ruined granite?

last year

I have honed Jet Mist that was installed 1 or 2 years ago. They were sealed. The fabricators came out to get a few silver marks out of the counters. They were not scratches but also not part of the stone. They removed the sealer and then I don’t know what but they used a granite slurry to get them off. Then resealed the counters. These marks were gone entirely until very recently. Not the silver but the buffed looking areas from removing the silver marks. Now the areas they used the slurry on are visible. It’s really hard to photograph but I’ve tried. Anyway, I had planned not to reseal my counters given that they probably didn’t need it in the first place but thought maybe it was the sealing that took away the marks they left behind. I only now had this thought as these are definitely created by the way they cleaned the marks originally. Exact same spots. It’s like the finish is duller than the honed counter. Does this make sense? Well, I used acetone to remove any sealer potentially still on the counters (buff marks still there) and then resealed it with 511. Alas the buff marks are still there. I’ve emailed the fabricator to see what I (or they) can do. Am I right in thinking they somehow actually rubbed off the honed finish? Is this repairable or do we need to have them rehoned or possibly polished? Should I remove the sealer I just put on? Please don’t harp on the sealing or tell me dark granite doesn’t need it. I know that but it didn’t negatively effect our counters when they did seal them so I thought it was worth a shot. I was wrong.

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Comments (13)

Chris H
Original Author
last year
More of the same areas
djacob Z6a SE WI
last year
My understanding is our granite countertops need resealing every one to two years, so it seems that sealing it is not necessary. That said, I don’t think I would have used acetone on the countertop. Acetone is extremely caustic….not sure, but it may be what has given you those dull spots. I can’t even use it to remove nail polish as it causes all the skin around my nails and fingertips to peel off. Takes about a week for that to happen. I would call your granite people again and see what they say. Good luck!

debra
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Chris H
Original Author
last year
Thanks! Acetone is what they (the fabricators) use to remove sealer. And I thought the same until joining this group. Apparently there are some granites that don’t absorb sealers and can cause a whole host of other issues. None that we’ve had thankfully. I hope one of the stone folks will see this and have a thought or two. I’m still waiting to hear from the stone fabricator but I’m also worried they’re great at installing but maybe I need someone else for this specialized issue? Not sure. Thanks for commenting!
PRO
KT Builders
last year
last modified: last year
You will never get a field spot honed product to match a factory honed product. Ever. The whole thing would need to be redone, except, it won’t ever be even like a factory hone would be. It will be even splotchier. You wont have water and a CNC in home. You can disguise it with some Tenax, but that won’t soak in to a dark non porous stone like that. You will have to reapply every so often as it comes off with cleaning. Which is exactly what happened with your re hone.

Dark stone shows everything, regardless. Fingerprints, metal marks, you name it. You have to accept that. Or choose something else. Honing it makes it worse for grabbing oils. This is an up front expectation to have when choosing honed, or dark. Dark and honed is just double the pain.
PRO
Simon Templeton & Associates
last year
Should just used Soft Scrub to remove the metal marks, and then resealed. Hitting that with a far more aggresdive grit in just a few areas is slways a mistake to attempt.
Chris H
Original Author
last year
Can you say more about disguising it please? If it was done once can it be done again? I used 511. They used DryTreat. I don’t have any other fingerprints or other issues other than these spots. Why didn’t it cover it when I sealed it with the 511 if it did when they did? Would trying to have them polished yield the same splotchy results as trying to re hone them?
Chris H
Original Author
last year
Hoping Joseph Corlett (hopefully I spelled that right) will chime in.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
last year
You need an experienced stone refinisher. It doesn't look like it's all that to fix inconspicuously.
Chris H
Original Author
last year
Thanks Joseph. I think I came to that realization today and reached out to someone. I’m hoping it’s not too expensive to fix. He hasn’t seen it in person but seems to think the whole section could be “maintenance” honed and that’ll be it. Seems to think it’ll easily be fixed but again, has t seen it yet. I do have another question. When I was using the acetone to remove any sealer still on the countertop before sealing it myself it made it very hazy. Did this mean I didn’t get all the sealer off? I realize it’s not related but I’m curious why it did that.
djacob Z6a SE WI
last year
Chris, keep us updated after the work is done.

debra
Chris H
Original Author
last year
Thanks, Debra. Will do, likely in Jan or Feb though with the business of the holidays 🎄
Chris H
Original Author
last year
Busyness
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
last year
" When I was using the acetone to remove any sealer still on the countertop before sealing it myself it made it very hazy. Did this mean I didn’t get all the sealer off?"

It's hard to say. I'd bet you removed all the sealer.