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Seal or not to seal? A question that I get a lot from my clients. Despite their durable and resistant nature, granite need protection to ensure it retains its original glamour for a long time.

One of the most beautiful bedrocks found in mother nature, granite come in many colors, including shades of ruby red, black, white and gray. Each type requires a different kind of care depending on its surface, texture and porosity of granite.

Sealing granite is as easy as applying butter on bread, but there are few things that you need to know before you self-apply any granite sealant.

Do You Need To Seal Granite?

Without a doubt, yes!

Why?

Natural stones like different colored granite are porous, which means that liquids can easily seep in, damaging the rock, leading to rust and other problems. It is only wise to seal granite countertops with good quality siloxane-based granite sealers.

There are thousands of countertop material options for the kitchen, bathroom and even for outdoor spaces. These sealers are excellent in preventing water-based stains and harsh damages.

It is only logical to take precautions for the stone to stay as young as possible, or else the investment you made will go down the drain.

What is the point of decorating your house or a workplace using quality granite with different color gradients when you end up losing that shine and luster after a while?

The granite countertop industry is blooming every minute. Indoor applications or whether installing outdoors, granite never fail to elevate a place to a whole new different level, shocking the onlookers with their natural beauty.

Like with any other natural stone, the problem with granite is that they have minerals that can oxidize over time, leading to rust formation and staining from liquids.

The use of granite near any area with frequent water use can also create a similar problem. That is why a sealant is what you need to ensure that the stone’s quality stays unaffected, keeping damage at bay.

Whether you are looking for kitchen remodeling or following kitchen design trends, thinking to replace kitchen counters, granite is undoubtedly a pricey kitchen investment but worth all the money.

Sealing your granite ensures your investment gives value for money spent. With an easy application method, these sealers provide protection, securing layers of granite for ages.

How Often Do You Need To Seal Granite?

This is one such question that puzzles many. There is a chance that your granite might not require sealant applications at all. Some granite are considerably resistant, and usually, the black granite variety is not that porous.

Only the varieties that are highly porous in nature need to go through the sealing process.

Speaking of how often you will need to seal a granite depends on how good your stone was previously sealed.

And if you never had a layer of sealer on your natural stone before, then now might be a good time to layer the stone’s surface with a good quality sealer like Granite Gold® or any resin sealer for that extravagant polished granite look.

A small test will help you decide when your granite needs a sealer. All you need is a cup of water. Pour warm water onto a granite table or a granite kitchen countertop and note the time it took for the water to seep in through the stone surface.

Less than a minute or emerging of dark spots means you need good application of sealant, most preferably aliphatic resin sealant. If the liquid seeps in after 30 minutes, your stone is healthy and doesn’t need the layer of sealer for another couple of years.

You probably would not have to think about sealing granite for another five years at the least. A good resin coating will ensure the stone doesn’t damage for a long time, usually offering protection for up to 5 to 10 years.

sealing granite counters

How To Seal Granite Counters?

It takes no effort to apply sealers on granite counters. All you need is a lint-free cloth and a bottle of good quality sealer.

You can apply the sealer yourself without any professional help if you are a DIY savvy homeowner.

Just a few things that you have to be careful about:

  • Make sure the counter is spotless and dry. Use warm water and detergent to clean the counter.
  • Use nothing but dish detergent as a cleaning product. We don’t want harsh chemical on granite that needs sealing. Using harsh chemicals will further add to the damage to the already deteriorating granite surface.
  • Always use a circular motion to clean the surface as it ensures every dirt gets picked up, leaving a spick and span surface behind.

Now that you have done the above, now comes the time to seal the stone. You might need layers of sealer instead of just one. Two to three sealant layers ensure thorough application.

Lighter granite counters need more care as water stains or any residue can be easily spotted. Dark granite colors hide the stains and unwanted accidents but for granite stain protection, the sealing process should be adequately carried out.

Following a simple process, spray the sealer bottle on the surface and use lint-free cloth, to spread the sealer equally throughout the surface by making circular motions.

Be quick in spreading the sealer on the surface to avoid cloudy formation on the stone. Resin coating can turn cloudy if the solution is left for too long unattended.

So be quick and do a small area at a time so that you can cover the stone properly. Keep a gap of 20 minutes between applications before you apply the layer of sealer for the second time with a clean lint-free cloth.

That is all you need to do!

If by chance you do screw up and see the cloudy formation, get the help of a granite expert before you continue with the sealing process.

Best Granite Sealer Options

Deciding on sealants is vital as a poor quality silicon sealant will do more damage than any good. From cloudy formation to rough matte kind of look – more of an eyesore – is what you will end up with if the quality of sealant is bad.

Pint spray bottle or any good quality sealer bottle that are top-rated products like Granite Gold® or Aliphatic resin sealant will do the trick.

Resin-based sealants are best as they offer shine and smoothly layers on the granite, sealing all the pores beautifully, leaving a gorgeous granite countertop behind.

Final Thoughts

It is wise to seal granite countertops. Spending thousands of dollars is only worth it if the investment is going to last. The resale value of your home or workplaces increases by 10 folds if the materials used inside show their value.

Maintenance of granite is pretty easy if you keep it clean, use dish detergent and good quality dry cloth to clean the surface.

A granite countertop company that uses quality granite sealers ensuring fantastic results is hard to find — as many are there to make money more than providing value for their work.

Get in touch with Boston’s countertop experts at 978-447-1001 to get excellent services and straight-to-the-point advice.