How to protect granite countertop?

Question

Just had installed and was told to wax it. Concerned about staining.

Answer 1

Good Afternoon everyone. My name is Anthony, aka the marble guy. But only because marble is usualy the stone that needs my services. Granite is a very dense stone but, it does not mean for everyone and does not mean it is not porous

Dakota Mohagany, Ubatuba are two very very densed stone, compared to others. And sealing , especially on Ubatuba, is not "required" but it wont hurt.

For many others usually the ones with the grain which looks more like colored sand, very tiny compared to Ubatuba which has larger grains, need Sealing. The correct term is impregnator. This is a liquid which sometimes in form of liquid silicone or some sort of fluoride chemical, wil penetrate deep into the stone and all excess must be wiped off before it dries. This means there is no waxy residue. You dont want to wax your granite, ever.

A good impregnator will easily last many years, however be careful close to the stoves where hot oil can splash, this may need a more frequent application.

At my parents home, I did it when I first started in the business 20 years ago and again 10 years ago ,and almost looks like new.

As for the cleaner, every day simply use water or anything very mild like dove, ivory or any baby soap. Nothing harsher is needed. A great cleaner is Revitalizer from Stone tech, it is fast acting and drying like windex and comes ready to use. On a floor with a swiffer, its great too.

Remember granite will stain but luckily enough any organic stain,can now be removed. Keep my email and send me a message if it does, and i will give you a recipe for that specific stain
Signed
The Marble Guy

Answer 2

I just don't understand why people would even go to the trouble of typing something (and then actually sending it) just to be a malapert. I've had granite for seven years and I've never really gotten a straight answer on care requirements. The installers suggested I seal them once a year. I've never noticed any difference after "sealing" and I've never been convinced it needs it; I had granite installed in another area of the house and that contractor said most granites never need a thing. I do use this stuff from "International Stone Polish" simply called "Countertop polish for marble granite and solid surfaces" (purchased at Lowe's) mostly because I feel like I should do something to this beautiful material we've (all of us) spent so much darn money on. It also makes the granite really shine for a day or so. Really looks stunning (wet) right after you've finished. I'm hoping this is doing enough but I really don't understand what would happen to granite if it's never "sealed"???; I doubt anything. I've had coffee spill under the machine and sit for a day or so before I noticed it and it wiped right up with no staining; I don't know if it would have done that if I hadn't used the polish but I tend to think it still would have been OK. But, your installer/contractor really should have given you information on maintenance and at least one bottle of whatever it was they recommended. I would appreciate it if you could let me know what you find out? I'll watch these posts too but, somewhat unfortunately, anyone can express an opinion regardless of actual knowledge. I wish there was a accuracy/honesty meter beside each response. I try to be as honest as I can when trying to help people but that doesn't seem to always be the case with some of these responses. Although I did suggest to the person that asked "What to do with all these roaches" that she stir fry them maybe. I kinda regret doing that but I had been drinking beer and it seemed awfully funny at the time. Good luck. What granite did you select? I have Dakota Mahogeny, black onyx in another room and Uba Tuba in another.

Answer 3

We have a granite counter top on our kitchen island. It is ten years old.

We have never sealed it, never waxed it.

We do clean it with with a little soap and water to get up stuff that is really stickly but most of the time a surface cleaner like Windex or a similar glass cleaner keeps it looking like it is new.

Granite is very dense, has no pores and is really hard to stain.

Answer 4

polyurethane,armor all,and scotch guard.