Q. I sat a gallon of vinegar on my granite counter top and when I moved it there was a complete circle where the vinegar bottle had been sitting. What happened? How do I get rid of the ring?

 

A. This problem can be a result of several possibilites. To answer correctly we need to know what type of granite you have? Is it honed or polished? If you don't know the name- what color is it? Was it sealed?

 

It all matters because of the many stones sold as granites there are many subgroups which can contain small amounts of calcites or other minerals that could possibly etch. Oh, an etch mark is generally a corrosion of the stone from an acidic or alkaline substance. It can be repaired by a bona fide stone refinishers but more on that later.

 

Without knowing all the info I could take a guess that your countertop was sealed incorrectly.

 

If this is the case, the sealer residue is sitting on the surface of the stone and is etching from the acidity of the vinegar. If this is the case, once you remove the sealer the problem should be gone. Removing the sealer is best done by a pro.

In our contracting services we remove quite a bit of sealer and we see this situation often. I would guess this is your problem as well.

 

Another possibility is that your countertop could have been 'doctored' (meaning a sort of shoe polish was used to make a marginal stone look better). (To learn more about this visit www.doctoredstone.org). There is a kit that is available to test for doctored stone (as well as calcium binders in stone), developed by Fred Hueston. You can find it at www.stonecarecentral.com. (Look for the Stone Testing Kit in the Problem Solvers category.).

 

This is one of the reasons we stress the importance of not shopping price only, but be very SELECTIVE with your fabricator. You have to have a fabricator that is trustworthy to sell quality products and stand behind them.

 

This would be a much more involved situation to correct if it could be corrected at all.

 

I would recommend that you locate a professional stone restoration contractor to evaluate and resolve the issue. Visit the Find a PRO section at www.stoneandtilepros.com to locate one in your area. (You can also find great, trustworthy fabricators there!)

 

Stu Rosen