What Causes Etching On Polished Granite Countertops
The powder is slightly abrasive so it removes shallow scratches stains.
What causes etching on polished granite countertops. What causes etching on granite countertops. To remove etching from a granite countertop the stone must be sanded or ground to level the surface. However as noted above marble or nearly any stone can have a number of different finish types. Common causes of etching.
Etching is commonly caused by liquids that are acidic in nature. This duller more matte stone is more casual and easy to live with in my opinion since it naturally shows etches dull spots. When water seeps into your granite countertop it leaves a dark spot that evaporates in a few minutes and returns to normal. Common household cleaning products can be a detriment to the professional finish atop granite countertops as can fruit and acidic juices vinegar wine coffee soda bleach and ammonia.
Honed countertops have already been dulled either by a machine or an acid bath. Granite resists most household acids except for hydroflouric acid found at trace levels in. Once you ve put a fresh polish on your granite surfaces they need to be sealed. The best thing to do to protect your granite countertops from stains is to clean up spills as.
What specifically causes etching on marble countertops. Most professionals choose a penetrating sealer because they. But substances like cooking oils that don t evaporate can cause permanent stains if they re allowed to soak into the stone. Because a polished shiny finish is so common many people believe that all marble is supposed to be polished or shiny.
Once it s smoothed out the granite can be buffed polished or honed and then sealed for protection. Acidic foods such as lemons or tomato sauce can discolor a granite counter top and mar its beauty. Although it is resistant to etching acids and other corrosive agents may etch its surface. Etching is dulling of the polished granite surface by the chemical action of acids.
Granite and quartzite are also great alternatives. 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. This will maintain the gleam while protecting the porous stone from stains.
If you re researching marble for your kitchen countertop you might be wondering how strong the acid needs to be. Etching is part of the reason i chose honed instead of polished countertops. Since etching can remove the polish or sealant from marble the stone can become more vulnerable to scratching as well.