Granite Sealer

We have a black granite top and it has this film on it. It shows real bad in the sun light and with the down lights we have in the ceiling. Will sealer take care of this problem. Thank you

Jim Slevin

Hmmmmmmm.............
Jim, I don't know. Has the film always been there? Could it be caused by a buildup of soap film? You *must* determine the source of the film before a sealer locks it into the granite.

what is the best granite and marble sealer to use and what should you use to clean the granite and marble. what should you use to seal tile and tile grout and what should I use to clean my tile floors.

The Granite is new, just put in, so it came with the film

Jim Slevin

Kimberly,
Usually the most expensive sealer is the best. Always buy a product like this from a specialty store, not a home center.

I have had my black (uba tuba) granite kitchen counter top for 5 years. Last week I set a hot frying pan on it and now there is a (burn)water mark looking circle on it. Someone told me about using plaster of paris to remove it! Do you know how it is applied and if it works. Any other ideas on how to remove this mark. Could I have burned the sealer off, which left this mark?

Linda,
Yes, it sounds as if you burned the sealer. Contact two or three granite fabricators and see if they will bid the restoration. Do NOT do amateur chemistry experiments!!!!

I have black tile granite counter tops and have never sealed them. we do have some stains from over time, which is about a year or so. we never knew to seal them. is there a way to get the stains out and then put sealer down. thanks!

I just installed black pearl granite coutertops in my kitchen. Part of my countertop looks stained, like water marks from glasses. The countertop is black pearl and now has discolored (white) rings from glasses. How do I go about taking these stains out?

Thank!

Chad,
Try my oxygen bleach Stain Solver. It is safe for the granite. You can try very warm water and soap first to see if that works. www.StainSolver.com

I have black granite countertops and moved into my place about 2 and half years ago and it was new construction. I am not sure if it was ever sealed, and I clean it constantly because I found that every time someone touches it there is a mark and when I do clean it I have a hard time keeping it from streaking. Is it time to seal it again/or for the first time and is there a cleaning solution you recommend for daily use on granite countertops?

we just had Uba tuba installed, we noticed right away that there was a crack in the sink hole,(undersink)its in the front and I think pretty noticeable. the installer says thats how stone is, also some cracks in the double bull nose. he came out and filled it with some kind of resin glue. my question is, I paid alot of money for these NEW counter, I feel upset that they have a crack in them from the start. I hired a professional so we would have the best looking counters. What can I do about this. I will say the crack looks better, but is the filler going to come out? will it grow. If I wait I may not have a recoarse.... the contractor says it would be a hassle to take the back splashes off and redo it. He said it may have cracked from the them not being level, but isn't that his job to make sure they are installed right? What should I do?

Lauren,
When you wipe the granite do you use a clean washrag with clean soapy water? Then do you immediately rinse the surface with clean water and dry it? Try that and get back. How often do the people around your home wash their hands? Perhaps natural skin oils are making the smudges.....?

Angie,
You were supposed to look at the granite slab that was used to make your tops. Did the fabricator ask you to do this so you could check the stone for cracks and imperfections?

I have black granite in my kitchen. It is dull but does not appear to have stains. I "sealed" it once before but the sealent gummed up on me. Did I use the wrong product? I would like more shine and I would like to do this myself. What product do yuo recommend? Should I seal and polish?

Pam,
I have never had a sealer gum up. Maybe you had a bad product. Your granite maybe never got the right degree of polishing at the factory. If this is the case, you have a huge challenge.

White ring on black granite - does oxygen bleach take care of white rings???
Also I read that black granite does not require a sealer because it is more dense? I notice people mentioned black pearl granite - I am afraid I do not know what sort of granite this is, but I have noticed parts of it is a opaque, dull gray, not a sparkling black. Is this due to the fact that it may be a lower quality granite? Or is it due to not being sealed.
This is not my countertop but a friend's new, five year old home. I don't believe she knows what to do with the one white ring, so she hides it with a decorative, silver tray, but it seems to me that there must be SOME solution to white rings.

Daryl,
Oxygen bleach will probably not work on that one. Use a cotton swab and some white vinegar. Let us know what happens.

I want to put sealer on my kitchen granite top. I have it installed about a year ago and want continue to keep it beautiful. Can I put new sealer directly on top of the sealer that the installer put on it or must I first a clean it . If so how do I clean it other than wiping it clean with soap and water and thenwaiting 24 hours to make it sure is dry.

Ted,
Read the directions on the label of the sealer you intend to use. If they are unclear, then call their 800#.

We have a light-shade granite countertop. I want to improve the seal. Should I use WB (water based)or SB (solvent based) sealer? Is it safe to put one on top of the other? Can I put too much on? Will it accumulate over time?
-km

Kevin,
I think this column answers all of your questions. Buy the most-expensive sealer you can find and *read* the label to answer the rest of your questions.

What are your recommendations for 1) Granite Sealer product and 2) Travertine sealer product?

Quentin,
Visit a business that fabricates the stone. These are at the center of the vortex. Buy the most expensive sealer you can find. They typically have the best ingredients.

We have new granite countertops in kitchen, installed 6 months ago. There has always been a "dust" that collects each day after I wipe with just H20 or granite cleaner....it just always comes on the island portion. The a/c duct is just above this, and I wonder if it is a problem with the sealing of that portion of the granite, or could it just be "dust" from the duct??? Have you ever heard of "dust" collecting on the surface each day?? Thanks

Laurelle,
It is just a dust problem. The sealer is fine. You might need better filters in your HVAC system.

I have a client who also has black pearl granite and has trouble with small scrathes. Our local granite shop said after we fix the scratches, we should also find this European protection products (they don't have any other info on the product - just heard about it). 1st Question - what do you recommend to repair the scratches? 2nd - do you know of this protective product or can you recommend a really good one for black pearl? Thanks!

TL,
Never heard of the product. What about an orbital polisher, buffing pad and the polishing rouge used to polish cut ends on marble?

I have an 1950-60 granite sink that is leaking water through the granite.

What should I apply to the granite to seal the sink and prevent the leaking?

Thanks

We just had new granite countertop installed,installer applied an oil based sealer.. How long do I have to wait before I wipe it down,and what do I use to wipe it. Please tell me how to clean the sealer .

I have read conflicting articles about the use of clorox based products on granite.
Can a mister clean sponge or clorox wipe ruin granite?
If either of these products was wiped on a granite countertop one time after instillation to clean it, can it be fixed if it was wrong?
Will a high quality sealer correct it?
I was told just mild soap and water to clean it or Murphys oil to clean it, is this correct?

Pete,
Maybe a clear epoxy????

Nick,
What does it say to do on the label of the sealer? You are best to ask these questions to the sealer manufacturer. After all, it is their product.

Connie,
I use regular liquid dish soap and water on my granite tops. NOTHING else.

We had Black Pearl granite counters installed on Fri. OG Edge is dull and has spots of glue like residue. Also, two spots on counter top at edge are dull looking - don't know if this is from residue on OG edge or not. What can be done. I am still waiting to hear back from installer. He was very vague but mentioned possibly buffing it. Any help would be appreciated.

Ann,
That is caused by a dull shaping bit that created the edge. Buffing will help for sure. This should have been done at the shop, not in your kitchen.

Tim, thanks for the quick response re OG edge dull. Can you tell me what the buffing process entails? Should I be concerned about the counter tops getting dust on them? Will they be able to get two spot off top with buffing, or will it damage the top. Thanks again

Ann,
I can't. There are different ways. Contact two different granite fabricators in your area and ask how they would correct the defect.

Hi Tim: Re: OG Edge build-up and dull spots on counter top. Installer buffed edge and there is a marginal improvement(hardly at all), but more importantly when he buffed the largest dull spot on counter it became bigger and actually looks lighter. They said it is because there was colour added to the Black Pearl and with buffing it took some of this colour out. What do you think our next step is? Would there be some kind of cosmetic polish to just give it a bit more shine. This one spot is in a very obvious corner - you see it right away when you enter the kitchen area. If it was in the far corner I wouldn't care, but no such luck. Thanks again for your assistance.

Ann,
They need to start over. Adding color stains to natural stone?????? That is UNACCEPTABLE. You need to get your money back and go find a fabricator that can do it right. Make sure you look at a small sample of the edge you want on a scrap piece of granite you want. In other words don't *hope* it is going to work this time.

Dear Sir,

I am looking for a sealer for protection of Granite stones and marbles,
would you please send me suitable details of sealers for the Architech's consideration.

Regards,


Albert

I have a chip on the edge of my kitchen granite countertop. A salesperson in a tile store said I should sand it with a (nail) file but I'm not sure if this is a good idea. Do you have any advise on how to smooth a chip before I use a sealer? The kitchen is not yet 2 years old but I am ready to use a sealer.
Also do you recommend any particular sealer?

Thank you

Myrna Kanter

I have a chip on the edge of my kitchen granite countertop and was told by a sales person in a tile store to smooth it with a file (nail). I wasn't sure if this was the correct thing to do and am afraid of making it worse.

The kitchen is less than 2 years old but I'm ready to use a sealer and would like to know your opinion on filing the chip before I use the sealer.

Also can you advise about which sealer to use.

Thank you.

Myrna Kanter

WHAT IS THE BEST GRANITE SEALER TO BUY
AND DO YOU HAVE TO USE STEEL WOOL WHEN
APPLYING THE SEALER AND SHOULD I LET
MY HUSBAND DO IT OR HIRE SOMEONE.

We just had our kitchen countertops installed with granite tile. Our handy man used epoxy grout and when he wiped it down, it left streaky wipe marks on the granite tiles. We have not yet sealed the tiles but we cannot get this epoxy residue off. Should we strip off this partial sealing? We have no idea what to do. Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

i just had a granite countertop put in and it has never been sealed yet, and there are little rough spots in it . will the sealer smoth out the areas?

I just bought a sink and black granite top from Home Decorator's Catalog. Here's link to product: http://www.homedecorators.com/P/Heirloom_Preston_33W_Single_Sink_Cabinet/12 0/
After a few weeks of use in half bath, water marks are appearing. In the description of product it says "hand-polished". It doesn't say "sealed" and no care instructions came. According to my internet research, black granite shouldn't/can't be sealed cuz it's too dense. But then water shouldn't be marking it, right?
1. How do I get water marks off? Yes, we have hard water.
2. Do I seal it and what brands/products do you recommend?

I just purchased new granite counter top for my bathroom from home depot. Box said it was sealed. Placed bottle of hand soap on it and now it have a dark spot. How do I remove this stain? And what sealer do you recommend?

Tim - We had granite counters installed several months ago, and they were beutifully shiny. When the construction was finished, I sealed the counters with sealer that came in a spray pump. I followed the directions, which said to spray the counter, wait 3-5 minutes, spray again, and wipe off any excess after 30 minutes. After applying the sealer, the counters were very dull. I recently polished with a cream sealer/polish which helped a little, but the counters are still nowhere near what they looked like when they were installed. Any adeas on how to get the shine back?

Granite sealers questions

My granite counter top has NO shine, they are only 4 years old and have never had shine, I purchased them with my NEW home-----what can I do, I want SHINE

Dear AtB,

Have had lovely formica countertops til this week. Am getting granite installed on Thursday. I know you say to get the most expensive sealer. I plan to do that.

My question is, if I've been using Lysol Antibacterial Spray to keep germs away, can I still use it on the granite or do I need to get something else?

Thanks.
Pat

When using an electric buffer to wipe off sealant on granite, what material (cotton, wool, etc) should the buffer pad be made of?

I am a granite stone installer and fabricator, I love your expert advice on sealers. You are dead on. Not that the most expensive is the best, but it gives you a great starting point. We at Old World Stone, we offer a 15 year guaranty on all our sealers, when installed by a certified installer. We have seen sealer jobs increase, in the Chicagoland area, due to people keeping what they got, and wanting it to look good!
Thanks
Tom

Tim, My four year old granite counter top began horizontally cracking at the edge of the sink where you stand to do dishes. It started as a small line but two days ago suddenly grewto over a foot long. What do I do?

I had Baltic brown installed about a month ago. When I purchased it, there was the regular Baltic brown and then three slabs of the lighter Baltic brown. I went with the lighter. With the corner window, there had to be a seam. The second piece is darker and they told me it was due to it getting wet after being cut while sitting in their shop (due to hurricane Ike) and that it would dry out within a week. They went ahead and sealed the granite saying it would still dry out. To date it has not. They had originally said they could remove the sealer and put something on it to dry it out but have not come back to me with that suggestion instead saying they can put an aging solution on the lighter granite to darken it up – which is not what I want or paid for. My questions is, if it truly got wet should it be dry by now and lighter and is there any way for me to lighten it? Can the sealer be removed and it dry out and then re-applied?

The members of the Stone Fabricators Alliance (SFA) have been wrestling with who makes the best sealer for years.

There's a clear winner emerging.

Contact a SFA shop http://www.communitywalk.com/map/21740

I recently just purchased granite counter tops for our kitchen and while sealing the grout in the floor left the sealer bottle on the counter and now there are dark spots where the grout sealer leaked down the bottle. . . what can i do to remove this?? we have not sealed or tops yet. . . .
thanks

i just moved in with my sig.other and i think the counter tops are granite. I also think they were never sealed. He moved into this high-rise apt over a year ago for his job thinking he was going to leave but is now staying for a while longer. The countertops don't feel soft/smooth but feel raw and rough and retain almost every water/liquid stain possible. his cleaning person wipes the granite with granite spray but i'm not sure what to do...do I seal them now? if so, how can I clean them really well before I seal? is this something to have done professionally?

I left a wet towel on my granite counter and now my light granite in the effected area has turned dark. Is is possible to lighten it again to its original color? HELP!

I looked through the comments, and couldn't find wether or not you recommend a water based sealer, or a solvent based sealer, on new installed granite in the kithchen.
Thank you for you time

We just moved in to a new house. There are specs of ? in the granite. It is black, brown, and silver (like glass). Very pretty when it is wet, then when it drys it doesn't look as sharp. Any suggestions to make it all stand out? It has been sealed.
Thanks
Mary ann

I salvaged some granite counter tops while a student at Tulane, in New Orleans, 8 months after Katrina.
Someone was obviosly doing a renovation and had almost 18'x2' slabs out for trash pickup. I have had them since, but you can see a darker discoloration where there was something blocking uv, ie: backsplash, etc. I was told by the Lowes guy that the discoloration could be bleached out by leaving the slabs in the sun. This granite is mostly gray/white with black marbling, and the occasional peach colored pit. Any suggestions?

My granite smells like stagnant water, don't know if it was properly sealed, what can I do about the smell?Will seal help know or mask the peoblem. Place where we purchased Granite is know out of business.

I just had granite installed in my kitchen. When the sun hits it, it looks as if there are water spots on it. I have looked at granite in other stores and don't seem to these water spots like I am seeing.
I am not happy with the job, where they put two pieces together the color is not the same. But I think now I am stuck. Will sealing this make those water spots go away. These spots showed immedietly after installing. This did not happen by anything I did.
Should I call in the Building Inspector to check and see if I got what I paid for? I am concerned that this was a low grade granite and not polished correctly. The owner of the company I went through, just yells and tells me that I am acting like he does not know what he is doing. I don't know what to do at this point.

I have "rough" areas that appear dull around the sink on my bathroom granite and around the fixtures in my kitchen. These are areas where water may pool. Do I seal over these or do I have to do something else first?

We purchased a resale home with granite countertops. The kitchen counter appears to have water spots across the entire surface. Due to the colour of the granite they are subtle and only visible at the right angle with the sun on it.I'm not sure if they are supposed to be there or an indicator that we need to apply a sealer. What do you think?

My house is 4.5 years old and I have lived in it for 1.5 years. I have black granite countertops. I do not know if or what they were sealed with. Lately I am noticing what appears to be the installer's writing on the granite, coming to the surface. "Range" and "sink" are just visable in the granite beside the stove and sink in white printing. I noticed the first letters about a month after moving in and now there is printing at every cupboard edge. Is this a sign it needs to be sealed again, or do I need to get someone to polish the seal and printing off and start again?

I installed granite tile for countertop. I did not leave any gaps between the tiles. Now because the walls were a bit off, I have some places that has a gap something like 1 to 1.5 mm. should I fill them with grout or with granite sealer. thanks

I just resealed my granit countertops with a product by Landmark... (Marble Granite Retore). I followed the directions and made sure the granite was clean and dry.

The countertops are no longer smooth. I feel small bumps and ridges.

Should I sand it with something and start over with some other product? How do I get it smooth and shiny again? Is there some kind of stripper to get this sealer off and try again?

I was wondering if it is really necessary to use a non-toxic sealer?

My granite was sealed properly when installed 3 years ago and I have taken good care of it over the years.

Recently I used Slate sealer on my granite by mistake. When the sealer dried, there was a lot of build up of film. The granite cleaner was not effective in removing the build up but the slate cleaner took the extra build up off quite well.

Do you think I need to seal again with a granite sealer? Do you think the slate sealer will hurt the granite shine or sealer effectiveness? Thank you.

My fabricator said I could seal my new countertops with Moisurizing Pledge, but I do not know if I trust that. What do you think?

I used granite tiles in my shower to match the counter tops. Due to my lack of care, soap scum has built up on the surface. It does not come off with any cleaner I have tried. The only alternative appears to be scrapping with a razor blade. I assume this will also remove some or all of the sealer. Once the soap scum is gone, do I need to do anything before re-sealing?

As the account manager of a leading national granite vanity top supplier for Lowe's (Jackson Stoneworks), I strongly recommend StoneTech Bulletproof sealer, made by DuPont. We include a bottle of StoneTech Bulletproof sealer with every Jackson Stoneworks granite top we sell, simply because we have found them to be the best stone sealer on the market today.

Do you recommend water base or solvent based sealer?

How about a particular brand? ty

I work in the granite industry and I personally use Tenax Hydrex, the brand is not important but it should be a chemical based "impregnating" sealer.
I have found that the water based sealers while not toxic, really are not effective.
Hope this helps.

How do I know if my granite tops have been sealed? I looked at some of the countertops as I have granite in all the bathrooms and kitchen. Some look shinier than others. Would the shinier ones be sealed? This is a brand new home.

I have just purchased new granite countertops and they stated I had to seal it. I bought sealer but I left it on way too long. Now in natural light or sun light you can see marks, pretty much where there is a chacteristic in the granite. Is this normal or did the sealer, leave like a watermark? If so how can I correct it?

Hi, I thought granite was supposed to be really durable. Another person left a comment here saying they had burned the sealer with a hot pan. So, it sounds like one cannot 'abuse' granite counter tops. I'm getting the picture that granite counter tops are more for their beauty rather than heavy, hard-core kitchen use. Would a stainless steel counter top require less care? Thank you.

My light tan granite countertop has a dark "liquid soap" stain around the base of the built-in soap pump at the kitchen sink. Liquid dish soap has leaked or overflowed from the pump. How do I remove this stain?

I just purchased a new build in Raleigh NC and the granite countertops (as well as the floor grout) was not sealed. What should I use?

We have an porch table set that had a once beautiful marble tile top. The sun and elements have faded it badly. I've tried light sanding to bring back the colors and textures but it hasn't helped much. Is there some way I can restore the beautiful table top?

We have honed surface granite. Should hat be treated any differently from polished surface granite with regard to sealing?

We have just installed granite countertops designated as "Fire Bordeaux" from Brazil. There is a continual residue of fine sand like material being continually shed from the granite surface. This has been going on for over two months without a perceptible lessening of the shedding.
THe installers have sealed it and we have again cleaned , sealed and polished the surface without improvement.
Do you have any suggestions to remedy the sanding condition.

I've just installed UbaTuba and I've read the comments indicating that this darker, more dens, 'granite' may not need sealing. I'm interested in making my own granite cleaner with alcohol and water, but I have some leftover 15 year sealer from another house and was wondering if it was worth adding a little of that to my home-made mixture. I've seen a lot of cleaners that contain a little sealer so you're sealing every time you clean. Would this be a good thing or a bad thing? Thanks.

We have purchased an home that is 10 yesrs old and it has a halfbath couter top which is granite or some natural stone product.
Part of the surface is cloudy and we have tried cleaners and it provides some improvement but does not retain the luster that part of the couter top exhibits.

Is there a cleaner or treatment that can be used to restore the surface to its original luster?

Hi AskTheBuilder - can you also comment on how frequently to re-seal?

Thanks!

I purchased granite tile to install as a kitchen countertop for my tenant's apartment. I did not realize that the tile was not sealed so when I cut the tile to be fit in the space I used water to soak it for the wet saw. The tile has already been installed on cement board. Now the tile is discolored and is much darker in some areas and lighter in others. I have tried to dry out the tile for over 24 hours and its only dried out very little. Should I just water down the lighter tile to make it consistently dark and evenly applied before sealing it ? Or should I continue to painstakingly dry out the tile and then seal it for install? or just seal it as is and hope that it dries evenly eventually? How long do you think it will take to dry out tile that was soaked in water?

I have a 3cm slab with rough edges that I am setting on top of a couple wine barrels. I want to keep the rough edge look. Can I just seal the edges of it with the same types of sealers that would be used for the top? I want to maintain the rustic look, but want to see the colors through the sealer. Any ideas would be great!

I just installed a granite tile counter. do i need to seal the granite before or after i apply the grout? thanks.

It is simply not true that all granite countertops need to be sealed. Every variety of granite, and there are thousands, has its own performance characteristics. Some stones are very absorbent and even the best sealers won't help. Some stones are moderately absorbent and will perform well if properly sealed. Applying a sealer to a high-quality non-absorbent black granite will accompliush nothing, will often create problems, and will only make the sealer salesmen happy. Take an unsealed sample of any given stone, and put small puddles of water, vegetable oil and lemon juice on it. If, after half an hour, there is no darkening, staining or etching of the surface, you have a high quality stone that will never need a sealer. My authority is the late Maurizio Bertoli, whose knowledge of stone was vast.

Jim Slevin's comment describes exactly what happens when sealer is applied to a high-quality stone that doesn't need sealer.

hi my father inlaw installed some marble in his bathroom and sealed the grout with a sealer that left marks on the tile itself. Is there anything that would remove these stains? Its like a dull spot just outside the grout line he tried some cleaners with no resolve. Do you have any solutions thanks

I have 3 year old Verde Butterfly granite counter tops. There is a film buildup around the base of the faucet. What should I use to remove this mineral buildup prior to sealing?

I bought a house recently that has "honed black granite" in the kitchen. does this also need sealing? Will it change the look of it?

Can I use vegetable oil to seal my granite counter tops?

We are in the process of replacing our 25 year old laminated countertop with granite. We have several quotes but we wondering about the claim from some big box home centers about a 15 year sealing warranty. Is there any truth to this versus buying a less expensive product and sealing it every year?
Thanks.

We sealed our bathroom granite counter top when it was first installed. Now it is peeling. Can you recommend a safe way of removing the sealer without damaging the granite?

Thanks,
Ann W.