I doubt you can remove them. Looks like maybe they had damaged the quartz somehow and tried to buff it out. You can call a fabricator but I imagine that will be pretty expensive.

Thank you Chessie! Ahh that would stink. It's weird because there is a mark like a water ring that looks the same too.

Todd:

You need a stone professional to use Quartz Renew to restore the finish. It's not a DIY project. I'd make you sign a wavier that the top was wrecked and I could only make it better.

Whilst I do agree with the above statement, though does not address why it is there.

From the photo it looks to be from a 4" diamond polishing pad. Usually if this happens it is from a poor polishing technique and they run up onto the surface with the edge polishing pads. But this is not the case there.

I would say they have chipped the edge or there was a mark in the surface. In any light something has been repaired in that spot. It has like sanding in a spot and why it is dull. It can be repaired but be aware of the difference in the compounds available around and methods of repairing be advised by those who are stone restoration qualified stone masons. And those who are just general contractors, even if they have some stone knowledge and experience.

The statement about Quartz Renew, but it is only ever a blend of the polished surface. All the stone restoration guys that we know have the same issue with the Quartz Renew. It is only ever 90% of the reflectivity achieved, this means that the stone finish or polish in never the same as the factory finish.

We are able to return the surface to the original factory finish for all Quartz brands, color and finishes. Including the highly polished pure white and marble look range.

We are master stonemason not just a general contractor and have restored some of the most prestigious projects around the world. So we do know what we are talking about.

Also we are one of a hand full of companies able to restore quartz stone or engineered stone back to the original factory finish. Just to give you some quantification to our advise.

Whilst Quartz Renew is an ok solution, but it is far from perfect. It will only restore the stone to about 10% within the original shine or polish if you measure it with a gloss meter. It will NOT restore the high polished shine on marble look or fine grain quartz stone. As these are finished at about twice the gloss level.

Yes measuring via a gloss meter is the same as viewing the surface from various angles to see the polish. If you do this ona Quartz Renew repaired surface you WILL SEE the slight haze where it has been used. Though it is better than leaving the surface as it was.

The best option is Diamond Quartz Polish in the DIY-Trade kit. It returns the shine and gloss to any Quartz of any brand, colour and finish. It is a permanent solution as it nano activates the components the quartz is made of to achieve the polish and shine. The same as the factory finish. There is no hazing or shadow around the repair like quartz renew.

It is best to AVOID using any of the following - the current big item causing etching damage is BLEACH or anything containing bleach. It is known to etch stone.

Below are some links for similar etching cause by a wide range of etching chemical such as;
Which will damage the stone and most likely have cause the issue to start with.
1) Windex - Window Cleaners
2) Bleach or bleach containing products
3) Oven cleaner
4) Drain Cleaner
5) Gumption
6) Magic Erasers
7) Jiff
8) Bar keepers friend
9) or any other abrasive or corrosive cleaners

For example you can enter any product into google followed by MSDS to bring us the Material Safety Data Sheet. Where in section 3 all hazardous chemicals must be list by law. Along with the pH of the product in section 9.
The optimum pH range for any surface and not to be caustic or acidic is pH6-8. This way no surface can be damaged from any cleaning product.

Example of a google product search; - “Ajax Spray & Wipe MSDS”

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We would advise you go back to the contractor and have them either replace the stone or have it professionally repaired.