Products for granite countertop?

[JeffV]

Strange title for a thread I know but, I just installed some granite countertops which apparently require sealing 1x or 2x a year. I'm having trouble believing that granite sealer is that much different than many of the detailing products I already have. Anyone have any recommendations or first hand experience? How about for simple cleaning and daily maintenance? Some of the sealant-type products I have on hand:



Z5 Pro

ZAIO

FMJ

DG105

Finish First (I know this stuff is very old news but this stuff blows me away. Easiest on/off, great shine, great and lasting slickness. Use on anything and everything. If you're in hurry looking for a one-step process, I haven't used anything that beats it - IMHO)



Spray sealants and QD's:

Z8

FK425

AW

Prima Slick



Carnubas!?!)

Pinnacle

Victoria's Red Wax



Among others...

Thanks in advance!

 

[EBPcivicsi]

I actually made a similar thread a few months ago. I have been using the colorox all natural multi-purpose cleaner for daily wipedown--seems to work great so far. I also use QD's from time to time.



I have also applied opti-seal and OCW to the granite--not sure if it helps or not, but it definitely makes subsequent cleanings *much* easier.

 

[Slik560]

I'm not an expert by any means, but a counter-top guy in my area steered me to a product called Gel Gloss. Found it at True-Value Hardware, but it could be anywhere. It comes in a liquid or spray (use the liquid). The liquid looks like a typical clear coat polish. I've used it on coated countertops and acrylic aquariums and it works great. Wipe on with a MF pad (I guess you could use a buffer if you wanted to), let dry, and buff off with MF towels. I believe it's safe to use and leaves no residue after buffing. Welcome to Gel-Gloss

 

[salty]

As there are different types of granite and surfaces, it might be a vague question. Probably best to go to the source.



Last week on a TV show, Holmes on Homes I think, they installed a granite top and conditioned it with vegetable oil and said it should be done twice a year.

 

[BigJimZ28]

As there are different types of granite and surfaces, it might be a vague question. Probably best to go to the source.



Last week on a TV show, Holmes on Homes I think, they installed a granite top and conditioned it with vegetable oil and said it should be done twice a year.

Vegetable oil WILL go rancid!

they prob. used mineral oil



I used a combo of mineral oil & beaswax on my bucher block cutting boards

for years now and they look beter then new

 

[Accumulator]

We have a *lot* of granite and marble in our house- countertops, floors, fireplace surrounds, a big table, even a *wall* with a granite slab on it (that one was Accumulatorette's idea).



Despite all the talk about sealing granite/marble, I just clean ours with Cinch 2-in-1 window/etc. cleaner and I've never sealed 'em. After nearly ten years of this (some of our granite countertops and floors are cleaned *daily* this way and some areas of the kitchen counterops are cleaned a few times every day), they're all in great shape.



If there was any sealant on them when they were new, you can bet it's gone now. No issues at all... :nixweiss No way am I gonna spend one minute more on these surfaces than I already do



Heh heh, the finish on granite tombstones seems to hold up fine with very little maintenance I wash the ones in our family's plots once or twice a year and they're all in nice shape. Sorta surprising that the (presumably acidic) bird bombs don't etch 'em much. (Note that marble is a lot less durable.)

 

[RonMexico]

we have granite counter tops in our house and use a product called Clean EnCounters Countertop Spray Cleaner made by Stone Care International. It costs about $7 for a 32oz bottle and you can find it at the local Home Depot in the Kitchen Remodeling section. Works great and we were turned on to it by a custom home builder.

 

[cajunfirehawk]

Yeah, I though that was one of the selling points, how durable it is, heck its stone, cant get much more durable than that. Just think, in 20 years we will be ripping this out for something called Formica©... :har:

 

[RobD]

I use Simple Green Stone Care 'Streak-free Polish'. It's very good.. slick, looks nice and leaves some protection. It's also good on my faux-marble bathroom countertop. I use it on the bathroom mirror, too.



They also have a stone cleaner, but I haven't tried it.



I've used QuikShine on the granite, it's good too.

 

[Spilchy]

Just remodeled a kitchen, bathroom and fireplace/mantle. I have tons of Italian granite and marble.



I use Formula 409 Natural Stone Cleaner, Clorox GreenWorks Glass cleaner and Seventh Generation Free & Clear All Purpose Cleaner. Each one is safe to use with stone. they are delicate and clean great. All can be purchased fairly cheap at Home Depot or Target.



Formula 409



Glass & Surface Cleaner: Natural Glass & Surface Spray Cleaner | Green Works



All Purpose Cleaner -Green All Purpose Cleaner -Natural Cleaner | Seventh Generation

 

[Spilchy]

Last week on a TV show, Holmes on Homes I think, they installed a granite top and conditioned it with vegetable oil and said it should be done twice a year.

I love that show and would let him build a house for me in a jiffy, but I strongly disagree with the use of vegetable oil or any food oil. I believe it may have been slate he was installing. It is common to do that with slate. I would only use mineral oil (also used as a natural laxative ). The food oils will go rancid unlike mineral oil.



EDIT: Oops, BigJimZ28 beat me to it :doh

 

[salty]

I love that show and would let him build a house for me in a jiffy, but I strongly disagree with the use of vegetable oil or any food oil. I believe it may have been slate he was installing. It is common to do that with slate. I would only use mineral oil (also used as a natural laxative ). The food oils will go rancid unlike mineral oil.



EDIT: Oops, BigJimZ28 beat me to it :doh

You are probably right. I remember them talking about how dense the pore structure was, not sure if that is the proper term.



Ya it's a good show, sometimes a little over the top with what they do.

 

[Spilchy]

You are probably right. I remember them talking about how dense the pore structure was, not sure if that is the proper term.



Ya it's a good show, sometimes a little over the top with what they do.

I've always said if I won the lottery I would want him to build the house (foundation, plumbing, electrical insulation, HVAC, etc...) and I'd find the best craftsman to do all the finishing work. I like that they are over the top but I don't like their finishing work.



My granite guy said my particular granite is so dense it doesn't need sealing.



Here are a few of the roughly 500 images I took over a massive kitchen, bathroom and converted TV room to office remodel that took 6 months.



I do not have any completed pictures yet, but here it is near completion. You can sort of see the green granite which has loads of naturally occurring creams, tans, whites and pinks in it. You can see the marble back splash with glass accent tiles. It is cleaned with the products I mentioned in an earlier post.

Here is the ceramic floor minus the grout. It is cleaned with diluted Clorox Green Works All Purpose Cleaner.

Here is the bathroom marble floor. It is a basket weave pattern with the accent marble around the border. It is GORGEOUS in person. The halogen puck lights make the flake in the tile glitter. As a true Autopian, the blue tape are marks I made for the contractor to fix the grout to my liking!

Here is one of the coolest features of the kitchen; the ceiling. We removed two load bearing walls so a steel "I" beam was inserted in the ceiling to carry the load. They jacked up the floor upstairs to wedge it in and it came down on two posts made of like 10 reinforced 2x6's (5 on either side) that go down to the foundation. If we were to leave the ceiling as is, unfortunately we would have had a bulk head in the middle of the kitchen that would look totally stupid. So the contractor came up with this (EXPENSIVE) solution. We had it painted with Benjamin Moore's Impervo paint so it has a lacquered look to it; gorgeous! (That PVC piping you see is dead. It was spray foamed shut. He left it in there because it is attached to the original piping which goes into original 4 inches of concrete in the ceiling that is the base for the tiling upstairs. To disturb it would have compromised the 90 year old floor upstairs. Since the ceiling was open, all upstairs bathroom plumbing was redone traveling into the basement.

 

[Accumulator]

Spilchy- I simply *LOVE* seeing pics of your place :xyxthumbs I was gonna make some comment about your being wise/tasteful beyond your years but I suspect your family has a lot to do with that



And yeah...tell me about tile guys I finally tossed my contractor's people ("no, you don't understand...you're leaving *now*..") and had somebody good do the work. Went through a few granite guys too before I found somebody good (crusty old guy, Pearl Harbor vet).