Q. We bought a house from people who already paid 1/2 down to get granite. During bidding, we asked that the contract pass to us so that we could approve the selection. The floor sample looked great. On the second and third day of unpacking, we left a damp wash cloth by the sink and a damp hand towel on the island. They had water on them. We had no chemicals in the house at that time. The damp towels left a fuzzy efforvesence on the surface. We used a sponge and a light mix of some Palmolive dish detergent we found under the cabinet left by the owner owner, and wiped up the fuzz, but the white spotting was deep into the grain. We started looking closely at the material and noticed black flaws with cracks on the edge. One company said the flaws were all cut in the middle and he showed me how the flaws should have been flipped to the back. We called and called the contractor and he would not come out. We went to his store to ask him and he did send someone to seal the counter. The white spots just got sealed into the counters. What to do????? Also, many have looked at our counters and have seen the very gold veining in our counters. Most all said it is a junky salvage piece with all the flaws and that the gold veining is an indication that the piece was left out more that 2 years in the sun. One man said he had a piece of Ubatuba sitting out in the sun over a year because a customer wants the gold to show through for a table top. So my three questions to you are. 1. Can we do anything about the white spotting damage? We do not let anything stay wet on the counters at all. 2. Have you had experience with Ubatuba that is old and has oxidized in the sun? Is that a sign of aging? Does it harm the stone? 3.What do you think happened that all the flawed edges were turned to the front? We think it was a BIG mistake.

 

A. Not being able to see it makes it difficult to diagnose but it does sound like this is a poor piece of stone. It may also have been resined which would explain the whitish discoloration that sometimes occurs when it becomes wet. As far as repair, I would call a stone restoration contractor to come take a look at it. If the stone was left in the sun it could discolor. I have seen this many times. Once the stone is inspected if it is determined that it cannot be repaired you might want to consider contacting your attorney. If your attorney has any questions, feel free to have them contact me directly through Stone Forensics (www.stoneforensics.com).

 

Dr. Fred

 

Fred M. Hueston, PhD