How To Clean And Seal Granite Counters

Download Article

E'er test the absorbency of your granite earlier you apply a sealer. That said, if your granite does blot water or oil rapidly, a penetrating sealer will make maintenance much easier. There is no such thing as a safe, stain-proof sealer for granite, just a adept sealer will give you the fourth dimension yous need to wipe up spills before they are absorbed. Note that sealing has nothing to do with how shiny your countertops are; this is acquired past polishing.

1
Test whether the granite needs sealing. Although yous may find that many countertops do non crave beingness sealed, applying a sealer is common practise.^[ane] To exam your surface, go out a few drops of water or a wet paper towel on the granite for 10 to fifteen minutes, doing this in an inconspicuous expanse. If the water begins to soak into and darken the countertop, continue to the next footstep to begin sealing.^[2] If the h2o remains beaded on the surface, the countertop is already stain-resistant, and should not be sealed.
- If the granite will be exposed to petroleum-based products, repeat the examination with a few drops of mineral oil.^[three] Seal if either examination darkens the granite.
- If the water doesn't soak in, don't seal it anyhow "just in case." The sealer needs to soak into the stone to be constructive, and if it can't, it may build-up and leave excess residue.
two

Avert ever putting lemon juice on your countertop. The "lemon juice test" is commonly referenced on internet blogs; however, according to the Natural Stone Institute, acidic products such as vinegar and lemon juice can wearisome or etch your surface. Granite is vulnerable to acidic or alkaline-based products, and products such as lemon juice and vinegar are capable of chemically damaging your surface and its underlying resins. ^[4]

Advertizing
3
Select a penetrating sealer for natural stone. Merely use products specifically designed for natural rock, and ideally for granite specifically. A penetrating or "impregnating" sealer will soak into the countertop to reduce absorption. This works to effectively defend your surface from stains over a prolonged period of time. These guidelines are enough to prevent harm to your countertop, but you can dive into the fine print if you're interested:
- To make sure you lot become the correct sealer, check with a stone supplier in your surface area to see what sealer they recommend for your item stone.^[5]
- For all-time results, cull a carbon resin sealer. Expect for ane that mentions "fluorocarbon aliphatic resin" on the label. These can provide years of good protection, but are besides the most expensive.
- The adjacent best options use "siloxane" or "silane," which tend to exist a little worse at repelling oil.
- Avoid silicone-based sealers or linseed-based sealers. They are the to the lowest degree durable and volition need to be resealed every eight months or then, and tin can sometimes even cause color deterioration.
- Some sealant chemicals tin can exist either h2o-based or solvent-based. Experts disagree on which is all-time; both are adequate, but water-based sealer is easier to apply and amend for the environment.^[half-dozen]
- Consider following-up with cleaning solutions containing ioSeal Protectants, equally they work to enhance and maintain the effects of impregnating sealers without building upwards.
4

Read the instructions on the label. There are many varieties of sealer, and it's best to follow the specific instructions if available. The method beneath provides more detail than most labels volition give you, only e'er go with the label if the two sets of instructions contradict each other.

Advertisement

one
Clean the granite. Wipe off the granite with water and dish soap or a specialized rock cleaner like Tenax, then wipe with a dry towel or fabric, preferably lint-free. Use a degreasing production, then do a final clean with denatured alcohol. Wait 24 hours to allow the granite to dry completely and return to its original colour earlier standing, or 8 hours if a strong breeze is bravado beyond it.^[7]
- If the counters were only installed or other construction projects are happening in the same room, it'southward best to look until after they're finished. Dust from construction can interfere with the sealer's protection.
ii

Clothing gloves and ventilate the surface area. Solvent-based sealers may produce unpleasant or harmful vapors during application, so open a window and put on a pair of gloves. Don't worry; the sealer volition not exit any harmful chemicals in your kitchen.
iii
Examination in a small corner. Choose an unobtrusive corner of the granite, perhaps where a microwave or other apparatus is unremarkably located. Follow the steps below on a tiny area offset, to make sure the sealer is compatible with the granite. If the sealer leaves a hazy residue or discolors the granite, find a unlike product.
- While the advice in the preparation section should prevent about of these problems, the extreme variety constitute amid granite surfaces makes information technology impossible to reduce the chance to zero.
iv

Apply the sealer evenly. Cover the surface evenly with the spray bottle, or using a completely clean, sealer-dampened, lint-free cloth or castor if the sealer is not in a spray canteen. The entire surface should be damp, but not soaked.
five

Let the sealer blot into the stone. Cheque your instructions for the exact time, as leaving information technology on also long can cause discoloration. Typically, the sealer needs about 20 minutes to soak into the stone, just trust the characterization for this 1.
six

Utilise a second glaze if necessary. If the label directs you lot to add together a second glaze, this is usually done when the first coat is almost, but not completely dry. Wipe this over the surface to ensure even awarding.
7

Wipe up the sealer. Afterward you leave the sealer on for twenty minutes or as long as the label direct, wipe up the remaining sealer with a clean rag. Too much sealer left on the counter tin can cause an unattractive haze.
8

Get out the counter alone for 48 hours. This is another number that depends on the verbal product, but the sealer will need to "cure" for some length of time earlier information technology is effective. Some products cure afterwards an hour or ii, but it'south still a expert idea to avert washing the counter for the outset 48 hours after awarding.
9
Consider future maintenance and re-sealing. Many installers recommend re-sealing annually; all the same, oft this is unnecessary. Different types of stones need to be sealed at different frequencies. Additionally, the need to re-seal can be removed simply past cleaning your surface with products containing ioSeal Protectants, which progressively seal to enhance and maintain your surface's protection.
- Diverse conditions influence how oft your surface needs to be sealed. The nigh relevant conditions are color, porosity, quality of the sealer, and whether or not ioSeal has been used.
Advertisement

Add New Question

Question

How do I cull the correct sealer for my granite countertops?

Andrew Peters is an Architecture and Construction Specialist and a Principal at Peters Pattern-Build, a total service architecture and construction firm in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over twenty years of feel, Andrew specializes in sustainable and holistic design and building practices. Andrew holds a Bachelor of Architecture and a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-Accredited Professional. He served as Projection Manager for the international-award-winning "Refract House," Team California'due south entry in the 2009 U.S. Section of Free energy Solar Decathlon, a projection featured in over 600 online and print articles.

Architecture & Construction Specialist

Skilful Answer

Back up wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

The best thing yous can exercise is to ask a stone supplier what they recommend for a particular stone. If you're having new counters installed by a supplier, you tin can ask them what'due south all-time for your countertops. If you bought the house with the counters already installed, contact a dedicate stone supplier or showroom in your surface area.

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your electronic mail accost to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

VideoRead Video Transcript

Depending on the quality of the sealer and the colour of your granite, the protection tin terminal anywhere from one to 15 years.^[8] Just echo the h2o test to observe out whether more sealer is needed, or reapply whenever you find spilled h2o immediately darkening the granite. Never reapply without trying the water test first.
If a sealer leaves a haze on our granite, attempt adding a little more than of the same solvent to dissolve the dried, hazy sealer over again, then wipe it up immediately. If this doesn't work, you'll demand to use a micro-abrasive cleaner, or strip the granite surface with a solvent.^[ix]

No impregnating or penetrating sealer is "stain-proof." They are designed to requite you time to wipe up spills before the counter is damaged. An actual, stain-proof top sealer is a terrible option for granite counters, as stone needs to "breathe" to prevent cracking and other impairment.
Sealer will not protect from etching, which is caused by a chemical reaction between some stone and acidic liquids.^[10] You will need a special etch removal product to repair this damage.

Things Y'all'll Need

A clean white rag
A loftier quality penetrating/impregnating sealer

About This Article

Article Summary X

Before you seal your granite countertop, examination to see if it needs to be sealed past dripping a few drops of h2o on elevation of the granite. If the water beads upwards and doesn't soak into the surface, y'all don't need to seal your granite. If the h2o soaks into the countertop, you lot'll need a penetrating sealer designed specifically for granite. To utilise the sealer, first clean your granite countertop with h2o and dish soap. Then, wait 12 to 24 hours for the countertop to completely dry out. Once it'due south dry, spray the sealer over the countertop, including the edges and backsplashes. Let the sealer sit down for 15 minutes and so information technology absorbs into the granite. And so, utilise a second glaze. Look 20 minutes, then wipe the excess sealer upwardly with a clean fabric or sponge. Finally, wait 24 hours earlier placing anything on your newly sealed countertop. To learn more well-nigh the dissimilar sealer products you can employ for this, read on!

Did this summary help you?

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 969,791 times.