Care and Maintenance

Q. Is granite safe? A. You may have caught wind of a report circulating that granite countertops are unsafe, harbor bacteria, and can produce disease. This is absolutely false. NIOSH and the CDC have no reports of granite or any other stone used as a... Read More

Q. A cup of lemonade was left on my marble vanity and leaked. It completely etched the spot - the sealer did nothing to prevent this. How can this be repaired? A. Unfortunately, no sealer in the world would have done anything to prevent this from... Read More

Q. My marble coffee table has white stains that I cannot get rid of. Is there a cleaner to remove them?A. Unfortunately, what you are describing are not stains, they are acid etches. The stone has been chemically etched by the neutralization process... Read More

Q. When I am polishing with a powder the marble gets a dull, wavy appearance and sometimes looks rough and dimpled. What’s going on? A. You are describing what is known as "orange peel." Orange peel is the result of using too much acid on the... Read More

Q. How do I treat a metal stain?A. For metal stains, our favorite is a white powder (to be melted in water), which is available at fine hardware stores all over the country under the trade name of "Iron-out." Read More

Q. How do I treat an organic or inorganic stain?A. The chemical of choice for both organic and inorganic stains is hydrogen peroxide (30/40 volumes, the clear type – available at your local beauty salon. The one from the drugstore is too weak, at 3... Read More

Q. How do I create a poultice to remove stains? I know that to remove stains from my granite countertops that I need to make a poultice, but how do I do it?A. Here is how you do it:First, understand what a poultice is. It is simply a chemical or... Read More

Q. Can I remove etching from my stone?A. Maybe. If it is polished marble or travertine or onyx, then there’s hope. If it is hone-finished marble or travertine, or hone-finished slate (like a chalk-board), or mixed "granite" then you’d... Read More

Q. How do I clean my shower grout? A. Many of the shower and grout cleaners on the market can remove not only the grime, but the top layer of the grout as well. This creates bigger holes for hard water, soap scum, and bacteria to hold onto, so you... Read More

Q. Why does black granite fade?A. The answer is, black granite should not fade. Black granite imported from Asia is sometimes doctored with dyes and oils to darken the surface. The fading is nothing more than the dyes and oils being removed. You can... Read More