Stains from sealer

I found your site very informative and I was hoping that you could help with with a problem regarding sealing my Antique Brown granite countertop. I purchased Aqua Mix Penetrating Sealer and applied two coats as suggested by the application instructions. The instructions included a step which stated that "Be sure any sealer that does not penetrate surface is dry polished off within 5 minutes of application." Within 5 minutes it had all been absorbed into the granite. However, after 30 minutes I noticed that the countertops were dry but there were streaks/water marks. I am not sure if this is "etching" or not, but if I use a dry rag and polish real hard the spots fade. Unfortunately, I have rubbed so hard that I a missing my fingerprint on my right index finger and I have only removed the spots from a 1/2 metre squared area! Can you please suggest to me if there is another way to remove these streaks? Should I use a polisher? Do I need to strip the sealer? Thanks in advance.

 

Dear Aaron:

 

“ Within 5 minutes it had all been absorbed into the granite. ”

 

No, it did not. As matter of fact, not a single iota of impregnator was absorbed by your stone: it is just too darn naturally dense to absorb anything. And that is why it can't be technically sealed.

Now you have a huge problem with the residue of the impregnator that's cured on the surface of your stone.

You have to strip it all, but it ain't gonna be easy, I can tell you that!

Your best course of action is to call the customer service department and ask then what to use to strip their stuff.

And once you're done talking to them, do resist any encouragement to “seal” your countertop again: they are among the most prominent “ministers” of the “sealing cult”. That's what they do. That's all they do. If it had a chance to be be sealed I would recommend you to use MB-4, but, like I said, it is impossible to seal.

Regardless, 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 .  

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

While you are in the “Helpful Hints” section, do spend some time reading all of the interesting FREE articles you'll find in there!

Finally, keep in mind that we need your support to help us helping you!

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By spreading the word about this valuable site among your friend & family and the stone trades' people you've been dealing with, you will be rendering everybody a valuable service!

Thank you  

Ciao and good luck,

Mauri z io Bertoli

 

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