What Causes Etching On Polished Granite Countertops

Common causes of etching.

What causes etching on polished granite countertops.

Acidic foods such as lemons or tomato sauce can discolor a granite counter top and mar its beauty. If your granite countertop s dullness is due to light surface etching granite polishing powder may be able to remove it. A polished finish is the shiny high gloss type of finish with the deepest color saturation commonly seen on marble and granite countertops. When water seeps into your granite countertop it leaves a dark spot that evaporates in a few minutes and returns to normal.

While severe damage may require professional repair homeowners can fix most mildly etched granite surfaces themselves. Etching is commonly caused by liquids that are acidic in nature. The powder is slightly abrasive so it removes shallow scratches stains. But substances like cooking oils that don t evaporate can cause permanent stains if they re allowed to soak into the stone.

Honed countertops have already been dulled either by a machine or an acid bath. However as noted above marble or nearly any stone can have a number of different finish types. Most professionals choose a penetrating sealer because they. The best thing to do to protect your granite countertops from stains is to clean up spills as.

Granite and quartzite are also great alternatives. Since etching can remove the polish or sealant from marble the stone can become more vulnerable to scratching as well. Once it s smoothed out the granite can be buffed polished or honed and then sealed for protection. What causes etching on granite countertops.

What specifically causes etching on marble countertops. If you re researching marble for your kitchen countertop you might be wondering how strong the acid needs to be. Because a polished shiny finish is so common many people believe that all marble is supposed to be polished or shiny. This duller more matte stone is more casual and easy to live with in my opinion since it naturally shows etches dull spots.

Etching is part of the reason i chose honed instead of polished countertops. Although it is resistant to etching acids and other corrosive agents may etch its surface. Granite resists most household acids except for hydroflouric acid found at trace levels in. Our guide to sealing granite countertops is a good place to learn about the process and products required.

They are matte and soft compared to shiny polished stone. To remove etching from a granite countertop the stone must be sanded or ground to level the surface. This will maintain the gleam while protecting the porous stone from stains.