Water stain on granite countertop around faucet.

We have recently had granite countertops installed in the bathroom and kitchen. I think the one in the kitchen is of good quality (silver galaxy/sparkle) and the installer assured us it was sealed. The one in the bathroom we got from Home Depot and it's a light colour (beige) stone with a pre-attached under mount sink. I don't think it's sealed since it gets dark when it gets wet (even when you wipe it off right away) ... but the colour goes back to normal after a while. The problem is a dark ring (similar to when water is left on the countertop) has formed around the faucet in the bathroom. The hot and cold water valves are fine. We haven't used that faucet in a couple of days hoping it would dry out, but the ring around the water faucet in the middle of the two taps won't go away. We were told that the reason water leaves a mark may be because the countertop is not sealed, but that we should not seal it while it has a stain. The kitchen countertop has a mixer tap (no separate hot and cold taps) and that faucet has no ring around it (although it has not been used as much as the bathroom one either). The same plumber performed both installations (so I don't know if it's because of the plumber's putty that he used or not). How can I get rid of the stain on the bathroom countertop and prevent future staining?

 

Dear Hanna:

Starting by the end, you will not be able to prevent future staining, unless you find the reason of the staining and rectify the problem. Stains like that have little to do with the sealing of the stone, for the sealer only helps prevent liquids from being absorbed by the stone from its surface. Typically, the kind of wet staining that you have are starting from the edges of the faucet holes, an area of the stone that you could not possibly seal effectively.

So, get your plumber back into the picture and let him figure out what the problem is. A slight leak in the hardware? Plumber's putty?...

The two possibilities must be approached in two totally different ways.

So let me know what the real diagnosis is, and then I will come up with a prognosis! Fair enough? J

In the meantime, remember: it's never too early to think about the proper maintenance of your stone. The issue of what you'll be doing day in and day out to your stone is – as it should be intuitive – vastly more important than its sealing (if and when possible and/or advisable) and it's all too often neglected. As you can tell by reading many of this site's postings, you're not likely to get good information about routine care from your dealer or installer. Don't become another statistic! By logging into the Helpful Hints section of our website at:   http://www.mbstone.com/HH_promo/helpful_hints.htm, you will be able to get the short version of our maintenance guidelines at no charge. The full version of it – a 7-page document considered by many as an industry benchmark – is available in pay-per-download format in our Educational Literature section at:   http://www.mbstone.com/literature/literature.htm.  

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Thank you  

Ciao and good luck,

Mauri z io Bertoli

 

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