Removing Granite Stains Made Before Sealing
Hello,
I am a Contractor and installed a flamed absolute black granite tile floor in one of my customer’s hallway and bathroom.
Before I had the chance to seal the floors, my client stated that while taking the garbage out, something dripped on the floor and stained it.
Also, there are urine stains on the bathroom floor. I already used two types of granite products for stain removal that I purchased from my granite supplier and they did not work. Can you advise me on what to do next or what other products I can use to remove these stains.Thank you, Joe
Hello Joe,
Flamed black granite is difficult to clean because the color is so homogeneous. For the hallway, let’s assume that it was food based liquids like tomato juice or something like that. For that you want to soak and scrub with Ivory soap. This is really all that should be needed. Scrub the whole floor and do it as soon as possible.
For Urine, it is a little trickier and before I tell you what to try, I am going to say, “Test it in a small area first”. The reason for testing, is that sometimes cleaning can affect the stone in a way that is even more noticeable than the stain in the first place. As I said above, Black Absolute is so homogeneous in color that you have to clean the whole floor sometimes to get an even look. With that said, mix 1 part vinegar, 1 part 35″ Hydrogen Peroxide, and 6 parts water. Let the solution soak into the stain for about 5 minutes, then use a wet vacuum to pick up the water. Plot up the rest with a dry cloth or rag. Let me know how it turns out!
Best wishes,
Tom Cordova
October 17th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Dear Tom,
Two months ago we had Colonial Cream granite counter tops installed in our new kitchen. An impregnator was applied by the fabricators right after it was installed. The next day I noticed the counters were dull. The surface was also dusty and gritty. Things that moved across the counters sounded like nails dragging across a blackboard. Washing the counters with water and buffing with a cloth didn’t help so I applied a very small amount of granite polish to a dry cloth and buffed. The counters became shiny and smooth. However within a week I noticed discoloration over the entire surface. The counters have become more instense in color with a mottled dirty look to the surface. What was once light and creamy is now gray with some greenish streaks. Other than the granite polish the only thing I’ve used to clean the surface is water. Did the granite polish (Goddard’s Granite & Marble Polish) I used cause this discoloration or is there is something else going on that can be explained? One of the main reasons I chose this granite had to do with its even color, moderate movement and light and warm look. So needless to say I’m very concerned. I don’t understand what has happened to our once beautiful counters. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You,
Kathy
March 29th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
I have Andes black honed granite on my island. My installer used aquamix seal and enhance. I wiped off the excess and rubbed pretty hard and it has left permanent wipe marks. It is most noticeable when the light hits it a certain way. I have contacted aquamix and they told me to put on more enhancer which I did and it made them less noticeable , but they didn’t go away. they then told me to clean it with acetone or paint thinner. That seemed to have removed most of the enhancer, but the marks are still there.
I tried a poultice of plaster of paris and acetone , leaving it on 24 hours and it didn’t do anything.
I’ve tried to scour it with bon ami and 0000 steel wool and it did nothing.
would a paint stripper help?
Thanks
March 20th, 2012 at 10:16 pm
Thanks sir this nice to this this type of information for my tiles cleaning.