I sealed mine twice. But the sealer goes IN THE STONE, it doesn't make a coating that flakes off... this is weird!!!

Uro, the flaking is what confused me, too. I definitely thought a penetrating sealer was used, and I didn't think it would make a film, either. I did not, however, examine the bottle before they used it. Maybe they used a cheap one without me knowing. What sealer did you use?

Sealer is like make up, if its flaking off, you put on too much ;)

Hope they didnt use waterlox on the counter!!

I don't know the brand...

BUT I REMEMBER VIVIDLY IT WAS $50 A BOTTLE

That's something I can't forget.

But yeah, it penetrated the stone, and I wiped off the excess.

Awesome makeup example! Definitely helps me understand what happened. Thanks for the feedback, guys!

"Sealer is like make up, if its flaking off, you put on too much"

Or applied a sealer to a stone that does not need it so it did not penetrate into the stone.

Not all stones need to be sealed.

Kashmir white is probably one of the most porous granite their is.
A properly applied penetrating sealer would need to be applied multiple times to even come close to selaing this stone. Do yourself a favor hire a pro to come in and remove the flaky stuff and seal the top the right way. Dont expect miracles with this stone as it may always exibit signs of porosity.
Stu Rosen
www.mbstone.com
www.stoneshine.com

Our granite guy recommended 511...I have yet to seal our granite..we have Cashmere Gold...you can get 511 at HomeDepot in the tile area.

I just found out waterlux sealer finish is for wood floors.
You should have a talk with your installer and make him come back and do the job correctly with the right product.
Waterlux and you can google it is a topical coating for wood floors. Where did you ever find those guys?
Stu Rosen
www.mbstonecare.com
www.stoneshine.com

Ha! Sorry for the confusion. The Waterlox went on the floor, but it is very fumy. It was during and after the finishing of the floors that I noticed the sealer flaking. I know fumes are quite powerful, so that's why I asked if they could remove a sealer just by being in the air. No Waterlox made its way to my granite counters.
It sounds like I need to seal it again and again. I did notice that it is very absorbent, but I have not found it to stain or etch. I can live with the porosity as long as I avoid the etching and staining.
I appreciate everyone taking time to give me some tips!

Your stone is acid resistant to acid except something like hydroflouric acid which should never be in your home anyway.

Any well known name sealer manufacturers top of the line sealer will help if applied properly.
Our MB-4 sealer is water based has no odor and is easy to work with. 511 has two sealers-the porous plus which is very good but harder to work with. They also have their "sealer" which is cheaper than porous but easier to work with and will require more applications. Which ever one you choose the real key is the application. With your type of stone you will need to apply a heavy first application.
It is important that you do your top in sections so you can control the product(ex:centerisland do in 2 parts). You will need to let it sit on the top for maybe 20 minutes or so keeping it wet with more product. This way you are loading the sealer into the stone. You will see the top get very dark-this is the absorbtion of the sealer. Once you get this darkening and it becomes uniform in the section you are working on then remove every trace of sealer from the surface after the alloted time. You must not leave any sealer residue on the surface at all. Thats why you have to do this in manageable sections. Then move to the next section and repeat process overlapping the first section.
Another big key to good sealing is to do the entire top with first application and then apply second application 24 hours after the first. This gives the sealer the required time for the resins to cure making the second application much more effective. In the case of kashmir white you will need to do as many as three or four applications. Then if you test the porosity after each application you will find it should be much less.If you use the right cleaning products the sealer will stay maintained for quite sometime.With kashmir sealing can be almost impossible but this method will work much better if you have the time and patience to deal with it.
Stu Rosen
www.mbstonecare.com
www.stoneshine.com

Thank you so much for the detailed instructions. I am about to do the sealing, so this message came to me at the perfect time!

Stu,
I like the sound of your MB-4. Can you give me an idea of how much product I would need to cover ~60 square feet? Like you've explained, my granite is extremely thirsty, and I want to be sure I have enough product to finish the job.
Thanks!
Micki

Hi Micki, we have used a lot of sealers in the past. I like the Stone Impregnator and Protector. If you will buy the Quart one, it will be more.... than enough. On 60sq.ft, you can probably use a brush to apply it. I would say apply it, wait about 30 min, and reapply. If necessary, do it for the 3rd time. This product is heavy duty... just as it is described. (I bought from this store before, and I am about to buy few sinks from them)

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.mrstone.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&zenid=3ocnvrtp10icupnjn9l1ef5ak4&keyword=sealer