Resin

Across the country, there seems to be some debate about the advantages or disadvantages of resining stone slabs.

There is really no debate. It is a big plus.

What is it? After the slabs come out of the gang saw, they are dried and then coated with a very thin epoxy [think Super-glue] and then allowed to dry. What this does is penetrate the surface of the slab filling any voids and bonding any fissures so the slabs end up being stronger. And, the surface becomes flatter, which is good. After the glue dries, it then goes through the polishing process where 99% of the glue is removed. Only the voids and sub-surface glues remain.

As a consumer, you can look at the edges of the slab to see if it has what appears to be dried syrup on the edge.

Most exotic stones have to be resined because their waste factor is so high. Resining lowers the waste factor, so exotics then become somewhat more affordable. And, you don't have to be quite so careful handling them. Not that you get sloppy, but rigidity is certainly enhanced.

There are factories that use colored resins, but most of them use a golden colored epoxy with no tint.

Adding epoxy to some stones is absolutely worthless, so don't be alarmed if there is no syrup on ubatuba or absolute black edges. It would no go in, anyway. If it won't take a sealer, it certainly won't take any resin.