Is my counter top all right?

March 30, 2016 8:46 PM

I had a granite counter installed in my kitchen last week. It is white with black and gray and brownish streaks, but on the lighter side overall. OMG, it is so pretty, and I feel incredibly classy now. But it keep changing color.

I don't understand this: When it gets wet, it changes color. That sounds weird, because most things change color a little when wet, but I hadn't expected it from something that is already very shiny. Still, when I wipe an area, or spill a little water on it, it stays the same for about 10 seconds, then gradually darkens to a "wet look," even after I dry it. Then it dries back out over some (not watched) period of time.

So I am wondering if this is a sign of some problem. Should it be re-sealed? Or is this pretty normal behavior for a (beautiful) granite counter top?

(The installation company was really nice in overcoming some errors that I made when I cheaped out on some prep work, so I really don't want to call them with a question that might sound stupid. I do not hesitate to bring my stupid questions to you folks.)

posted by SLC Mom to Home & Garden (13 answers total)

Is the granite properly sealed?
posted by mochapickle at 8:49 PM on March 30, 2016 [8 favorites]

Yeah sounds pretty typical. Is it actual granite or another kind of stone?
Sometimes stone is finished more matte and sometimes more shiny.

I wouldn't worry about it but you can put some impregnator on it, something like this : sealant
posted by littlewater at 8:50 PM on March 30, 2016

Call the company - the company that sold the granite itself - before you do anything. Some of that stuff comes pre-sealed and adding sealant yourself will ruin the finish. My granite is sealed and still darkens/lightens with water the way you're describing, but doesn't take any other stains.

But on the other hand if your granite is not sealed, you do need to seal it because otherwise it will stain if you spill juice etc on it. So find out. Don't worry about asking them stupid questions, it's not like you're harassing them, you're just wanting to make the best use of the very expensive product they sold you, they'd much rather you took the right care of it than that you treat it wrong and wind up an unhappy customer.
posted by fingersandtoes at 9:02 PM on March 30, 2016 [4 favorites]

Seconding that you should call the company. You have no reason to innately know what should or shouldn't be done about this, or if it's normal or not, and they presumably will. You spent good money on the product, so they should be more than willing to answer any question you have. (And in this case, it's far from a stupid one, even if it's one they probably get fairly often.)
posted by Aleyn at 10:17 PM on March 30, 2016

I lived in a fancy apartment for a brief period (a year), and the countertop (which I thought was granite) behaved exactly as you describe. I have no long-term data though, sorry!
posted by middlethird at 10:57 PM on March 30, 2016

Yes. Make sure that countertop was completely sealed. My company recently had to deal with a pretty unpleasant situation that centered around a countertop supplier not telling us that a granite countertop they installed at one of our sites was only partially sealed, and what you describe may point to a similar problem. If it is not completely sealed, it may be possible to seal it in place. Granite countertops normally do come fully sealed from the manufacturer, but not always! We really wish we had known, and will be asking every single time in the future.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 5:06 AM on March 31, 2016

Response by poster: It is sealed. I was cautioned about using cleaners and windex and stuff on it lest that be damaged. I will call to double check though.
Thanks for the advice and for the stories about other countertops that have acted this way.
posted by SLC Mom at 6:24 AM on March 31, 2016

Who told you it was sealed? Call the manufacturer directly and make sure they can tell you that your specific countertops are fully sealed. In our case our kitchen design subcontractor thought it was sealed, we thought it was sealed, and the homeowners thought it was sealed. However the countertop manufacturer had not fully sealed it and either didn't tell the kitchen designer or the kitchen designer didn't tell us (and we didn't ask because in he past we'd always worked with countertop manufacturers who sealed their counters at the factory as a matter of course) so the homeowners ended up being misinformed. The countertop manufacturer was also reluctant to tell us about the sealing issue (they came out and tried a variety of "fixes" to remove staining and repair the finish before telling us that the counter was only partially sealed and that we were supposed to finish the job on-site after installation) so for a while we were laboring under the impression that there was a different problem.

As I said the whole situation became a giant pain in the ass and we ended up having to replace the countertops with ones from a different manufacturer entirely. And we're a contracting company, so we tend to be more aware of these things than your average homeowner since we do this stuff all the time. Definitely double check, and go straight to the source. While you're at it, find out what they recommend for periodic maintenance—many homeowners don't know this, but granite countertops are usually supposed to get periodic reapplications of sealant to keep them looking good.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 6:55 AM on March 31, 2016 [4 favorites]

I don’t know much about granite countertops, but our current apartment has them in the bathrooms and the kitchen. They appear to be the same stone, but the bathroom countertops are like you describe: water soaks into them. The kitchen countertop is impervious to water. It’s obviously been sealed/treated in some way to make it more water and stain resistant than the bathroom countertops. I’d press your installer to tell you about different methods of sealing your countertop.
posted by Kriesa at 8:08 AM on March 31, 2016

Our granite countertops are 15+ years old, who knows if they're sealed, they don't stain, we clean them with soapy water and occasionally specialized products meant for granite. They're a mid-tone grey, and if water sits on them for more than 15 minutes or so the wet spot will darken temporarily. As the stone dries out, the color changes back. As I said, no staining, just darkening when wet (and my partner, who builds houses, says this is pretty normal). If you're nervous, why not have another layer of sealant applied?
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 9:14 AM on March 31, 2016

It might be fake granite, a composite. Better find out if that is what you got.
posted by Oyéah at 8:41 PM on March 31, 2016

Composite countertops don't generally require sealing, to my knowledge. They're made of a combination of crushed quartz and epoxy, basically, and are non-porous. That's one of their major selling points—of the various common countertop materials out there, they're pretty much the most consistent, durable, and maintenance-free that there is. Water wouldn't soak into them. Also they look different—the pattern in true granite is somewhat irregular, often with streaks and patches of different color in it, whereas engineered stone (aka quartz, engineered stone, composite, silestone, etc.) is generally pretty regular since the particles of stone are all evenly mixed.

Plus, it would be super duper shady and definitely illegal to sell engineered stone as granite, and the risk of being caught would be really high—they look somewhat similar but are definitely different materials and you'd never get away with it if someone called you on it. They often come from different manufacturers as well, with some countertop makers specializing in engineered stone and others in natural stone. Engineered stone is also a very popular, high quality, consistent product in its own right and contractors love selling it on its own merits. The profit margins on engineered stone are good, it's less prone to manufacturing errors, and it generates fewer callbacks than natural stone. There's no reason I can think of why a contractor would try to pass off engineered stone as granite—you'd more than likely get called out on it, and you'd be totally 100% in the wrong. If the customer is set on granite or marble, it's much safer to just jack up the price to cover the additional cost and possible hassle, and then give the customer what they want.

I'm not saying it never happens, but I've never heard of it happening.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 6:32 AM on April 1, 2016 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks all. I've been reassured by all of you and by the manufacturer and the installer.
All's well and beautiful.
posted by SLC Mom at 4:36 PM on April 3, 2016