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Sealing Granite Countertops
Sealing granite countertops is not as hard as you might think and it most likely needs some protection.
When you bought your granite countertop, it was most likely sealed when it was installed, but that may have been years ago.
Although granite is very hard and naturally made up of very hard minerals (quartz and feldspars), it is porous and
therefore needs to be sealed from staining agents that may invade those pores and stain the granite.
Sealing granite countertops is not hard and depending on what type of granite you have, can make a difference on
how often you need to seal it. Darker granites tend to be more dense, meaning less porous than a lighter colored granite.
Lighter granites are more susceptiple to staining for two reasons; first, because it's lighter, a stain
can be seen more easily and second, lighter granites are usually less dense, thus more porous.
How to Seal Granite Countertops
As a homeowner, doing your own home repairs and maintenance around the house is just part of owning your home.
If you have granite countertops, we recommend you keep them sealed and periodically check them for re-sealing.
An easy way to see if sealing granite countertops is needed put a few drops of water on the
surface and see how long it takes to absorb into the stone. You can tell the water has absorbed into the stone,
if the stone becomes darker than the surrounding area.
If the wet area has become darker withing a few minutes, then it's definately time to re-seal your granite
countertop. If it takes a while, you should be okay, but keep in mind how long it takes to absorb, is how
long a potential staining agent will take to absorb.
- Clean your granite countertops thoroughly with a neutral cleaner or if it's badly soiled, you can
use an akaline stone cleaner to break down dirt and grease build-up.
- Once the granite countertop is clean, dry it with a cotton or microfiber cloth. It's very important
the granite is dry before any sealer is applied.
- Apply the sealer evenly only when you're sure the granite is completely dry, using a lamb's wool
applicator or any soft cloth. Honed granite will require more sealer due to them being more porous than a polished granite.
- Apply a second coat when you've given the sealear enough time to penetrate the granite surface.
The amount of time will depend on whether it was a water based or solvent based sealer.
- About 30 minutes for a water based sealer and usually 10-15 minutes for a solvent based sealer.
- Make sure not to let the second coat dry on the granite. Buff off the sealer with a cotton or microfiber cloth
and if you see any streaks, re-activate with more sealer and it should buff right off.
How Often To Seal
Well, that depends on a few factors. How porous the granite is, what sealer your using and what environmental
conditions the granite will up against.
The last factor mentioned is probably really going to determine how long your sealer will protect your granite
surface.
If you're sealing a granite countertops in an exterior environment, it most likely will only last 6
months due to so much sun exposure.
Also, if you bought the cheapest sealer you could find at the local hardware store, it probably won't even last
more than a month.
Yes, that's right, I've seen people seal their granite with that sealer in the yellow bottle
you can buy at Home Depot, and the granite still wasn't sealed after 3 coats.
Like I said before, sealing granite countertops isn't hard, but then again I do it for living, so
maybe I'm just use to sealing granite.
If you're not sure you can do it yourself or are unsure on finding a quality sealer, have us seal your
granite countertops for you.
When it comes to sealing granite countertops or just maintaining tile and grout and natural stone we strive to
help educate our customers on the best protection they can have, helping them save time and money in costly
restoration costs down the road.
We are located in San Jose, CA, but clean tile and grout and natural stone surfaces throughout the south bay, penisula,
and even find ourselves in the San Ramon Valley from time to time.
Want to know more about our services and how we can help you maintain you tile and grout in your home or place of
business? Give us a call at:
408-998-8781
Bay Area Cities we Proudly Serve!
We are located at:
341 S. 20th Street
San Jose, CA, 95116
Here is a partial list of some of the cities we serve:
Aptos, Atherton, Belmont, Blackhawk, Campbell, Capitola, Cupertino, Danville, Dublin, East Palo Alto, Felton,
Fremont, Gilroy, Half Moon Bay, Hayward, Hillsborough, La Honda, Livermore, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Menlo Park,
Milpitas, Monet Sereno, Monte Vista, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Newark, Palo Alto, Pleasanton, Portola Valley, San Carlos,
San Jose, San Martin, San Mateo, San Ramon, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz,
Saratoga, Scotts Valley, Stanford, Sunnyvale, Sunol, Union City, West Menlo Park and Woodside.
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Want to Know More About Granite Sealing?
Are you a do-it-yourselfer? Always working on your home
on one project to another. Check the link below to learn how
to seal your granite countertops.
We know you can do it yourself and give you some tips on
some of the pitfalls you might fall into.
Are You in Need of Marble Polishing?
We know even though you may be a do-it-yourselfer, you can't do everything.
Marble polishing is likely one of those projects left for a professional.
Check out the link below for more information on what the process involves.
Hi Guys!
Just want to let you know that I am very happy with the outcome of your hard work.
My bathroom looks like it was just remodeled. It looks great!
I am very glad that I chose Integrity Stone and Tile Cleaning to do the job.
I will definitely recommend Integrity Stone and Tile to my friends and neighbors.
I saved a lot of money by restoring rather then replacing.
Thanks again for the fine work!
Charlie R.
From Sunnyvale, CA
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