Hi Tom,

I just had a new asphalt driveway installed with a granite Belgian Block apron at the front. Apparently the wheel barrows leaked the dark brown oil or tar (whatever liquid is used in asphalt) onto the new granite stones. How do I remove these stains from the rough granite surfaces of the blocks? (The driveway contractor knocked $150 off the $10,000 cost of the project as compensation — but I have do the cleaning.)

Jack

Hell Jack,

You are nice guy to accept a $150 credit for this problem. You mentioned Belgian Block, but I am going to assume you meant Belgian Black. This is beautiful granite and must have been expensive. I’d love to see a photo.

Ok, here is what you need to do. First, scrape away the excess tar with a blade. Even use a razor blade to scrape as much off as possible. Clean the remaining with Acetone (from a hardware store) and a clean white cloth. If the stain remains, use mineral spirits (paint thinner) and a poultice powder. If the stain has been there for a long time it might be stubborn. In this case, you need to use a De-Solv-It (available at hardware stores) and a poultice powder. This stuff is strong and might leave a mark on the granite. Your odds are very good with Acetone on Belgian Black. Try a small area first.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

This entry was posted on Monday, September 4th, 2006 at 2:46 pm and is filed under Answers to Granite Questions..., Stain Problems. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.