Marble & Granite Care Products

Over the past 50 plus years, we’ve heard, seen, and come across many situations where our customers convey to us stories of doom and gloom when it comes to their damaged granite, grout, and marble.
Marble, granite, grout, limestone, travertine, other natural stones, are all extremely porous and their surface chemistry varies from species to species and many times can be quite problematic. There are so many maintenance products that can be purchased over the counter for cleaning, polishing, and sealing granite, grout, marble, travertine, limestone, and other natural stones that are either to high in alkaline or acidic, and customers rely too heavily on their labels advertising, not realizing the inherent danger in using these products.

This next section is dedicated to the discussion of granite. When it comes to selecting the appropriate material for kitchen countertops, island tops, table tops, and bar tops; bathroom vanity tops and shower walls; granite is an excellent choice. There are hundreds of granite species to choose from, all are quite hard (Mohs hardness scale) because of there mineral makeup of quartz and silicon dioxide, and are much more resistant to alkaline and acidic encounters than marble.

Some of the more popular misconceptions about granite are: to purchase granite instead of marble, because granite is indestructible; beware: both granite and marble will crack if not installed properly, the underside of the granite section located in front of the kitchen sink should always be reinforced with steel (rods/bars) to prevent breakage, it’s always best, to fabricate the granites’ outside edges to be rounded, next best, would be to bevel the granite outside edges, the least desirable granite edge would be square outside edges, because they will chip over time (especially the inner granite edges above the under mount sink, due to pots and pans, dinnerware and silverware). Most people think granite can not be scratched because it is so hard, they are 100% wrong, granite does scratch and the scratches can be eliminated by a resurfacing process (honing/sanding); but, the re-polishing process in the field has not been perfected yet. To re-polish the granite to its original factory finish (color, clarity, and gloss) in the field is extremely difficult and most of the time impossible because of physics and chemistry. Current technology for polishing granite in the field yields approximately 60% to 90% of the factory finish, depending upon the granite’s species, and the personnel’s equipment and experience. Concerning floors: we do not recommend using granite because of the aforementioned refinishing issues and exorbitant expense. Marble flooring is a good choice, the refinishing (resurfacing) process for removing scratches, stains, etchings and dull spots; then, restoring the factory finish (color, clarity, and gloss) to the marble’s surface in the field, is a proven technology. We sell marble refinishing kits which are all inclusive, easy to use, and economical.

Many people think granite does not stain, they are wrong. All granite species are porous and their porosity varies from granite species to granite species. Using harsh cleaners, abrasive pads and powders over time will dull the granite’s finish. Food and beverage spills, especially greasy foods and cooking oil will stain the granite’s surface. Many times, consumers are told by their sales person or installer that their granite was sealed at the factory or fabrication shop prior to installation. Beware: most granite factories and granite fabricators do not use a premium grade, deep penetrating (impregnating) granite sealer. We have tested over the past five years, granite sealers that supposedly come with a lifetime warranty. The test results are not favorable for two primary reasons: their chemistry does not allow the granite surface to breath, which will have a detrimental effect over time with the granites’ color, clarity, and gloss; secondly, these granite sealers change the granite’s appearance (giving the granite an artificial look).

Here’s some good news about granite: granite is so easy and economical to maintain. Using a granite cleanser routinely is a must, a credible granite cleaner should be formulated as follows: be neutral on the PH scale, so it won’t have a negative effect on the granite’s color, clarity, or gloss; be able to break through surface deposits and disinfect, have a pleasant smell. We recommend twice a year for kitchen granite countertops, island tops, table tops, and bar tops; bathroom granite vanity tops and shower walls, applying a premium granite sealer followed by the application of a premium granite paste polish. This process is so simple and fast to do, just like washing and waxing your car. For those of you, whose granite kitchen countertops are dull and dingy, maybe showing their age, don’t worry. Granite does not show its age, it took over a billion years for granite to be formed, and 99% of the time what is making your granite look dull and dingy is a surface film that has built up over time from not using a proper cleaning and spreading food and beverage spills over the granite’s surface because these spills were not removed completely from the granite’s surface initially. Another contributing factor might be the application of an inferior granite sealer. Many of our competitors sealers don’t have the ability to penetrate deeply into the granite’s subsurface and these inferior granite sealers contain a high concentration of polymer solids that stay on the granite’s surface. These polymer solids attach themselves to the granite surface and are extremely difficult to remove, plus they create a cloudy film which distorts the granites’ color, clarity, and gloss. We sell a granite maintenance kit which is all inclusive, really quick and super easy to perform; a typical kitchen with granite countertops takes about 1 hour of actual work time to clean, seal, and polish (you need to allow a minimum of 30 minutes for the granite sealer to penetrate) prior to polishing the granite; also, allow another 15 minutes of work time if you have a granite island in addition to your granite countertops.

In conclusion, remember to use common sense around your granite: don’t cut anything on your granite; don’t use harsh cleaners or abrasive powders on your granite; dedicate a section of a kitchen granite counter top as a food preparation area and have this food prep area covered with “butcher block” or plexiglass for example; be sure to pickup food and beverage spills as soon as they happen. Purchasing your granite was expensive, be sure to protect your investment and keep your granite looking brand new and beautiful (year round) by using proper granite maintenance products which clean, seal, and polish your granite. We welcome responses to our articles and will try to answer comments and questions in a timely fashion.

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Over the past 50 plus years, we’ve heard, seen, and come across many situations where our customers convey to us stories of doom and gloom when it comes to their damaged granite, grout, and marble.
Marble, granite, grout, limestone, travertine, other natural stones, are all extremely porous and their surface chemistry varies from species to species and many times can be quite problematic. There are so many maintenance products that can be purchased over the counter for cleaning, polishing, and sealing granite, grout, marble, travertine, limestone, and other natural stones that are either to high in alkaline or acidic, and customers rely too heavily on their labels advertising, not realizing the inherent danger in using these products.

This next section is dedicated to the discussion of marble. People complain to us about their marble only being a week, a month, or a year old; how is it that it got stained, scratched, lost its shine, water spots, glass rings, and dull spots. It took a billion years for the earth to form mountains of marble and in the blink of an eye, marble can lose its gloss, scratch, or get stained. Marble is calcium carbonate and for the most part is a very soft and porous stone as compared to granite whose mineral makeup is mostly quartz and silicon dioxide. Granite is a much harder and less porous stone as compared to marble; granite does not require as much (tlc) maintenance as marble, because granite is so much more resistant to alkaline and acidic encounters than marble. We’ll have a much more involved discussion about granite in the near future.

There are many myths and old wives’ tales about cleaning and maintaining marble. Some of the more popular; but, erroneous and truly damaging, marble cleaning myths are as follows: use vinegar, ammonia, bleach, fine steel wool, furniture polish (some contain lemon and other harmful materials), all purpose spray cleaners (some contain harmful petroleum based products or harsh alkaline chemicals). Some people use waxes, acrylics, urethanes, sealers containing polymers, all these products mask (hide) the marble blemishes and dullness; but, they all give marble an artificial look; these coatings are soft, they scratch and scuff, they crack, flake, and peel off over time; they really become a maintenance nightmare.

A very common problem, which is extremely damaging when used on marble, is the use of tile and grout cleaners. Tile and grout cleaners are formulated to clean ceramic and porcelain tiles and the grout between them. Tile and grout cleaners can be alkaline but the majority of tile and grout cleaners are acidic and are more corrosive in attacking the marble surface. There are so many over the counter kitchen and bathroom cleaners, glass and solid surface cleaners; and many of these cleaners list marble as one of the surfaces they can be used on. In order for these cleaners to be effective, they are formulated with chemicals that are extremely high in alkalinity and because of their chemistry, can be quite damaging when used on marble.

Be aware; especially, in bathrooms and kitchens, that marble will be damaged by soaps and shampoos, perfumes and other toiletries, by food and beverage spills, most foods and beverages contain citric acid as a preservative. Be aware of grit, tracking in sand and dirt from outside and walking on it, acts as an abrasive and wears off the marbles’ high gloss finish over time. Be aware of house pets tracking in grit and urinating on marble. Be aware of trades people working near and around areas containing marble, many times these trades people are not cognizant of the damage their tools and materials can do to marble if they don’t spend time prepping and protecting their work area.

Some popular marble cleaning misconceptions we hear all the time are: what marble cleaner can be used to make the marble look new again or what marble cleaner will bring back that high gloss look the marble had on day one; what marble cleaner will remove the dull spots, the glass rings, the water spots; what marble cleaner will restore the original color the marble had on day one? Please note: there is no “marble cleaner” produced anywhere in the world that will repair or restore the aforementioned problems. A credible marble cleaner should be formulated as follows: be neutral on the PH scale, so it won’t have a negative effect on the marble’s gloss, color, or clarity; be able to break through surface deposits and disinfect, have a pleasant smell.

Understanding the cause and effect nuances of damaged marble facilitates the formulation of corrective measures (using what products and techniques) to restore, protect, and maintain marble to its day one appearance and condition. Typically, when marble is damaged (lost its shine and some color) we usually say the marble surface is etched. Degrees of marble etching can vary greatly. The surface of marble when etched, develops microscopic to tiny craters (holes) and to a lesser extent, the marble surface can develop slight fractures; also, etched marble yields color loss in varying degrees (due to the depth of damage). New marble, having a high gloss (factory finish) inherently has the ability to reflect light and clear images (mirror finish). When analyzing etched marble, pay attention to loss of light reflectivity, loss of image clarity (distortion) loss of color, check surface texture (is the marble still smooth or has it become rough when you touch the marble surface with your finger tips). Be aware, that not all marble species display a 100% high gloss, mirror finish; the mineral makeup of the stone is the determining factor. Evaluating to what extent the marble surface is damaged helps in determining what corrective course of action to implement when restoring marble.

Since we understand that scratched or etched marble have surface openings which don’t reflect light or images, it is necessary to close these openings in the marble surface, and once closed, the marble surface can be polished to a high gloss finish. The simplest and quickest way to restore scratched and etched marble is to first hone or sand the marbles’ surface, starting with a more aggressive abrasive (approximately 150 grit) and progressively using finer and finer abrasives (220, 400, 600, and 800 grit sizes respectively). Please note: only deep scratches and deep etchings require a 150 grit abrasive as a starting point, start with a 220 grit abrasive for medium scratches and etchings to be followed with 400, 600, and 800 grit abrasives respectively. Once the honing or sanding process is completed, the openings are eliminated and the marble has a new surface; the next step, is a polishing process. Polishing marble will restore its gloss and color and using the correct marble polishing compound and polishing pad is critical because not all marble polishing compounds and pads are manufactured the same way. It usually takes two and sometimes three polishing attempts to restore the marble surface to its original gloss and color. Please note: fine marble scratches (they can not be felt by your finger nail) and medium to light marble etchings (partially dull, reflects some light and partial images, slight color loss) can be corrected most of the time, just by polishing two or sometimes three times with our Marble Gloss Restorer and Ultimate Polishing Pad, without having to hone or sand first.

In conclusion, for those of you who have damaged marble, not to worry. Your damaged marble can easily be restored (resurfaced and refinished) to a brand new condition (factory finish). For those of you who have marble that is newly installed, marble in excellent condition, or contemplating purchasing marble, proper maintenance is crucial: using a bona fide neutral cleaner and sealer is most important. We’ll have an article on marble, granite, and grout sealers in the very near future. Remember to use common sense around your marble: use glass coasters when putting drinks on a marble surface, be sure to pick up (remove) quickly and clean with a neutral marble cleaner , food and beverage spills, dedicate a section of a kitchen marble counter top as a food preparation area and have this food prep area covered with “butcher block” or plexiglass for example, don’t cut anything on marble, don’t apply any type of cleaning abrasive on marble, don’t drag chairs, tables, other types of furniture on a marble floor, don’t drag or push cleaning buckets or dirty vacuum wheels across a marble floor, be careful that children’s toys don’t scratch or damage a marble surface. Have area rugs near entrance doors, near bathroom sinks, shower/tub and toilets, near kitchen sinks and the food prep area.

We will be writing articles a few times per month to help educate and inform relative to why granite, grout, and marble inherently are beautiful, problematic, and needy of proper maintenance. We welcome responses to our articles and will try to answer comments and questions in a timely fashion.

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