So your beautiful etch and scratch resistant granite seems to have become both scratched and etched. Oh, and you can see a strange rainbow haze, kind of like an oil slick when you look at it from a certain angle. What the heck is going on? Is this normal? Is this granite somehow inferior? Is it even granite at all?
That was the gist of an interesting call we received recently. The caller’s Ubatuba granite was showing a cloudy haze under the dishrack, what looked like an oil slick around the sink area, and scratches on the surface. Not what you’d expect from good ol’ dependable granite, right? Though not common, we’ve encountered these issues before and most of the time they are all related. When called to remedy these problems, we generally discover there is a substance on the surface of the stone (for example a coating or sealer) that was probably applied sometime between the manufacturing and installation process. The problems may be inherent in the substance itself or a result of the substance not having been applied or removed properly.
The “etch”or hazy area that looks like it might have been caused by standing water that somehow sank into or marked the stone, and the rainbow haze are probably both caused by an interaction between the foreign substance and soapy water or other cleaning product. Chances are good that the granite itself isn’t marked at all.
Likewise, those scratches you’re seeing are probably not in the granite itself, but in the substance coating it. Granite is incredibly hard and unlikely to be scratched by typical kitchen knives or utensils. Only another granite or something as hard as a diamond will scratch up a granite countertop. (In fact, artificial diamonds are actually a component of the abrasive pads used by stone restoration professionals to smooth and polish a variety of natural stones.)
Once the coating has been properly removed by a stone restoration professional, the enduring beauty of your granite will come shining through.
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Stone restoration professionals, such as Fabra-Cleen, are considered the doctors of the stone industry, able to diagnose and treat a variety of issues. They have not only the know-how, but also the proper equipment to restore your granite and other natural stone to a state comparable to or better than when it was first installed. To search for qualified stone restoration experts in your area, visit www.stoneandtilepros.com/find-a-pro.
This is one of a series of articles written and published on behalf of Stone and Tile PRO Partners.