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 there,
We purchased some granite and wanted it to have a ‘polished’ finish, instead, it came out with a ‘honed’ finish; but they assured us that they could seal it to give it that wet look we were looking for. So they did that and it did look better. Now, 3 weeks later, it looks dull again but they say they can reapply and that it usually takes a few coats; but will then provided lasting results for the “wet look”.
What do you think?

Thank you,
Rob

Hello Rob,

I’ve never heard of such a practice. No way would a topical seal on granite be long lasting on a countertop surface. If you provide the name of the granite and the product they are applying, then I could give you a more technical response. Bottom line, three coats will just take longer to wear away.

Best wishes,

Tom Cordova

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

Hello Tom,

I just had my Granite Counters installed, (picked 3 slabs at AZ TILE, no polishing or deep scratches ). My fabricator apparently gave 1 of the slabs polishing scratches (circular and very light, very numerous on Black Maroon Cohiba granite) while making the edge. Even though the scratches are light and very fine, they are very obvious and run 3″ x 90″ on the edge of one of my kitchen counters. From reading your great web site, so informative, are these the type of scratches that can not be fixed. Once that fine ‘gray line’ is in there, is it for good?

Hello Patricia,

The scratches are permanent unless the edging is sanded down to the grit at which the scratches were made. In other words, circular scratch are removed during the finishing process, but will be visible unless each sanding step is completed. With a dark color granite (Maroon Cohiba), the appearance of any scratch is enhanced. My recommendation is to apply a Stone Enhancer to dull the visual intensity of the scratch.

First, you must remove any sealer that has been applied to area (use Acetone) or else the enhancer will not absorb into the granite. Be sure to apply the Enhancer quickly and wipe it off quickly. Note, test a small area first. You only want the Enhancer to absorb into the tiny scratches, not the polished granite. Try the Enhancer up to three times, 20 minutes apart. Reply sealer to the whole area after 48 hours. Good luck, and again, test a smaller area first and if you have any bad affects, remove the Enhancer with the Acetone as soon as possible.

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 had a piece of granite installed in our new kitchen in our home. Seeing other granite counter tops I expected the finish to be like a piece of glass. The granite top I have has little rough spots on it all over that look like the granite maybe was not polished correctly or it is possible a lot of soft stone. What ever it is the top is not completely glossy it has imperfections all over on it. Is this normal and if not is there anything we can do to help solve the problem? We had the top sealed twice but still have same look. Thanks for your help we are very discouraged. – Mike

Hello Michael,

The finish on the top of granite surface was finished at a factory overseas. This involves large and expensive equipment if it was done properly. Sometimes this equipment is not used and substituted with less costly polished methods that do not completely grind down the surface prior to finishing. This can leave the rough spots you mentioned. Also, some exotic granite colors have these rough spots but they are resin filled overseas prior to polishing. If the resin step was shipped, this too can yield the results of rough spots. The best way to have avoided this problem was to inspect the slabs prior to contracting your work. See The Homeowner Checklist on the website.

I am sorry to tell you that there is nothing that can be done (no sealer or anything) that can rectify this look.

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

Hi Tom, We have had some granite countertops partly installed and they gave us no info on “care of” and we have two grease spots that don’t fade away but if we have a water spot it fades away. Are we supposed to put a sealer on and what is best? Thank you, Kathy F.

Hello Kathy, I have written a helpful article here, about granite sealer, that should be helpful to you. Secondly, to clean a grease stain, try a solution of Ivory soap with a plastic scrub brush. If that does not completely do it, then you should try a commercial degreaser found at a cleaning supply store. You need to treat the stain quickly or it will be too late.