From what I recall, there was some discussion that some of the AB granites have been dyed...I think it was primarily granite from China. If I recall correctly, then you may be seeing the dye coming out of the stone. Regardless of why this is happening, I'd suggest you not use that slab, or any other slabs from the same container and, probably, source. You might go back and mention this to your distributor.

The links below link to StoneAdvice.com and one of the threads concerning AB and dying.

blanks Chinese granite

HTH!

Here is a link that might be useful: StoneAdvice: Dyed Absolute Black Granite

Thanks very much, buehl; these are different sources than I found, and, sadly, they all say pretty much the same thing:

1.) it's sealer; there shouldn't be sealer; it's the sealer that's lightning.

or:

2) it's doctored stone, and will blotch and wear unevenly.

The trick seems to be how to figure out what I've got: tricky, tricky, tricky. I'll call the shop tomorrow and see what I can find out. I'm guessing nothing, but do really have to try.

Kate.

You're welcome! You may have to go elsewhere for your granite b/c chances are all the AB granites that stoneyard has came from the same distributor and they will all have the same problem.

Good luck!

Try rubbing a section of your sample with acetone. If black/gray residue comes off on your rag your stone has been doctored (dyed) which you don't want. You can buy acetone at any hardware or paint store.

There are many other wonderful black stones out there besides AB. Happy testing and hunting.

Kevin, I've asked about my stone before (w/ regards to the whitish rings that occasionally appear on my counters--pretty much after a cold bottle of white wine had been standing on the counter, or after a plate that was sitting had left behind a ring of olive oil/lemon juice). My counters are Labrador Golden Flake (a soft black with a ton of bronze/gold and silver shimmer or pearling). Would that stone contain calcites as well, and could that be the cause of those rings?

Cat Mom -

I have not run across a stone by that name here in AZ -
it may be out there some where, but I have not fabricated
anything by that name (that I can recall) - I did a preliminary
search for your stone by it's name on Stone Network,
but I came up empty...

IF your stone has visible damage after it has been exposed
to lemon juice (like rings or dull spots) you may have
calcites in your stone...

can you post some pics?

hope that helps

kevin

Kevin M. Padden MIA SFA
Fabricator, Trainer & Consultant to the Natural Stone Industry
www.azschoolofrock.com

Here is a link that might be useful: Stone Network - look up a stone by name

http://www.igmcorp.com/pGranite/labradorGoldenFlake.html (place we got our granite)
http://www.thegraniteshop.net/materials/02expanded/lab_golden_flake.htm (a better picture?)

I can't seem to get great pics of my counters (need to play around with the digital camera more, which is one of the reasons why we're still not in the FKB!), but there are some pics of it in my photobucket acct (link below). No pics of the rings which are fainter now anyway (having gone over them with extra fine steel wool when they first appeared).

I really just want to know what's causing them to appear in the first place, how to prevent them, and how to get rid of them if/when they appear. If I don't have to baby the stone (e.g. use coasters under white wine bottles), I'd rather not. According to our granite guys, and the info they've heard from the stoneyard, our stone isn't particularly "fragile" in any way, and need not be babied, yet these rings crop up on occasion.........

Here is a link that might be useful: my counters/granite

cat mom (that could be my 'name', too!) are you saying that you get rid of the rings by using extra fine steel wool? Does that not scratch the counters? Do the rings every go away, or at least fade, without resorting to that? (They're beautiful, by the way your entire kitchen is!)

Thanks happykate! I still have to pinch myself when I walk in and look at it all (esp at night when the counters are sparkling under the lights!).

The granite guys had actually told me to use steel wool to remove any spots of epoxy they might have missed when they'd repaired our seam. They also used it to remove some shadowing we'd gotten on our honed travertine floor tiles in another part of the house--they said the steel wool "polishes" the stone, in a manner of speaking. The 00o stuff is pretty gentle. I used 00 steel wool in one spot, and might have buffed a little hard trying to see if I could remove a partial ring, but even at that, there's the slightest of faint scratches if I look really close (and only because I was looking really close).

I'm not sure if the steel wool has worked on all the rings (not that there have been that many, but any at all is too many for me!). One that was there for a while from fairly early on, seems to be gone, as is another one. One or two that seemed to have faded after buffing them with the steel wool, had reappeared.

On the advice of the fabricator, I'd re-sealed/polished the stone early last month with the stuff I'd gotten from them (an Italian product called K.R. 33, that says on the can that it "Brightens, Polishes, Protects"). I don't know if it helps at preventing the rings at all, but it sure shines up our granite so, and I love how gorgeous the counters look after I've applied it. If I wasn't afraid of harming the counters (over-applying), I'd be tempted to use the stuff monthly!

Cat Mom-

OK... not to aid and abbett (sp?) in the hijacking
of the OP....but...

your stone looks absolutely FANTASTIC!!!

The Granite Shop in the Atlanta area is one of the best
around, and I know that they will take good care of you!
The pics show their 1st class quality!!! They did a really
super cool looking job there in your home!!!

Just follow their instructions, and your stone should look
as great in the future as it does today..

BTW - I was right - this IS a species of Granite that I have
not worked with in a while... but it sure looks like..
well..

Ramma-lamma-Ding-Dong-Wowwie-Zowwie-WAY COOL!!!

You're making alot of people jealous!!! me included... ;-)

Best Regards

kevin

Kevin M. Padden MIA SFA
Fabricator, Trainer & Consultant to the Natural Stone Industry
www.azschoolofrock.com

Kevin, mine's not from the place in Atlanta, it's from the place in North Bergen, NJ (we're in NY state, as are our fabricators). I'm still waiting to find out from the stoneyard or ? about the rings--prevention, cure.....

OMG--I am blushing at your compliments on our stone, whatever its classification (although I can't take the credit for the quality or the job done) ! Coming from you, "zowie" indeed! I would highly recommend this stone over some other blacks I've seen because I think it's just stunning (okay--I'm biased, but still!). I am so glad you and the OP like it, too!

Update: I've communicated with the salesperson, who immediately put me in touch with the owner (who is also the traveler/buyer); I'm very pleased with the response. They've pulled all ongoing AB jobs, (acknowledging the coloring issue, mentioning motor oil) testing the granite on hand, and are sending me unsealed samples of the slabs I've tenatively committed to.

He's committed, in writing, to supplying the best granite available in this large metro area, whether it's his or not. I'm feeling pretty good about this, and/but will let you know what's happening.

That does sound very promising happykate (who could be a cat_mom, too!). I hope you are able to get the stone you want and will enjoy it for many years to come. I can't tell you how much DH and I enjoy just looking at ours and seeing it in our kitchen!

Update: so, I e-mailed the salesperson of the stone company and requested an actual sample of the slabs I'd signed off on. I told them that I was worried about the way the stone performed and was considering canceling.

12 hours later I got an e-mail from the owner, who is frequently the stone buyer. I could read backwards on his e-mail, and he pulled all the AB jobs until this could be resolved. In any case, he promised me the best AB Seattle could offer, his company or not.

Got the sample my slabs are resined! Lemon juice does nothing, for four hours, but puddle on the surface. Leaves no mark at all. Wine dries into an easily wiped-off sludge.

so, dust and smudges be damned, (and I'm sure I'll damn them both frequently in the coming years) looks like we're doing Absolute Black! Thanks very, very much for all your help and advice. What a great group!

That's terrific! I'll bet it'll look great and be worth any dust or smudges. :-)