sealing granite
15 years ago
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- 15 years ago
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Sealing granite
Comments (5)btoby: The raw unexposed edge of your backsplash is wicking water and stains. Unless you can get it to start sucking sealer, it will continue. I'd pull the splash and poultice the stain. Clean the deck and seal the raw splash bottom. Set some1/4" x 1/4" plastic laminate shims on the deck and lay a continuous generous bead of 100% silicone, then place the splash on the shims/silicone. You should have continuous squeeze out that you can spray with Windex and wipe off with a wet finger. Wipe off the Windex overspray and you're done. The raw bottom is permanently sealed and you've got a silicone gap that's wide enough to be replaced if it ever needs to be. This post was edited by Trebruchet on Sun, Oct 19, 14 at 10:43...See MoreSealing Granite
Comments (6)White granites are generally very porous. They can be a problem to seal. Some even consider some granites like kasmir white technically impossible to seal. In some cases that may be true. There are some basic guidelines for sealing a stone surface. Do the water test-puddle up a couple of palm sized puddles of water and let them sit for 10-15 minutes. Then wipe away the excess and see if it has left a darker mark. If it has you know your surface is absorbant. If it is really porous and most of the water was absorbed you know you have a sponge for a countertop. Really- not the end of the world but thats why the best stone adventures start and end well with an experienced fabricator. One who knows stone and can guide and educate the consumer. So if you do have a porous countertop you should be educated before attemting to seal it or hiring someone to seal it. Here is what sealing is all about. Know how porous or not your surface is. Use a quality product.Impregnator sealers for stone is the product you want solvent or water based. Yes there is a difference but thats another conversation. Apply(use paper towel) it in manegable sections and let it load on the stone for 5-15 minutes keeping it wet add more sealer if it absorbs into the stone. Dont let the sealer ever dry on the surface. Then remove any excess sealer from the surface. Yes thats right take any excess off. Then overlap the areas you just did and repeat the process until the entire surface has been sealed. On very absorbant surfaces the stone will get darker -in some cases lots darker. Dont worry thats temporary and once the carrier evaporates it will return back to its normal color and shade. Always test a spare piece however just to be safe. If you have a really porous surface repeat the entire application making sure to never let any excess sealer dry on the surface. So even if your stone isnt that porous or has been resined at the point of processing(resining-another conversation) You can still apply a sealer if it makes you feel better. Just be sure to use a small amount and wipe away any excess before it dries. Just take into account if you really need to impact the enviroment and if you really need to seal. Impregnators live below the surface. So no matter how many coats you have applied in one day to me it is still one application. You need to understand the sealer needs to cure which takes a minimum of 24 hours. So let it do its thing and then in 24 hours do the water test again. You will see that it is less absorbant then your first test. If the water beads up and doesnt absorb your done. If it is still absorbing repeat the process and test 24 hours later. Repeat if needed. Just remember no sealer will ever be 100 percent bulletproof so try to clean spills up as soon as possible. The definition of a sealer is this. Sealers temporarily inhibit the intrusion of staining agents from entering the stone. Sealers are getting better and protecting longer as the chemists develop better product. There are some products on the market now to protect marble from etching. Yes they have their pros and cons for sure. They are worth looking into however as they arent for everyone. srosen...See MoreTips for sealing granite. A bit hesitant to try it.
Comments (9)I agree with Jakuval. Installers tell every customer to re-seal once a year, whether they need to or not. I have not re-sealed my granite in 10 years, and it looks like the day it was installed. That's not to say your granite does not need sealing. It depends on which granite you have. There are two ways to tell if your granite needs sealing. One way is if you know your granite's name, you may be able to find its absorption rate online (google using the name of your granite, with the word "granite", and the word "absorption"). The lower the absorption rate, the less it needs sealing. As an example, my granite's absorption rate is 0.1-0.3%. There are granites with even lower absorption rate, like Absolute Black (.05%). By contrast, Kashmir White is 0.3-0.5%, i.e. around 2-3 times as absorptive as mine; Kashmir White needs re-sealing at least once a year, maybe more. A second way to tell is to drop a bead of water on your granite, and watch what happens. Does the water quickly get absorbed by the stone, and leave a wet mark? Does it perhaps a bit slowly get absorbed and eventually leave a wet mark that takes a while to dry out? If yes to either of those, then re-seal. If instead the water just sits on top of the stone, then the granite does not need re-sealing....See MoreHow to seal granite counter
Comments (3)http://www.drytreat.com/sealers/residential/meta-creme.html It is the only sealer that does not need to be reapplied, nor is it a plastic filler. Meaning it is a microporosity impregnating sealer, but it is not a resin or plastic. So why it does not fall through or need reapplying...See More- 15 years ago
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