I am so sorry this has happened to you! I am a total wimp sometimes when it comes to being firm. My husband is the opposite. NO ONE can argue with him. Somehow he says all the right things and I always wished I could come up with some of his responses. Not sure how your husband is about these things but I would have him or someone who is good at dealing with issues with you when they do return.

Good luck! I hope they correct this issue and soon.

"Probably there prior to fabrication" & "going to contact stone yard to see what they have to say." It was suggested by the GW pros that the stains were there prior to fabrication. These statements by him should make you angry.
How could they not notice the stains? Which means they fabricated your countertops knowing they were there & hoping you would let it slide. It's concerning that he needs a couple of days to figure it out. Is he consulting with other stone specialists? What can the stone yard do, at this point? If you have to get another pro involved, he should reimburse you.
Not trying to add to your stress. I know what you went through to find these slabs & your countertops and kitchen are beautiful.
Edit: just had a thought, maybe he is checking with the stone yard to see if they have more of your stone available.

This post was edited by romy718 on Wed, Jan 29, 14 at 13:01

He called this morning and thinks he knows a way to get the stain out. He's coming next Wednesday. Funny that he didn't know this information yesterdayâ¦

He's probably on GW reading this thread and learning from the pros. If he shows up and suddenly knows to do what was mentioned above with buffing and poulticing, tell him we're onto him!!! Lol.

LOL, swfr!

Don't be so easy-thinking sounds too much like hoping.
Before he comes ask him what his plan is.
Will he be using chemical or mechanical intervention or both.
Will there be dust or splatters. What process will he use.
Will it be a dry process or a wet process.
What chemicals if any will be brought into my home.
Will there be any odor?
If he is successful can he match the finish of the other countertops.
Will he seal the surface when the task is finished.
These are important questions and he should have valid answers.

Yes make sure you know what they are going to do and how much mess it makes! You could end up with your house trashed with fine sanding dust or cabinets and floors splattered.

I agree you need to know what he is going to do and what if it doesn't work. What is his plan then?

Yes, srosen, I AM hoping!!! Thank you for your advice. I will definitely have to get back in touch with him regarding those issues. Nothing like having a nice checklist of questions to ask. I couldn't appreciate it more. So thank you!!!

I am always disappointed when I see this. I have been in the stone business for over 25 years and I know this material very well. White Macauba is a genuine quartzite and is harder than granite. The only practical way of removing this stain inside your home would be with a poultice repeated multiple times. If a stone can absorb a stain, then the proper use of a good poultice typically will draw most of it out. The problem is, the sealer he applied (an Ager) is actually a color enhancer and unlike a water based sealer, it is much more chemically bonding and permanent, making the poultice process much more difficult, if not unlikely, to remove it.
The problem with re-surfacing is the fact that it is very difficult to re-surface quartzite in a shop, much less your home. Also, there is the risk of cupping from improper sanding of the area around the stain, and the depth of the stain may require too much grinding. Only a company with experience re-surfacing granite on-site should be considered. (There aren't many) Sorry to say, but if the poultice doesn't resolve the problem, the fabricator should take full responsibility and replace the top. This piece should have never been cut or ever left their shop with this obvious blemish.

Here is a link that might be useful: Avanti Marble & Granite Inc

I agree with bwerder.
I shouldn't have made it sound easy-it isn't.
The path of least resistance must be followed here.
Starting with a small area to try and determine what the staining agent is.
I agree that using chemical intervention before mechanical is a sounder idea.
If he cant figure it out then the fabricator should replace the top.

He's going to do a "chemical intervention" on Wednesday. Somehow I don't have a good feeling about it. I've googled and found lots of different poultices and almost want to try it myself. I will refrain. Replacing it would be very inconvenient since this piece is seamed with another at the middle of the sink and the piece in the window area overlaps both this area and the other area (probably doesn't make sense, I'll post a photo). I know, it's not really my problem it's his. But still, it kind of is MY problem.

Don't know if you can tell from this photo (the light from the window makes photos hard to see). There is a vertical piece of counter between the window piece and the main counter which sits on the main counter. And the main counter is seamed in the middle of the sink to boot.

Fabricator came and put a poultice on yesterday. I have to leave it until Saturday.

Question: what poultice would you use if you don't know the nature of the stain? He used Dupont Stonetech oil remover, which is a poultice already mixed up.

You can rarely go wrong with acetone (DON'T use fingernail polish remover, even though it's mostly acetone.) and corn starch(or pure talcum) mixed to a paste, applied, then covered with plastic. Or, on some stains, hydrogen peroxide and cornstarch. That looks to be a grease stain, so the acetone would be what I'd try first. IF I had a grease stain that *I* caused. With them being the culprits, I wouldn't touch it because you don't want to get into the blame game with them.

How is your island doing-were they able to remove the stain?

We are on round two of having a poultice sit for 2 to 3 days. He says that since it was sealed, they might have to apply a poultice several times to reach the stain. He seems very confident that he can get the stain out. However, he is still using the poultice for oil based stains so not sure how this would work if the stain is not oil based.

In the meantime, I am being patient. I will let him exhaust his stain removal techniques before we move on to the next step.

Oh...and actually it is not on my island, luckily it is in a much less conspicuous spot. Although, I'm sure if it was on the island it would be easier to replace if it comes down to it.

Oh, and I also bought some acetone the other day just in case I might want to try it between fabricator visits (per live_wire_oak). I can't hurt, right?!

Yes you are being patient-the acetone wont hurt but it is a weaker solvent-good to remove adhesives. You would need to fold up some paper towels(10 ply or so) and lay them down over the stain the wet the paper towels with the acetone and let it sit for a long time. Be carful it doesn't drip onto anything or off the counter.
Its always difficult to trouble shoot from a distance. I don't think it is an oil stain.
I think it is possibly some tannins or just something from an adhesive product that was smudged onto the surface.
Macubus is quite dense so I don't see the stain as deep.
I think it may just be below the surface.
Poulticing is generally for deep set stains.
I would have started testing on a small area first to test for results.
I would have started with a high alkaline cleaner to see if it was oil or grease. Maybe something as simple as comet with bleach may have an effect. If no results I would have tried an adhesive remover and then a paint striper.
A polishing compound used to polish marble may do the trick as well.
There are many products available to try.
I wish I could be of more help but you have to let your fabricator do his thing. I just think a store bought poultice for oil stains generally used by consumers is wasting time.
The main component of that poultice is di-limone an oil and grease remover(a good chemical) If a poultice is used with no result on the first try one should move onto something else.

I really feel it's a waste of time as well, which is a bit frustrating. However, I can't move on to the next step (slab replacement) or even $ back, until he exhausts his stain removal tactics, however useless they may be! I actually don't really want that part of the counter to be replaced due to it's location in relation to the seam, etc. I really want the stain gone instead!!

Now when you say "adhesive remover", do you mean something like "goof off"? I happen to have some of that! Would that or a paint stripper damage the finish of the counter? What about mineral spirits?

There are a lot of adhesive removers-most have the same formulations-they will work on non cured adhesives.
Paint strippers that contain methylene chloride(toxic) should be strong enough to melt or remove cured ones.
If your stain is in the pores it can be stubborn to remove.
Mineral spirits can be purchased at any paint or hardware store it is a solvent.
None of these product should harm your stone but safe handling is very important. Lets see what he does next.
There are all types of products but trying to determine the nature of the stain will dictate what needs to be used.

This post was edited by srosen on Sun, Feb 16, 14 at 7:26

Maybe I'm NOT being so patient! I guess I'll try and wait a bit before I do anything. I do have mineral spirits, acetone, and paint stripper here though. It will be tough not to give them a try!

lcskaisgir - Anxious to hear how this turns out. Not sure where you are located, but if near So Cal, I can recommend someone to remove the stain. I had a stain on my limestone left by painters tape. The tile guys tried every concoction and product out there and could not get it out so we called a tile/marble pro and now you can barely see it.

Before:

After:

BlackChamois, they did a great job on yours! I am in Michigan.

Here is what mine looks like as of today. The fabricator brought in a stain specialist. He put a few different things on it. You can see in the middle of the stain it is starting to break up and fade a little. He is coming back today to put another poultice on it.

Good for you-that looks much better-Looks like you are on the right path now!

Lisa, I just read all of this post as I wait for the KD to pick up his samples as I eat lunch I hope the rest of the stain can be removed as the counter without the stain is perfect.

Please keep us updated. We are all here for you.

I hope your keeping a log of all these different poultices. You can be our GW go to girl for stains.
Edit:typo

This post was edited by romy718 on Mon, Feb 24, 14 at 14:28

Lol, I have kept a few notes!! I tried to get a look at the container of each thing he used and typed it into my phone, for future reference if I ever need it!!

The mark that extends the entire depth of the counter (front to back) that can be seen in one of the previous pictures is gone. But since the main stain hasn't faded as much as he would have liked, he is now using a peroxide poultice with hopes of bleaching it a little. Next step: abrasion.

And thank you Lynn!! :)

This post was edited by lcskaisgir on Mon, Feb 24, 14 at 14:55

srosen - hoping you check back in. I always like to be prepared. Is there a general purpose poultice I can buy & have on hand?

romy718:

See the link, please. Careful, this stuff is nasty.

Here is a link that might be useful: Poultice

romy718
Mangia macchia is a good poultice-it is bleach mixed in a clay medium and works well on organic stains.
Tenax makes a general purpose poultice as well that doesn't smell so bad.
I like to use 30-40%hydrogen peroxide with baby powder or diatomaceous earth.
But there are so many different types for different stains.
What material are you concerned about.

Don't light a match!

Some of the things my guy has used are Miracle Liquid Poutice (which has 2 different cans, parts A & B), Reinhardt OL killer, an acetone poultice, and a peroxide poultice. There may be more, but those are the only ones I have taken note of!

He thinks my stain is a result of the straps during transportation from the fabricator's shop to my house.

Srosen - I have Imperial Danby sealed with HMK S35, a modified silicone/acrylic base sealer. The installer said they got better protection with this product.
I contacted the distributor to find out what to clean it with. They are also a fabrication shop & said they use their HMK S34 Impregnator Sealer rather than the HMK S35. The S35 is a color enhancing topical sealer. I'm not sure I have as much stain protection with the S35. No issues yet & I do like the finish of the stone.
Sorry for the hijack, lcskaisgir. Your sealer is an ager, also color enhancing. Not sure if our sealers are similar.

As long as sealers are oleophobic , hydrophobic and applied properly they will provide good protection.
Maintaining them with neutral PH cleaners will help the sealers last longer.
Impregnating sealers are better for natural stone than topicals. They live below the surface. Topical sealers will wear on the surface and require maintenance.
Danby is a great stone-sealing it with an impregnating sealer will help guard against stains.

Wow! Ive been away for a few weeks and I cannot believe you are still having this worked on! I hope he figures this out soon. I think you have been more than patient with all of it!

I also hope you are on your way to a resolution.

FYI for anyone who is dealing with the problem Black Chamois had, DuPont oil stain remover removes this type of stain from painter's tape. Sadly my tile setter put painter's tape along the perimeter of our entire mud hall's limestone to adhere RAM board to it. It was left there for 6 months. We moved in, I removed the RAM board, and we have the same stains. I'm removing it slowly myself. It ruins the grout (turns it white when it was first black), and is impossible for me to fully remove from my porous limestone, but it helps. Of course nobody on my job knew not to put painter's tape on natural stone. I could kill them.

We're getting there!!!!!!

Looking much better. Thanks for the update.
Also, thanks SRosen for the information. I see some stone maintenance in my future. I may contact you for a reference for a stone specialist in my area (NW suburbs of Chicago).

"He thinks my stain is a result of the straps during transportation from the fabricator's shop to my house."

Nope. I'll bet it's a tannin stain from an oak shipping member. It got wet and bled for quite a while, not from a drive from shop to home.

I tend to agree, Tre. However, your explanation would imply that they saw the stain at the shop and went ahead and fabricated it anyway. Their's gets them off the hook.

Wow, it is looking so much better! You must be so relieved!!

Ickskaisgir (man, that's hard to type), have they tried the Miracle powder poultice? I've had good results with that stuff on a variety of mystery stains.

jellytoast, he tried the Miracle liquid poultice (which had two cans w/parts A & B). Not sure if that is the same stuff you're talking about or not. What ended up doing the best was a poultice made of peroxide. Actually IRL you can barely see it at all, and no one would probably ever notice what's left. For some reason the photo really accentuates the tannish coloring.

No, the other Miracle poultice is a powder that can be mixed with a variety of wet ingredients, depending on the stain. I thought it was more "heavy duty" than the other, though I may be mistaken.

The stain does look much improved! You're right, if we didn't know the story, we wouldn't notice.

And thank you to all that have commented or given advice. I'm not sure if I would have made the continued effort of pushing the fabricator to do something about it. It actually didn't take much pushing, but being backed by a little knowledge definitely helped me in this situation. :)

It's looking really good! Yay!! :)

Lisa, the stain really is looking less noticeable! Gardenweb's kitchen site is the best!

Slabs at times loaded in ocean containers have spent time outside.(wet)
Then loaded in the container braced with wood dunnage for safe transport. The time spent in the container can be up to a month or more.
I think Trebuchet is right on the money.
Peroxide(30-40% volume) is a very effective poultice for organic stains,
It can be a little tricky to work with and you must be mindful of safe handling and use procedures.
Stain removal takes patience, persistence some knowledge and a bit of luck.

lcskaisgir-
It looks soooo much better! Congratulations on speaking up for yourself (I hate doing that too!)
And thanks for the tile information!