Should I seal my granite countertop?

Question

I recently redid my kitchen and brought new granite countertops. The company that did the installation was crappy and I had to put in my own supports and other odds and ends that I thought was standard for installation. I asked if the granite was sealed, and they said they didn’t know. I have two questions, how can I tell if the granite is sealed, and if I find it isn’t, do you know of a product that I can use myself?

Answer 1

There are a lot of bad fabricators installing granite these days. I have seen everything from edges that are waxed instead of polished and tops that are dyed to make them look like a more expensive stone than the fabricator purchased. If they did a bad job there is no reason to believe any of it is done right.

Do the water test suggested above. It will tell you if it needs sealing. It likely does. I would also watch the edges. If they start to go dull in a few months then you really got taken. Polished edges will last a lifetime. Waxed edges a few months. Polishing takes about 15 minutes a foot with very expensive tools. Waxing takes seconds with cheap wax. This is only one example of many tricks to pass off bad granite countertops.

All granite countertops are not created equal. If you purchased from a guy with lawn sign working with only a cell phone as many today do you got what looks like a good price for a countertop but wait until you try and get warranty work. Good luck because if your installer did not know if it was sealed and you are already doing corrective work you are likely to be even more disappointed in the future as the top ages.

Answer 2

you can leave some water for an hour and see if the granite gets darker. If it does -then it's not sealed. It will dry in a day or so.

I personally prefer not to seal it, because the sealant changes the color of granite. If you clean up the liquids right away it will be fine. Especially oils, wine and tomato juice.

Many stores sell granite sealers, usually the companies that sell granite have high quality things. It's very easy to apply yourself, just wet the countertop and let it dry. The first time you may need to do it a few times. Usually you have to reseal the granite every year or so but i hear the new sealants last for years.

Answer 3

Yikes!!!! OMG!!!!! I cannot fathom a granite supplier not knowing if a permanent sealer was applied in the polishing process of their product. I would be talking to the owner of said company for answers. The granite comes to all fabricators from the miller and they know what finish is on them. Ask the right questions and you will get he right answers. There is no test that can tell you if it is sealed or not. Unless you paid way less that common market value I have to believe it is sealed. Absolutely no suppliers that I do business with would dare to supply unsealed, polished granite.

Answer 4

To know whether your counter needs sealing, try to sprinkle some water on it and see if it beads up, if it doesn't, it time to seal your granite. Also if you already noticed some water spot on your granite it means the sealer is weak. If you notice this happening it is time to reseal your granite.

Answer 5

I recently did research when we had new counters installed and the overall recommendation was to use 511 impregnator sealer-at Lowes or home depot. Afterwards I found out that our granite installer uses that. Spend but it soaks in and lasts a very long time.