We are considering “Nordic Black” 3cm for our replacement counter tops (replacing Formica). We have read your comments regarding Absolute Black and are wondering if we will have a maintenance concern with our choice. We have discovered the Nordic Black in Dal Tile’s yard but have not seen it listed on the internet.

Maurice

Hello Maurice,

If it really is Nordic Black, it has white feldspar veins. This rock is a Black Anorthosite, which is about 85% feldspar plagioclase.

It is not granite because it does not have at least 65% quartz. Feldspar is a 6 on the Mohs Hardness Scale so it is still pretty hard. However, it is more absorbent that granite and needs a good coat of sealer. Still use a low viscosity sealer just do a double coat about 6 hours apart. If you love this stone and it is polished finish, I’d say go for it. If it is honed, it will look like an antique/old very soon. It is a beautiful stone and just needs a little more sealer once in while if cared for normally. I hope this helps.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

Hi Tom,
I have a 15 year old home and the kitchen counter tops are a multicolored red-black granite. I’ve noticed surface of the most-used counter top has a cloudy appearance to it. I am thinking this is due to vinegar, as this has been used repeated to clean the surface recently. I’ve recently learned not to use vinegar as a cleaning agent for granite, so I will stop immediately. Do you have any suggestions on how to remove the cloudy spots from my counter?

Thank you for your kind consideration.

Sincerely,
Suzanne

Hi Suzanne,

Most Red Granites are high in quartz and corundum minerals.

Neither of these are not harmed by vinegar. There are other minerals in Red Granite in much smaller percentages, like Mica, Rhyolite, and Calcium Oxide which can be affected by the corrosive Acetic Acid in vinegar. However, you mentioned a ‘cloudy’ affect in some areas. I do not believe vinegar would create this sporadic appearance. In 15 years since your countertops were installed, there likely were other chemicals used that caused this cloudy appearance, such as Ammonia Bi-fluoride which is found in some glass cleaners. A second cause could be liquid soap being used after you your countertop sealer was stripped away by the vinegar. Some detergents mixed with ammonia can cause this hazy.

My best guess is that your granite has become permanently microscopically etched by Ammonia bi-fluoride, or hydrofluoric acid at some point. Red granite is very hard to re-polish so I don’t think it is practical to have a refinisher work on it; however, it is worth asking a local stone refinisher if you can find one.

I want you to try something and then let me know the result. Buy Acetone at the local hardware store and clean your countertops with it thoroughly. This will remove any residue on the surface. This will also remove any penetration sealer so be prepare to sealer it promptly afterwards if the haze is gone. Use Miracle Sealant 511 Impregnator Sealer everywhere after cleaning with the acetone (Let the countertop dry first before applying sealer). Let me know your results.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

Tom,
Your site is fantastic! We purchased a new home 4 years ago with Uba Tuba Green tile Granite. Our installer also told us it was OK to use an express car wax on our Granite. I have only done this a couple of time (like when family is showing up and Black Granite not do glossy). I seal the Granite at least once a year (or when I notice glass rings) I also use granite Gold daily cleaner. Will the car wax harm my granite?
Thank you,
Sheri

Hello Sheri,

Oh, did you get bad advice! There are several reasons that Car Wax is not good from granite. First, if it is petroleum based, it could stain the granite. Second, if it is silicone based (most likely), it will leave a topical coasting that will wear unevenly and leave you with a blotchy sheen. It also can darken the granite unevenly because the different minerals have different degrees of porosity. I recommend that you remove the car wax in order to achieve a long lasting, low maintenance surface.

First try a home remedy - liquid dish washing soap - full strength. Let it sit on the countertop for 5 minutes, then use a green scrub pad and work the wax off it that. Let it dry and sealer it will a premium granite sealer.
Then refer to my page titled, “Granite Sealer and Maintenance” for easy care instructions.

If the wax still does not come off, you need to use Acetone (hardware store). This will rip the wax off, but not harm your granite. Apply sealer after that.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

We moved to a new built house with granite countertops in the kitchen. . The granite is a light-ish slab ‘beige light brown’ with gray and orange running through it and is sealed. If water spills on it, it leaves a dark spot but eventually evaporating. However, we noticed lately the area around the faucet is discolored even after it dried out for more than 24 hours. We believe the discoloration is caused by water splashing onto the granite countertop surfaces while the faucet is turning on. It seems to me the water is already penetrate the stone. Is there any solution to withdraw that ‘wet look’ from the stone before we seal it.

Thanks for your help in advance.

Janet

Hello Janet,

Well, your granite was not initially sealed properly. Your water issue is very common when sealer is not done properly. Some people live with the discoloration because the water has absorbed so deeply that it can take two weeks to fully dry by evaporation. However, not only is it important to dry it out and reseal it for aesthetic purposes, leaving it wet will provide a growth source for fungus and mold. This is very bad. I recommend taking a day out and doing the following.

Disconnect and remove the faucet. You need to do this for two reasons. First, if there is a link in the base of the faucet you will never dry it out unless it is re-installed properly. Second, you will need to use a blow dryer and point it down the hole to dry the granite it thoroughly. If you only point the dryer at the top of the granite, the granite will dry out on the top layer only and then the water will leach up by evaporation later. I hope you understand this. It will take about 5 minutes of blow drying every hour for about 5 hours to dry our 3/4″ thick stone because you have a light color granite.

After you are done, apply a premium penetrating granite sealer over the entire countertop and a heavier coat around the sink and cooktop. Be sure to let it soak in for about 20 minutes and then wipe off all the wet excess sealer. Do not let the sealer dry on the granite surface. After 4 hours, hook up the faucet and you are done.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

Hi, We had granite countertops installed in our new home. They said the color is indian copper.

Our problem is that the entire surface has rough dull spots in it. When outside light is shining in it looks like water spots all over the surface but they are not water spots it is those rough spots that are dull that reflect the light that way. There are also a couple of spots that are so rough if you run your fingernails across it you can feel the rough spots. Is this acceptable or did we get really poor quality granite. Do you have any suggestions?

Jennifer

Hello Jennifer.

Did you inspect the slabs before fabrication? This granite has softer spots that do not polish evenly with the other minerals in the granite. I don’t believe you got poor quality of that particular granite; but I hope you got what you bought! I know it is too late but please refer to my Home Owner Checklist to see if the fabricator guided you properly during your buying experience.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

There is a follow-up to this post under “Choosing Granite“.

Home Granite installed my countertop on year ago. I used the granite sealer you provided to reseal the countertop. When you put on the original, it stayed moist for half the day. When I re-apply the sealer, it sinks in within a few minutes. I tried a second coat, but it dried quickly too. Is it still resealed properly?

Cynthia,

The application sounds ok and it should be properly sealed.

However, you never want the sealer to dry on the surface because it will leave a hazy residue. Perhaps the granite was very hot when you applied it so it dried quickly. Nonetheless, to tell if it is properly sealed, I recommend ‘the water glass test’. Leave a glass of ice water sitting on the granite for a while, then pick it up and see if there is a water ring. If yes, simply wait for it to dry and reseal the countertops. Read my article on “Sealing and Cleaning Your Granite” for more information.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

Hi Tom,
I just installed Emeral pearl granite on my kitchen countertop and my vanity. I am very concern because I hired an installer using pre-fabricated granite to do the job. (Only the island used a big slab).

Not only was I dissatisfied with how the installer joint/connect each pieces, I saw lots of scratches and layers of grouts material (I am not sure what it’s called, it is the material than joint one piece of granite to the other).

Can you please help my with my questions:
1. Do you know of a brand product that could prevent scratches or make scratches go away?
2. How do I prevent future scratches or damage to the granite?
3. Is Emeral pearl granite toxic/dangerous for babies?
4. Will sealant help with scratch/damage to granite? What brand of sealang and cleaning product should I use?
5. How do I get the layers of grout material away from my granite? 6. Do you have any recommendations how I could enjoy the beauty of my granite? I am sorry if I overwhelm you with my questions. I am very sad of this matter because I had spend a lot of money to install them in my kitchen and all my bathrooms countertop. Also, at the time of installation, I saw the installer use a small piece of blade to clean the glue like grout. Is this normal?

Thank you for your time to read my email and respond to all my questions.

Sincerely,
Caroline

Hello Caroline,

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Emerald Pearl can only scratch if impacted with a harder material. Even a knife will not scratch it unless you really give it a lot of force. Your granite was scratched during mishandling during fabrication or at the quarry overseas. You don’t have to worry about scratching in again with normal use.

Be sure to apply a coat of granite sealer. I recommend a product by Safestone International. You can buy a small bottle from HomeGranite on Ebay. See my article on granite sealer and maintenance. This might make the scratches less noticeable but,most likely, it will not change it much. There is no easy way to remove the scratches from the countertop surface.

The material between the joint is polyester epoxy. It should be clean and smooth to the touch if installed properly. You will need an experienced granite installer to redo the joints. The granite is non-toxic to your children. Sorry to confirm that your troubles are real. Try the sealer first and see if that help.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

We just installed Ubituba. Our installer sealed and then put a wax on top of sealer like a car wax. My husband sat a hot pot on top of the granite and it left a ring. Is there anything you can tell us to do for this? It was our understanding hot pots could be placed on granite. Please advise. - Carolyn

Hello Carolyn,

Hot pans will not harm granite, whatsoever. I am glad you told me that a wax was put the surface. No doubt, the melting of the wax is leaving the mark. Perhaps there was a reason that the wax was applied but this is not a normal installation practice. Only a penetrating granite sealer should have been applied.

See our Granite Sealer and Maintenance page for more details.

You will need to remove the wax. If the wax is water based, you can use a commercial wax stripper sold at a janitorial supply store. If the wax is Solvent Based, you will need to use a paint stripper which contains Methylene Chloride - there are also some non-Methylene Chloride strippers that work effectively. Avoid any stripper that container Ammonia Bi-floride (this chemical with remove the polish look of the granite). Remember to apply a granite sealer after stripping.

Best Wishes,
Tom Cordova

I am building a new home and am considering installing granite kitchen counter tops. I have been told that granite stains easily and attracts mold growth. Do you know anything about such problems? I do not want to invest heavily in these counters and have to remove them because of staining or mold growth. I live in Oklahoma which is very humid. What would you advise? - Betty D.

Hi Betty,

Great question! Granite is still the way to go. All you need to do is to use an anti-microbial granite sealer which fights bacterial 24/7. The brand I recommend would is made by SafeStone International. The best place to buy it in small quantities is on eBay from HomeGranite.com. A 4 ounce bottle sells for $9.95, plus shipping and will cover about 40 SF. This is the answer to enjoying beautiful granite without the maintenance issues you mentioned. For more information on this topic, please see my article “Sealing and Cleaning Your Granite“.

Best Wishes,
Tom Cordova