hi, I have countertops that I think are Arcobaleno Blue. Anyway they are a very strong grain blue color with veins of orange and purple, some chunks of quartz, and some black flecks. The black flecks are a problem, the little ones are tending to turn into pits instead of staying smooth. What should I use for routine cleaning? The color is perfect, afraid it will change. Also for other care, what should I get, how often should I reseal etc? Other countertops are Niagara green, would same stuff be good for routine/ extra care? Thanks for the lemon juice test, it saved me lots of trouble and money!

 

Dear Hazel:

 

Do you or the merchant that sold that countertop to you have the faintest idea of what stone Arcobaleno Blue is in reality?

 

Me? I have not the faintest clue. Maybe it's some sort of sodalite syenite, but I'm fishing in the dark… L

Welcome to the stone industry, where when they don't know what it is, they call it granite!

 

I have no idea for the reason why your black flakes (mica, maybe…) are pitting. Since nobody knows what that stone is and there's no technical information about it, my guess is just as good as yours. Maybe it's a low-grading slab. Maybe it's a natural characteristic of that particular stone… Who knows?

 

Any solution?

 

Only some testing could tell for sure, but as an “out of the kitchen table” band-aid, you could try rub the pitted areas with a stick of paraffin wax and then buff it up with a “00” steel wool, hoping that it will work. Keeping your finger crossed could help, too. You understand, of course, that's nothing permanent, but if you're happy with it…

 

As for the routine care – which has nothing to do with your problem, I recommend a good quality spray cleaner rated “for natural stone” like MB-5. Stay away from mixed products that advertise to clean dna polish, or clean and seal at the same time. They will eventually leave hard-to-remove residues that you can live very nicely without.

 

Needless to say, if marblecleaning.org could have its ways, situations like this one would not exist. But we can't do anything by ourselves. We need the support of the consumers to succeed. On that spirit…

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

Ciao and good luck,

Mauri zio Bertoli

 

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