Marble & Granite Care Products

This article is in response to a question from Rhonda, received 10/05/08.

Most people think granite does not stain, they are wrong. All granite species are porous and their porosity varies from granite species to granite species. Food and beverage spills, especially greasy foods and cooking oil will stain the granite’s surface. Hair dyes, colored toiletries, paint and stain pigments, the colorants contained in chemicals, when spilled on granite, will seep into the granite’s pores and discolor the granite’s surface.

Be aware, and this is normal and typical for all granite countertops and granite islands in the kitchen, over time (usually in excess of one year), due to improper cleaning, not completely removing food and beverage spills, especially from greasy foods and cooking oil, plus the residue contained in smoke from cooking, attacks the granite’s color and clarity (the granite’s surface becomes much darker in color than when it was new).

We have finally developed a Granite Poultice, which removes deep embedded stains and discoloration from kitchen granite countertops and islands. Our Granite Poultice is specifically formulated to work below the granite’s surface and pull out grease and oil, plus food and beverages that have penetrated into the granite pores. Watch those dark, dull, and discolored areas of your kitchen granite countertops and islands disappear and come back to life. Your granite will look as beautiful as it did, on the day your granite was installed.

Granite Poultice is quick and easy to use; restoring the original color and clarity to granite countertops and islands usually takes 24 hours to accomplish, depending upon the age, depth, and severity of the granite’s discoloration and staining.

DIRECTIONS: mix the granite poultice with lacquer thinner to the consistency of cookie dough (lacquer thinner can be purchased at hardware and paint stores). Next, use a rubber, wood, silicone, or plastic spatula, to spread the granite poultice over the discolored/stained granite surface to a thickness ranging between 1/8 to ¼  inch (similar to a pancakes thickness). Next, cover the granite poultice with a plastic wrap or plastic sheeting applied to the granite surface with duct tape; making the granite poultice (airtight) allows the granite poultice to maximize its penetration into the granite pores and pull out grease and oil, plus food and beverages that have stained and discolored the granite surface. Keep the granite poultice in place for a minimum of 24 hours, to do its work; for extremely discolored/stained granite areas it may be necessary to keep the granite poultice in place for 2 or 3 additional days; and sometimes, a 2nd granite poultice application is necessary. Next, after removing and discarding the granite poultice, it is quite common for the granite countertop and island to appear darker than normal, this is because moisture from the granite poultice has not fully evaporated out of the granite’s pores; it usually takes a few days for the evaporation process, and the granite’s normal color, clarity, and gloss will be fully restored. After removing and discarding the granite poultice, use our granite cleanser NeutraClean For Granite to clean the restored granite area, then seal this granite area with our granite sealer Granite Guard Protector SB, then polish this granite area, with our granite polish Granite Polish and Protector . Our granite cleanser, granite sealer, and granite polish, are all included in our Granite Maintenance Kits along with additional items to clean, seal and protect your granite.

Economical to use, 1 pound of Granite Poultice will restore 2 square feet of granite.

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This article is in response to a request for help, submitted by Karen Mitchell, on 09/08/08.

Karen Mitchell has a situation which is quite rare; but, with elements that are uniquely common. What would be extremely rare is if her bathroom vanity top and sink were made out of one solid piece of natural marble. What is more likely, this one piece bathroom vanity top with sink, is not natural marble, it’s man-made of synthetic materials to look like natural marble; we in the industry call it cultured marble. What is common to these cultured marble bathroom vanity sink combos is this: over time, the vanity section gets a build-up of scratches, it still retains its gloss look (soap, perfumes, other toiletries) don’t harm the gloss, cleansers containing abrasives will remove the gloss; the sink bottom near the drain typically stains, dulls, and cracks. When you determine it’s time to replace the cultured marble bathroom vanity sink combo, we recommend replacing the vanity top with a piece of natural marble or granite and the sink basin can be replaced with porcelain, ceramic, mosaic, glass, or metal. If you choose to have a marble bathroom vanity top, we suggest installing an under mount sink basin instead of an over mount sink basin; because, it’s easier to refinish the marble vanity top if it gets damaged in the future.

If Karen Mitchell’s sink is natural marble, stains near the drain are caused by metal oxidation leeching deep into the marble. This staining is usually yellow, orange, brown, or a mixture of these colors and because they are so deep in the stone, the staining is considered permanent. Sometimes a poultice can be used to draw out the staining and the discoloration will be reduced to varying degrees based upon the initial depth of the staining.

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This article is in response to a question submitted by Lucille Wiseman on 07/19/08.

Our Marble Refinishing Kit contains everything you will need to restore your dull, etch stained and scratched marble to a brand new, highly polished surface. The first step prior to refinishing your marble, is to watch our Instructional How To Do It DVD. After watching the DVD, you want to analyze the condition of the marble surface, using a lamp or the overhead ceiling lights, focus your vision over the dull areas, and try to see the outline of the light bulb, to determine the depth of the etching. Mark a border with duct tape around areas that are completely dull and not scratched, this border should be one and a half inches away from the dull areas, to allow for overlapping of the machine with the finer sanding discs. Start your honing process (sanding) with the 220 grit disc, followed by 400 grit, then 600 grit, and finish with 800 grit. Remember to overlap your work area by a half inch, each time you change a sanding disc grit. Remember to stop the machine every twenty seconds and clean the sanding disc with a wet sponge, check the sanding discs’ surface with your fingertips, it works best when you feel the abrasiveness of the disc.

Please note: do not over use the sanding disc, when the face becomes smooth to the touch (it has lost its abrasiveness) it should be discarded and replaced with a new disc. For estimating purposes: one sanding disc should hone up to seven square feet of marble. Additional sanding discs can be purchased on our Website in the Supplies And Accessories category; we sell packages of (15) and (25) sanding discs; three (3) each of 150, 220, 400, 600, and 800 grit sizes and five (5) each of 150, 220, 400, 600, and 800 grit sizes, respectively.

For areas that are completely dull and scratched, start the honing process (sanding) with 150 grit, and continue as specified in the aforementioned text.

After the honing process is completed, you can begin the polishing process using our Marble Gloss Restorer with our Ultimate Polishing Pad, remember to polish the entire surface including areas that were not honed, it is necessary to polish two and sometimes three times to achieve a brand new, highly polished look. Additional Marble Gloss Restorer can be purchased on our Website in the Marble Gloss Restorer category.

Please note: While analyzing the depth of etch marks, if you determine the etch marks are slight and not deep, some light is still reflective; then, no honing is necessary, just polish with our Marble Gloss Restorer with Ultimate Polishing Pad two to three times. Our Marble Gloss Restorer contains a fine gritty component which will remove minor scratches and water spots. Please note: our Marble Gloss Restorer out performs any and all of our competitors polishing products; our Marble Gloss Restorer is safe and easy to use, when used with our Ultimate Polishing Pad it produces a deep, durable, high gloss finish.

When polishing the following marble species: pure white (Thassos), dark brown (Breccia Nouvella), dark green (Verde Antique), and absolute black (Belgium Black) please call our professional sales staff at (800)-617-1779, to special order Marble Gloss Restorer SF (special formula); the mineral makeup of these marbles require a different chemistry to produce a high gloss finish, which is found in our Marble Gloss Restorer SF.

Please Note: when polishing marble with our Marble Gloss Restorer SF, you first make a slurry by mixing Marble Gloss Restorer SF with water, distribute the slurry over the area of marble to be polished, during the polishing process, it is normal for the slurry to dry quickly and you will notice a grabbing sensation from the machine which is caused by the friction created from using the Marble Gloss Restorer SF; do not add more water, polish this area dry for another minute or two; then, repeat this identical polishing process by adding more Marble Gloss Restorer SF mixed with water and polish the same area of marble one or two more times, before you start polishing your next section of marble.

After refinishing your marble to a brand new highly polished surface, be sure to protect your marble by sealing it with our Marble Guard Protector SB (a clear, deep penetrating, impregnating) sealant, followed by an application of our Marble Polish and Protector. Our Instructional How To Do It DVD, shows you how to do these two preventative maintenance steps as follows: apply a generous amount of Marble Guard Protector SB, over the entire marble surface, let it penetrate for at least one hour; next, apply a light coating of Marble Polish and Protector to an area no larger than three square feet, immediately, remove all residue of Marble Polish and Protector from the marble surface with paper towels, use a circular buffing motion to accomplish this task; next, buff this area with our Micro Fiber Mesh Hand Polishing Bonnet which you can find on our website when you click on the Supplies And Accessories category link. Our Micro Fiber Mesh Hand Polishing Bonnet can be used manually or by machine, it has a built in pouch your hand fits into and it also attaches to machines that have a velcro pad holder such as the machines contained in our marble and granite refinishing kits. After you finish polishing this first section of marble with our Marble Polish and Protector, you’re ready to repeat this same process on the next section of marble, and continue, section by section until completely finished.

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This article is in response to a question from Carroll, that was received 6/10/08.

Uric acid from pet urine is quite potent, the uric acid etches the marble to a dull appearance and many times the texture of the marble surface will change from smooth to rough, and sometimes the color of the marble surface appears to contain a yellow tinge. For those of you, whose pets have urinated on your marble floor and damaged the marble, please don’t worry; our Marble Refinishing Kit contains everything you will need to restore your dull, etch stained marble to a brand new, highly polished surface.

The first step prior to refinishing your damaged marble, is to protect the undamaged marble area with plastic sheeting applied with duct tape; please note: allow an additional 2 inches of work area so that the machine can overlap the damaged marble surface with the finer sanding discs (overlap ½ inch per grit size). Next, start your honing process (sanding) with the 220 grit disc, followed by 400 grit, then 600 grit, and finish with 800 grit. Remember to overlap your work area by a half inch, each time you change a sanding disc grit. Remember to stop the machine every twenty seconds and clean the sanding disc with a wet sponge, check the sanding discs’ surface with your fingertips, it works best when you feel the abrasiveness of the disc. Please note: do not over use the sanding disc, when the face becomes smooth to the touch (it has lost its abrasiveness) it should be discarded and replaced with a new disc. For estimating purposes: one sanding disc should hone up to seven square feet of marble. For damaged marble that is completely dull and its surface texture is rough when touching the marble with finger tips, start the honing process (sanding) with 150 grit, and continue as specified in the aforementioned text.

After the honing process is completed, you can begin the polishing process using our Marble Gloss Restorer with our Ultimate Polishing Pad, is necessary to polish two and sometimes three times to achieve a brand new, highly polished look. Please note:

When polishing the following marble species: pure white (Thassos), dark brown (Breccia Nouvella), dark green (Verde Antique), and absolute black (Belgium Black) please call our professional sales staff at (800)-617-1779, to special order Marble Gloss Restorer SF (special formula); the mineral makeup of these marbles require a different chemistry to produce a high gloss finish, which is found in our Marble Gloss Restorer SF. When polishing marble with our Marble Gloss Restorer SF, you first make a slurry by mixing Marble Gloss Restorer SF with water, distribute the slurry over the area of marble to be polished, during the polishing process, it is normal for the slurry to dry quickly and you will notice a grabbing sensation from the machine which is caused by the friction created from using the Marble Gloss Restorer SF; do not add more water, polish this area dry for another minute or two; then, repeat this identical polishing process by adding more Marble Gloss Restorer SF mixed with water and polish the same area of marble one or two more times to achieve a deep, durable, high gloss finish.

When finished, rinse the new marble surface several times with clean water; then, remove the plastic sheeting and duct tape. If the duct tape leaves an adhesive residue on the marble surface, this residue is easily removed. Use a paper towel and a small amount of lacquer thinner, or acetone (also contained in nail polish remover). Do not use lacquer thinner, or acetone on painted areas or on polyurethane which is typically on hardwood floors; use instead, a small amount of our Marble Polish and Protector or our Granite Polish and Protector, applied with a paper towel; both of these products will remove adhesive residue from duct tape without damaging paint or polyurethane.

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