Can This Countertop Be Saved? (May 2006)

  … well, the last question alone usually determines whether something can be fixed or not.
  There’s almost nothing man can do to stone that can’t be fixed. Notice that I said almost; if someone decides to give Negro Marquina the old acid bath for a week, chances are, there’ll be little stone left.
  Short of a disaster, though, it’s possible to save nearly any countertop, and we’ll take a look at several scenarios. However, much of this comes down to the issue of price – and, at that point, the ball rolls back into the customer’s court.
  For example, with our business, we don’t show up in a driveway, ready to work, for less than $500. When I mention that to a customer, they usually need a few minutes to catch their breath before I send the paramedics to their house (and that’s yet another good reason to have Caller ID).
  Most of the time, our initial estimates for most items are a lot higher than that. It all depends on the type of stone and what needs to be done to it. It’s always good to qualify your customers before you run over to their house, so they don’t pull you around for a few hours expecting you to remove scratches and stains for minimum wage like a janitor.
   The bottom line here is: Usually it can be fixed, but is the customer willing to pay for it?
  When we’re doing $10,000 worth of work on a customer’s floors and/or walls, fixing a scratch on a granite countertop is small potatoes; we’ll usually include it in the whole price, so the customer doesn’t worry about the cost. But if they’re calling about one drink ring in their marble coffee table, or a chip in their granite around the sink, customers tend to get a little cheap.
  Pricing aside, let’s take a look at a few incidents to see what can be done to remedy some common countertop issues – and, with some forethought by installers, eliminate the causes in the first place Consider this some counter intelligence. (And, yes, it’s a joke. Please laugh.)
 
  Case # 1 – The Water Ring
  This usually happens on marble, but can appear on some granites (see The Ghost Stain which follows this case). No, it is not a stain; if it were, it would be darker and not lighter.  This is when something acidic eases away (or is neutralized by) the marble (aka calcium carbonate).
  When customers call, they always ask if we can remove the stain (or ring). I always bite my tongue, because I want to say, “Technically, we remove the stone around the ring which makes it less noticeable. and not the ring, because the stone has already been removed where the ring is.” Instead, I take down the address and assign the job.
  There are two options for this situation:
  a. Polish with a marble polishing compound. This is designed to create a polished surface without smoothing the stone. Although this method does not actually remove any stone around the ring, it does camouflage the ring by making it appear polished. It usually brings the color back to the stone but not the intense gloss you might expect. Light will also bend in the ring.
  This option is for your more-frugal customers – the ones that want perfection, but not necessarily the price tag associated with it. (And see how fast pricing gets into the picture?)
  b. Grinding and blending. The best (and most-expensive) method is to actually remove the stone around the ring by grinding it smooth and blending back with diamond abrasives. The light does not bend at such a sharp angle in the area, and is therefore unnoticeable.
  This is the solution that always works; unfortunately, theres’ the bill-paying and keeping-the-lights-on situation going on back at the office, which demands that you charge enough to keep in business. A few customers have a problem with this, so they would say the problem is unfixable –even though it can be done.
  Success Rate: 100 percent (when the customer is willing to pay).
 
  Case # 2 – The Ghost Stain
 
  Much like the water ring, this isn’t really a stain; it only appears as one. It can happen on any stone.
  The cause of this is usually due to either too much impregnating sealer. or none at all. Sound confusing? Let me explain.
  With too much impregnator on stone, it is usually a case of a film or coating of the product on the surface of the stone counter. Either the stone didn’t require a sealer in the first place, or it had extra applications of sealer after it absorbed its limit.
  Impregnators need to be inside the stone, not on it. When the film sits on the surface without being properly removed, moisture can get underneath it and cause a haze or staining appearance.
  This bit of ghosting can usually be removed by following the sealer manufacturer’s instructions for removal; in extreme cases, you may need to use MEK (methyl ethyl ketone, a solvent that’s nasty stuff) or a marble-polishing compound. Why a marble-polishing compound works on something like granite is a bit hazy in itself to me, but it has something to do with the acid in the compound and the superfine abrasives. If you’re working with a honed countertop, honing powders will remove an impregnating-sealer film.
  If the ghosting is on unsealed stone, it’s the result of moisture absorbed into the stone; as it evaporates, it disappears. Hopefully, it’s only water (see the next case). If so, wait for the moisture to go away and seal it.
  Success Rate: 100 percent (Most customers are willing to pay.)
 
  Case # 3 – The Darkening Around The Stove
 
  The very title should clue us into the problem (other than the fact that these case names sound like horror movie titles). It’s usually an oil stain on a counter that:
  • should have been sealed;
  • is sealed with the wrong stuff; or
  • isn’t sealed enough with the right stuff.
  The solution here is to poultice the oil out with a talc-and-degreaser mix. It may take a few attempts (and 72 hours between each one), but it should come out. Once you have the stain demons out, you can baptize the counter with an all-sin-protecting holy water, AKA a good-quality impregnator.
  Success Rate: 100 percent (if customer is willing to pay for multiple visits to make poultice, remove poultice, repeat if necessary, and then seal).
 
  Case # 4 – The Plumbers Putty
 
  Remember, again, that I said that there’s almost nothing man can do to stone that can’t be fixed? Here’s that exception that proves the rule.
  Around faucets on granite, you may see dark staining. This is due to the oils in the plumbers putty that they put in around the metal faucets to prevent water seepage. The difficulty here is the compound penetrates into the stone from the side – and, the putty also may contain some type of hardener
  This can be likened to applying a color enhancer on the edge of the stone. You do not know how much has entered, how far it has penetrated, and if it will ever come out. Another factor making this a tough repair is the fact that you still have the staining material – the putty itself – that needs to be removed from the fixtures.
  Success Rate = None. (Hey, even the best teams know when to punt on fourth down.)
 
  With most problems, countertops can be saved, but – if you’re a restoration pro — you need to ensure that you’re compensated for your time. And, if fabricators want to keep customers happy, make sure the stone is sealed properly when installed … and you can avoid many of these problems right from the start.
  Tom McNall is founder and owner of Great Northern Stone Care, a Huron Park, Ontario-based stone-cleaning and -restoration company servicing all of southern Ontario. Tom also offers corporate and private consultation, serves as a trainer for the MIA, and is also on the organization’s board of directors. He can be reached at tom@greatnorthernstone.com