Thursday, November 12, 2009

Cabernet "granite" sealer and residue issues

I purchased honed "Cabernet Granite" (I believe the stone was from Brazil) countertops for my kitchen in March of this year from a local installer. I was assured that they had been sealed properly, and were durable and stain resistant. The stone surrounds my sink, as well as my drop-in cooktop.

The day of the installation, I placed a small bottle of camelina oil (a food supplement to make my dog's coat shinier) on the counter, before putting it away. I did not notice that it had left a ring until the next day. A soap dish with a bar of Ivory soap also left a large stain. The installer applied oil and stain remover to the stains, which only served to move them to the edges of the poultice applications, leaving larger rings. In the months that followed, we found that placing bottles, seltzer cans, etc. left rings on the stone that became extremely obvious whenever the counters were wiped with water.

After four months of complaining to the installers, they concluded that the stone had previously had a coating applied to it that was preventing their sealers from working properly. Their solution was to apply an acid paste to the stone to hopefully remove this sealer, and get the stone back to its original, "raw," form, after which it would take the sealer properly. The acid made the stone much whiter than it had originally been, and the texture is now similar to that of a blackboard. It is difficult to clean any type of food spills off of it, and dragging my mixer, blender, etc. across it makes a horrible screeching sound. The only way that we have found to clean any type of oil spill (including any food spill that has any oil in it -- I use the stone to roll out pie crusts, knead bread dough, etc) is with dish soap and a green scotch-brite sponge. Unfortunately, after scrubbing the counter with the sponge's green side, black residue appears on the yellow side when wiped. I use my laptop on the counter, and my silver bracelet has left squiggly lines all over the area where I use the mouse. I am afraid that the installer's acid solution has damaged the stone, and will lead to further difficulties. The company that sold me the stone has informed me that they have already lost enough money attempting to solve my problem, and that I am now on my own. They explained that the stains, cleaning difficulties, and unusual textures are part of the "patina" that develops on the stone over time.

I am wondering if you have heard of this type of stone, and if you have any suggestions or solutions. It is reddish brown, with pinkish to orange colored blotches, swirls, etc, black veins, and small random white flecks. The stone is hard (I can not scratch it with a screwdriver)except for the white flecks, which are softer than steel. I spoke to a geologist at Montana State University, and he believes that it is a metamorphic rock that was formed from either a sandstone welded together with silica, or a volcanic tuff. He was unable to further narrow his impression of the stone, other than to identify the white flecks as calcite deposits, as they were softer than the surrounding stone, and fizz when acid is applied to them.

If necessary, I will find a way to force the installer to remove the stone, but this will entail at least a week of demolition and replacement of upper cabinets and backsplashes that are currently scribed to the countertops.

Please help me, as I have no health insurance, and can not afford to treat the stomach ulcer and liver cirrhosis that my countertops have caused.

Thank you for your time.
--Mario DiCecco
Bozeman, Montana

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