 4/5 | Mostly acid-resistant; occasional stones with calcite content can etch — test a sample. |
| Heat | 4/5 | Handles hot cookware well, though repeated thermal shock can stress a stone with natural fissures — trivets still smart. |
| Impact/chipping | 4/5 | Strong slab; edges, corners, and sink cutouts can chip. |
| Moisture | 4/5 | Porous when unsealed; well-sealed granite handles wet zones fine. |
| Scratch | 4/5 | About 6-7 Mohs; resists knives and cookware. Light polished colors show wear soonest. |
| Stain | 4/5 | Very good when sealed; oils can shadow unsealed stone. Reseal roughly yearly on lighter, more porous colors. |
| Sunlight (UV) | 5/5 | UV-stable; fine in sunrooms and outdoor kitchens. |
| Everyday wear | 5/5 | Polish holds up under decades of daily use; one of the best long-haul kitchen surfaces. |
1–5, higher is better. Independent material ratings, not a manufacturer claim.
Care routine
- Daily cleaning — Daily · Clean with a pH-neutral stone cleaner or a little mild dish soap in warm water; rinse and dry. Blot spills instead of wiping so you do not spread them — oil, wine, and coffee are the ones that stain if the sealer has worn. · Avoid: Vinegar, lemon, ammonia, general bathroom or tub cleaners, abrasive powders — acids dull the polish and strip sealer faster; rust removers with hydrofluoric acid damage even granite · If you skip it: low-medium — the wrong cleaner will not ruin granite overnight, but it shortens sealer life and slowly dulls the finish
- Oil-stain poultice — As-needed · For a dark oil mark: mix baking soda and water to a peanut-butter paste (or use a commercial stone poultice), spread it half an inch thick over the stain, cover with plastic wrap, tape the edges, and leave 24 hours. The paste draws the oil out as it dries. Repeat for stubborn stains, then reseal that area. · Avoid: Scrubbing with solvents or abrasives — the stain is IN the stone, not on it, and scrubbing does nothing but damage the polish · If you skip it: medium — untreated oil stains keep spreading and darkening, and old stains may never fully lift
- Resealing — Yearly · When the water test fails: clean the counter, let it dry fully, apply a penetrating (impregnating) stone sealer per label directions, and buff off the excess before it hazes. Once a year is typical for kitchen granite; heavy-use counters may need it more often, light-use less. Remember sealers make stone stain-resistant, not stain-proof. · Avoid: Topical "shine" waxes and dressings that build a film; sealing over a dirty or damp counter · If you skip it: medium-high — unsealed granite absorbs cooking oil and wine; set-in oil stains need a poultice, and widespread staining calls for professional help
- Water-drop sealer test — Quarterly · Pour a few drops of water on the busiest areas (by the sink, prep zone) and wait 15-20 minutes. If water still beads, the sealer is working. If it soaks in and darkens the stone, it is time to reseal. Let the stone tell you the schedule instead of the calendar. · Avoid: Guessing — some dense granites go years without needing sealer, some porous ones need it annually · If you skip it: low by itself — but skipping the test means you discover a failed sealer from a stain instead of a bead
What it costs installed
Published benchmark ranges, so you can sanity-check any quote — including ours.
| Line item | Typical range | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Granite countertop installed | $40–$100 | per sq ft |
| Granite countertop installed | $55–$175 | per sq ft |
| Granite countertop project, typical kitchen, all-in | $3,800–$7,500 | per project |
| Faucet/accessory hole drilled in stone countertop | $65–$120 | per hole |
| Kitchen countertop project, 30-50 sqft | $2,000–$10,000 | per project |
| Sink cutout | $150–$400 | per cutout |
Typical price ranges as of 2026-07. Regional benchmarks for the Chicago market — not an Ace quote. Your number depends on square footage, edge, cutouts and tear-out.
Edge profile upcharges
| Edge tier | Upcharge | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Edge upgrade — mid-range profiles (full bullnose, ogee, cove) | $12–$20 | per linear ft |
| Edge upgrade — premium profiles (DuPont, chiseled, laminated, triple pencil, mitered) | $20–$35 | per linear ft |
| Edge upgrade — simple profiles (wide bevel, pencil round, half/demi bullnose) | $5–$12 | per linear ft |
Over a standard eased edge. chiseled rock-face, dupont, laminated double edge and the rest are explained in the edge-profiles guide.
Sources: SlabWise, 2026; Chicago Countertop Company; SlabWise; SlabWise, 2026
Similar surfaces
Same family — worth seeing side by side before you commit.
More to compare
Other countertops that sit close to African Rainbow.
Questions about African Rainbow
Answered from this product’s own spec sheet and our measurement of it.
Does African Rainbow need sealing?
Yes. Granite is natural stone with real porosity. It wants sealing on installation and re-sealing every year or two — a ten-minute job with a bottle from the hardware store, not a service call.
How does African Rainbow hold up in a kitchen?
As granite, African Rainbow rates 4/5 for heat, 4/5 for stain, 4/5 for scratch and 4/5 for etch/acid on the independent material scale in the durability table on this page, where 5 is best.
What does African Rainbow cost installed?
African Rainbow is priced on our granite tier: installed, from $4,200–$7,650 for a galley kitchen (30–45 sq ft) up to $12,600–$20,400 for an extra large kitchen (90–120 sq ft). The quote for your kitchen comes from your own measurements.
What do you not list for African Rainbow?
A spec sheet. For African Rainbow we hold the name and the stone type, not its finish, thickness or quarry, so this page does not state them. They are confirmed on the actual slab before anything is cut.
Want this in your kitchen?
We fabricate and install African Rainbow out of our Streamwood shop — templated digitally, cut to your cabinets, installed by our own crew.
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