We recently had black pearl granite installed in our kitchen. I have noticed a scratch on the surface of the granite near the edge of the island. I didn't think granite would scratch so easily--we have been very careful about what we place on it--and would like some ideas on how to possibly remove it. I know the installers of these countertops were not top quality, but since I didn't have a say in the selection of the contractor, there isn't much I can do. Please help.

 

Dear Stephanie:

You didn't have a say in the selection of the contractor, that's by far the most important factor in the picture when there's natural stone involved??...

I don't wanna know!...

 

About the scratch now: you want to know how to remove it?

How would you remove the hole from a doughnut?

Answer: you eat the doughnut and hole is gone!

A scratch is a groove – something missing. And you can't remove something missing, can you?... J

What you have to do is remove a thin layer of stone all around the scratch (it's called grinding), to reach the depth of the scratch. After that, the procedure goes on with the honing (a lighter grinding action meant to smooth the surface of the stone and prepare it for the polishing). Finally, after that, the area will have to be polished with an appropriate polishing compound (an abrasive powder, typically) for granite.

Could you do that?

Let's put it this way: there are probably no more than a couple of dozen professional stone restoration contractors all throughout the country that are good enough to pull a job like that off. L

What to do then as an alternative?

Get a black “sharpie” (a fine tipped permanent magic marker) and paint the groove with it. And if some will go onto the surface of the stone, let it dry for 10 seconds or so and then clean it off with some acetone or “Goof-Off” or denatured alcohol.

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 .  

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Ciao and good luck,

Mauri zio Bertoli

 

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