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Care and feeding of Honed Granite

7 years ago

I have searched but everyone seems to have their own favorite product - some are not made anymore. My fabricators were above average at fabricating and installation, but haven't offered me much detail on day to day care or yearly maintenance. My counters were sealed with this enhancer/sealer.


Is there a 'gold standard' enhancer/sealer to use for honed granite? Website with good information?


Daily cleaner? I am mostly a soap and water gal, but would like something more to clean up raw egg, grease, and other messy stuff. I picked up some Method Granite cleaner...is that still considered a decent one?



Comments (8)

  • 7 years ago

    Can’t help with a recommendation for an enhancer/sealer. When I first got honed AB, I used Method daily cleaner. After a while I gave up and just used soap and water for the next 3 years. The counters looked exactly the same as they did the day they were installed. For anything that I wanted to disinfect, I used a spray cleaner and a rag. The Method cleaner won’t disinfect or cut through grease. You will need a disinfectant spray for that.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I agree with the above posts. Black granites don’t need to be sealed. In fact, sealing may harm the appearance of black granites by causing a haze.

    To clean my (not black) granite counters, I use a little dish soap on a damp Dobie sponge, and then wipe dry with a paper towel or cloth, finished. The soap and Dobie sponge pick up eggs, grease, butter, stuck-on stuff, I’ve never encountered anything that didn’t clean up using that method. Been doing that for 20 years.

  • 7 years ago

    Alcohol-water in a spray bottle, add some lavender or other essential oil. Cleans, disinfects.

    For really grimy messes, or raw egg or chicken splatter for ex., I’ll either first use a soapy sponge, and then follow-up with the spray, or spray and let it sit for a while before wiping.

  • 7 years ago

    I did honed granite in our last kitchen and laundry room. I did not want to enhance, just seal, so we used Miracle Sealants 511 Impregntor Penetrating Sealer. It does not make the stone shiny. We also used on travertine flooring and limestone counters in the bathrooms. Counters still looked new after 13yrs.

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    I'd suggest trying different sealers/cleaners on a scrap or an inconspicuous area until you find what works for you.

  • 7 years ago

    I was warned to not use ammonia-based cleaners.

  • 7 years ago

    Ager by Tenax is a good sealant/color enhancer. All color enhancers give the surface a somewhat wet look - not quite as shiny as polished. Color enhancers such as Ager will enhance the color (in your case, make your black a darker, richer black), as well as act as a sealant. It will last 6 months to 1 year, at which point you need to decide if you wish to use any sealant, use a color enhancer again, or use a plain sealant that will seal but leave your honed in a natural looking state. Never apply any sealer heavily and follow all instructions because yes, you can get haze.

    Cleanup for Ager-treated countertops is the same as any other sealant. Soapy water followed by a dry soft cloth works well. I also intend to use the alcohol water mix in a spray bottle on occasion as a mild disinfectant.

    FWIW, we had our granite gently leathered, and are using Ager to bring back some of the colors lost in the process, without giving it the full gloss of polished.