GRANITE SEALING CHICAGO

Myths of Granite Sealing

When you have a granite countertop, you want everyone to know how long-lasting, durable, and beautiful it is. To keep it in good shape -sealing is required. However, there are confusions and misconceptions about granite countertop sealing. As a granite user, you must know how to care for this type of material properly. Here are some misconceptions about granite sealing.

• You Need to Reseal Your Countertops Every Year.

You indeed need periodical sealing for your stone countertop. If it’s been a year and you’re not sure if your granite needs resealing, perform a simple test. 

You’ll only need water and a watch.

1. On the stone’s surface, spill a few drops of water. 

2. Start the timer and note the minutes. 

3. If the water gets absorbed in less than 10 minutes, you need to reseal. 

4. If you’ve been timing for almost half an hour already and the puddle is still on the surface, your granite is fine. 

After you performed the test, you’ll probably wonder how often you should reseal it. It depends on four variables to determine the frequency of the resealing. 

1. The rate of the stone to absorb the water. It depends on how dense or porous your granite countertop is.

2. The sealer’s type and quality. If the sealer you used was of good quality, you might have longer intervals in resealing.

3. How was the initial sealing? If the installer has done an excellent job in the first seal, it may still be good enough. 

4. What products did you use for cleaning the countertop? If you often use harmful, strong chemicals to clean and disinfect your kitchen counter, it may have removed the protective sealing quicker than expected. 

The color of your granite can also be a basis for how often you should reseal. Light and white-colored granite countertops may need sealing every one to three years. Dark-colored ones would need resealing every three to five years. Then again, always perform the test to know if you need granite sealing Chicago efficiently to tell if it’s time. Heavy kitchen users tend to overuse their countertops where resealing is needed more than usual.  

• Sealing Prevents All Stains.

Having your countertops sealed will not entirely block stains or prevent absorption. People believe that if they get their granites sealed, a protective film is laid out to stop any spills from staining. This is untrue as sealers only slow down the rate of absorption and not totally block it. 

Sealing will just give you more time to deal with the mess and keep it from being instantly absorbed into the stone. 

• Sealants Make Your Granite Countertop Shiny and Sparkling.

The shiny surface your granite shows off is not from sealers. The shine and sparkle are from a massive polishing machine in the factory where the granites are prepared for selling. Intense friction and diamond abrasives smooth the granite for that shiny polished look. Don’t be confused with sealers and coatings. It is sometimes the topical coatings applied to change the color and shine of the granite, but it is not the sealer that impregnates stone. 

• Sealers protect your countertops from etching, water stains, and glass rings.

This is not true; sealing your granite will not prevent etching. Etching happens when you have physical damage to the stone, like hard scratches from heavy iron skillets. Always use a coaster, placemats, and trivets to avoid any problems such as water stains and glass rings.

You can look for the best granite sealer in Chicago that can handle your everyday use of your kitchen counter. Look for an impregnating stone sealer and not those topical coating ones. Take note that your stone must absorb enough of the sealer you wish to apply to be more effective.