We just bought 55 sq ft of 12" granite tiles for my kitchen counter redo. One of the tiles was lying on our breakfast table when we come in from grocery shopping, and I put a zip-lock bag of red seedless grapes on it as I put away the groceries. The bag had a lot of holes in it for air circulation. Two days later, I took the bag off the tiles and saw a dark discoloration where the bag had been. A day after we rinsed the tile off (there was no grape juice in this mix)the discoloration is still there. Granted, this tile had never been sealed! What are the dynamics here and what can I do besides discarding this tile when we install? Thanks, Ann

 

Dear Ann:

 

“ Two days later, I took the bag off the tiles and saw a dark discoloration where the bag had been. ”

 

Even if was sealed after two days it would have been stained just as much as it is now.

Could the stain be removed?

Sure, but unless that tile cost $20 or more, it doesn't make any $ and sense attempting it. And this without considering your time.

Now 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 .  

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!

Will you please read and e-sign our Statement of Purpose at: http://www.marblecleaning.org/purpose.htm?    

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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