Granite countertop maintenance

We recently purchased a home that has new granite countertops. How can I tell if they are sealed? And there is also a spot from waterbased marker (red), which politice do you recommend? This is one area that builders do not give any expert advise on. Thanks, Jen

 

Dear Jen:

Do this:

Spill some water in a couple of spots of your stone, let it dwell for 5 minutes or so, wipe it dry and observe if the areas under which the water has been sitting have become (temporarily) any darker than the rest. If so, then you will apply a good-quality impregnating sealer. If not, you won't.

As for the red marker, usually a poultice with rubbing alcohol work, but depending on the chemistry of the particular ink, you may need something else. Your best bet is to try contacting the manufacturer of the marker and ask them what will react with their cured ink; and then you will use whatever it is they tell you to poultice.

Regardless of the stain removal and the sealing issue, 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 – like 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 it from your dealer or installer. Don't become another statistic! By logging into the Helpful Hints section of our website at: http://www.marblecleaning.org/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.marblecleaning.org/literature.htm .  

And remember, every single penny of the cost of the literature will be used to support this site and its cause: your cause.

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Thank you  

Ciao and good luck,

Mauri z io Bertoli

 

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