Hi Tom!

I just had a light gray granite countertop installed. I have a butter spill on it. What is the best way to clean it?

Thank you,
Joanne

Hello Joanne,

Thoroughly wash the area with warm water and Ivory Soap. Then apply a commercial degreaser (buy at the hardware store) to the area and let it soak in for a few minutes. Clean off the degreaser and wash it with clean water. Let it completely dry and try again if it the stain is not completely gone. Be sure to sealer your granite with a penetrating sealer after you have removed the stain.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

We had granite installed recently, and there are several issues we came upon that we wanted to clear up.
1. The seams are very tight, to the point that you can feel it when you run your finger over it, as opposed to our previous granite which had caulking or something between it. The installers said that tighter is better, and that they are proud of how well it fit.
2. The installers did not put plywood underneath the granite. They glued it right to the tops of the kitchen cabinets.
3. The pieces were a bit oversized, so the installers cut gashes in the drywall right at the countertop level to accommodate the excess without having it show. They say that is done regularly and that the tile backsplash will cover it up.
4. Just a professionalism question. The installers did not pull out the kitchen faucets from the old granite because they said they didn’t have the tool to do so. They also informed us that they would not reinstall the faucets or the dishwasher hookup, and that we needed to get a plumber here to do that.

Marie

Hello Marie,

Granite seams should feel smooth when running your finger over them. Yes, tight joints are nice, but if the granite is warped or if the granite is not perfectly in plane across the seam, then the seam will be noticeable to the touch. If the contractor had opened up the joints to 1/32 or 1/16 in this situation and used colored epoxy in the seam, the transition could have been smooth across the seam I am sure they meant to do a nice job but now they should have a professional come out and finish the job but sanding and polishing the seam so that it is not so noticeable to the touch.

Although this is not easy, there are professional refinishers that do this kind of work and usually most shops have someone that is capable as well. I would just ask them nicely to have someone come out and “smooth-out” the seam because you are extremely unhappy with it.

Regarding the plywood, if you have 3cm thick stone, then you do not need plywood. If it is 2cm thick stone, plywood should have been installed under the granite.

Regarding the cutting of the drywall. This is fairly normal within reason because walls are not perfect. If it does not show, then it is acceptable.

Regarding your plumbing question, there are many granite companies that do not handle plumbing because of license issues. This really is a question that should have been discussed before you hired them. It is not a professionalism issue, it is a scope of work agreement issue.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

Hi Tom,

I was called by a client to examine a job and to figure out why her travertine floor came up its third year post installation.
From what I’ve seen in the installion process, the installer used first a mixture of cement, sand, mortor mix and thinset combine.
This he first set on the sub-floor followed by the travetine which the installer placed thinset on the back. This seemed pretty sound yet I’m confused.

Any ideas to this problem would be highly valued.

Thank you for your time
Romel

Hello Romel,

Yes, this does sound like a good installation process for floor tile preparation and follows in line with TCA standards. The one part which you did not mention was whether any thinset was stuck to the back of the travertine when the tile came up. During travertine tile installation, the bottom of the tiles should be wiped with a wet sponge and then a scratch coat (back-butter) of the thinset put on them. The corners should be buttered a little thicker. If you do not see thinset on the back of the travertine when the tiles came up, then this step was skipped. This means the tile was dusty with calcium residue from the original fabrication process, which creates a possible bond-break situation.

Why is this step skipped sometimes? There are two reasons. First, there are some very good latex modified thinsets in the marketplace that will create a strong bond even if the tile is not washed and scratched. Still, I would recommend that at least the corners are back-buttered. Second, the wash and back-butter take more time so some installers just skip it.

Try to find the brand of the thinset that was used to adhere the tile. The problem lies in that product and the application of it.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

I have a new kitchen countertop installation of absolute black granite. The layout has 2 seams (one on either side of the sink, about 12″ away from the edge). The installation was completed, the seams were perfect and I discovered the undermount sink opening was out of square. The installer decided to remove the sink section of the tops, repair off site and reinstall.

I notice a 1/4? chip in the left hand seam obviously occurred during the repair or reinstall. It’s been filled but is located where it is very visible. Is there a way to backfill the seam with granite material to diminish the jagged appearance or am I stuck with this? Is there an industry standard for acceptable installation flaws?

Troy

Hello Troy,

Often repairs such as these are not done very well. Even good fabricators can mess up the glue color once in a while. Simply call the fabricator and ask them to send a good shop worker out to your home make the patch look better with more custom coloring of the epoxy. It does not sound acceptable as is. More importantly a good shop person can make the patch look very good with more attention to detail. Ask them to try again.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

I have a rough surface black granite fountain in the back yard. Its been running for about 2 months and now it has white (calcium?) all over the face. How should I clean the granite? I have since purchased water additives (fountec and protec) and plan to use them going forward, but want to get the rock back to its original condition.

Thank you,
Barbara

Hello Barbara,

This should be easy to clean. First use a dry brush and scrub off the loose mineral deposits. Then, apply a weak phosphoric acid cleaner solution to the area and brush again. You can find this at the hardware store. And more solution as necessary to remove all the mineral deposits. The phosphoric acid will not harm the black stone surface but keep it away from any metal parts and away from concrete.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

Are there particular products you recommend for sealing granite countertops? I am looking at a product from DryTech that claims to last 15 years, have you heard anything about sealers like this and what recommendations do you have in selecting a sealer?

Thank you.

Kyle

Hello Kyle,

There are new products being developed everyday. There are also new marketing tactics as well so watch out! I would not believe anything about a product unless you read the warranty completely and that the product was produced by a well known company. If a company promotes that its sealer will last for 15 years, I would strongly doubt it. I did a quick search on Drytech and I see that it is a sealer-repellent but it does not specify that it is appropriate for granite. At this point, I really have not endorsed one product over another but I do like the antimicrobial technology that has recently been added to granite sealers. There are several very good brands out there. I hear that DuPont is coming out with one that is supposed to be incredible but I have not tested it.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

Dear Tom,

I love the look of carrera marble and soapstone. You know, that old fashioned farmhouse look. I am planning creamy white mission style cabinets with walnut stained hardwood floors and slate tile in the entry. The faucets and cabinet hardware will be bronze. Can you suggest a granite with better durability than marble or soapstone with a similar look? Would the stone be honed or polished? Thanks for you help.

Diane

Hello Diane,

I understand your intent and it is good to consider granite for the durability if you can find one that works. I would suggest Bianco Romano, polished. However, go to www.GraniteStock.com and do a search of all the white granites. I just checked and there are about 40 different ones with photos of each. You can also see where they are in stock near you.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

Hi Tom,

We are having our laminate kitchen counters replaced with granite. The problem we have is that there is a strong pink tint to the ceramic tile floor. It has been suggested that Giallo Veneziano would be a good choice. After going on the internet to read about it, every site says that it is yellow or gold and this would not work with the pink. However, after looking at many pictures of slabs of this granite, a lot of them appear to have pink in them. I would appreciate your comments on this and also any other suggestions you might have with regard to other granites that would blend with the pink.

Thanks for your help,
Sonja

Hello Sonja,

Giallo Veneziano was probably the #1 most commonly installed granite in the 1990s. The quarry is in Brazil but the First Quality blocks that are extracted are exclusive owned by an Italian company, called Red Graniti. The second quality blocks are known for having large dark veins and sometimes a pinkish cast. The classic first quality Giallo Veneziano does not have pink. However, there is so much demand for Giallo Veneziano that the second quality pinkish color has made it way directly into the USA market place on a consistent basis It is cheaper to buy the Giallo Veneziano with pink because it did not have to go through the exclusivity of Red Graniti.

So! Yes, Giallo Veneziano frequently can be found to have a pinkish color.

Personally, I think pink goes great on the floor, mixed with whites or creams. However, put pink on the counter mixed with browns and blacks and you may as well toss in an avocado color refrigerator as well. I don’t know if you would consider a light color, but may I suggest you look at Bianco Romano. It is a very nice granite and the garnet accents would compliment the pink in your floor. See www.GraniteStock.com for a photo.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

I just had Absolut Black Granite tiles installed for my countertop. I noticed a small circular stain and a drop - I think maybe oil got onto the tile. I tried using the Method brand cleaner + polisher wipes from Target and nothing changed. Please help!

Kristin

Hello Kristin,

The Method brands are primarily surfactants which do not break down the oil. You need to use a ‘commercial degreaser’ from your local hardware store. Soak the spot for a couple minutes and then blot it up. Let it dry and try a second time. Do not let the degreaser dry on the surface This should remove the oil mark. If the spot is still there, you will need to use a poultice solution to draw the stain out but I don’t think you will have this problem with black granite. If you can not remove the stain with the degreaser method, let me know.

Best regards,
Tom Cordova

We recently purchased a home with a shower stall that has 12 x12 granite tile - Emser Bianco Catalina from Lowes. At the bottom of the tile it looks as if it is absorbing the water. There was a baseboard around the bottom of the tile, I have removed it and we have not used the shower for 3 weeks. Some of the tiles have dried and some have not. The tile had been sealed 2 years ago. What do I need to do to get the tile to dry out before sealing.

Thank you,
Erin

Hello Erin,

You need to be sure that all water behind the granite tile is gone. Then you can rent a propane heater (sometimes called a salamander because of the way it looks) from Home Depot or Lowes. Use it to dry the granite.

Note: If the tile has been wet for a long time, you may have a mold issue behind your granite This is very bad and can cause serious health issues for your whole family. I want you to do a Google search, “black mold” and see if you have in your shower looks like Black Mold. If you do, the wall board needs to be replaced by a professional with proper protective equipment. You should have a professional do this because disturbing the mold will release the spores that cause health problems. Hopefully, your substrate is cement board in which case you will not have this problem.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova