Absolute Black Granite Proper Care

My question is regarding the granite installed as our kitchen countertop. Our granite still looks great after almost 2 years and I am trying to keep it that way. (No water marks, etching, etc.) The only issue I have seen is when it is wet I have started noticing waxy streaks / lines. (Similar to what water does on a partially waxed surface. But the streaks completely disappear when I dry the granite.) We really haven't done anything to it other than clean it with water / mild soap and dry it with micro fiber cloths to make it shine. The problem is that I got curious and asked the granite fabricator what I need to do to maintain the granite and keep it looking good. They said I needed to buy their Stone Impregnator (sealer) and apply it every 6 months. (And use their Stone Soap cleaner product.) Our builder installed Absolute Black Granite for our kitchen countertops. (Specifically they purchased this: http://www.nhci.com/countertops/Default.aspx?tab=3 See the first color sample.) It is black with gray flecks and very shiny on top. (And solid gray and rough on the bottom where it wasn't polished.) I assume this is referred to as polished granite? Based on what I have read here though it seems their maintenance advice is wrong. So I am confused as to what to do. What is the proper care for this granite? And will the waxy streaks when wet cause an issue in the future? Thanks for your help!

 

 

Dear Russell:

For starters, forget about the Stone Impregnator. Don't you even think about it! Black “granite” is too darn dense to get impregnated by anything and, because of its natural high-density, it will never stain. (Do you have any stain after 2 years of use??... I didn't think so!!... J ) Just tell them to hold on their impregnator and keep using it to seal their brains (like they've been doing all this time), may the gods forbid that some real stone intelligence has ever a chance to sink in them!! Why don't they start by learning what kind of stone black “granite” really is? That could be a start!...

As for your waxy-looking film it will not cause any major issue in the future, but it will never go away, since you're systematically creating it.

Let me explain:

Have you ever tried to wash your hands with dish soap? Did you notice how long do you have to leave them under running water to rinse them properly? Well, to have the same degree of rinsing – which is the only one acceptable – you should be rinsing your countertop with a garden hose all the times!

Not only will a few drops of dish soap in water leave a film, invisible at first, but there. Such concoction won't do much cleaning, either! The accumulation of this film together with the soil that the solution was not able to clean will create that “waxy-looking film” that you're experiencing.

What to do?

Hit your countertop with a heavy-duty alkaline cleaner with chelates in its formula rated “for natural stone”, like MB-3 following the directions printed on the bottle, and then, after proper rinsing, use MB-5 that you will continue to use for daily (real) cleaning. To “spruce up” your countertop a little bit from time to time and keep finger marks at bay, you can use MB-13.

May I ask you now to please read and e-sign our Statement of Purpose at: http://www.marblecleaning.org/purpose.htm? J

Ciao and good luck,

Mauri z io Bertoli

 

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