View topic - Stained Granite Counters :: Stone Advice You have no new messages Log out [ al ] Get Allied! Stained Granite Counters Stone Advice Forum Index -> Stone Advice Forum View previous topic :: View next topic AuthorMessage Roberts Good Friend Joined: 06 Aug 2006 Posts: 12 Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 4:22 am Post subject: Stained Granite Counters My wife and I had dinner at a bachelor friend's home Friday night. About 2 years ago my friend had granite counters installed (Santa Celia?) and the counters were never sealed. The grease stains next to the cooktop have darkened the stone so much that it is unrecognizable and the water stains next to the sink and faucet are just as bad. How can I help him to clean up these stains and then what sealer is the best to use here in strict VOC enforcement California? Back to top Mark Gamble Uber Friend Joined: 07 Feb 2006 Posts: 826 Location: Neustadt, Ontario Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 10:15 am Post subject: There are poultices that may help deep stains. There are a variety of things to use. Some of the stain experienced people should chime in soon. _________________ Mark Gamble, SFA Standing Stone Innovations Back to top Curtis Marburger Platnum Fez Cap Wearing Super Homeboy Joined: 03 Sep 2005 Posts: 4711 Location: Central Pa Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 11:04 am Post subject: This can be taken care of by a pro with a poultice. Look for a SFA member in your area _________________ Get Allied, Join the SFA www.cornerstonegranite.com Support Our Troops http://www.homesforourtroops.org Back to top AFC Good Friend Joined: 30 Jul 2007 Posts: 10 Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 12:12 pm Post subject: The poultice is the right way to go.I have been using homemade remedies for 15 years with mixed results depending on the staining agent and the stone.Contact me and i will forward you a trial recipe.I am mid installation of a pedrini saw,exiting,so i will reply first chance i get. _________________ Ben Hogan American floor covering Manchester Back to top Rick4 Best Friend Joined: 03 Jan 2007 Posts: 336 Location: Rockford, IL Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 12:51 pm Post subject: A product called "Mangia Machia" has worked well for me in the past at removing some stains, but to that extent will probably take a few applications. You really should have a SFA member in your area to help out with this. Where are you from and some here will be glad to help?? _________________ Rick George, SFA Lonnie's StoneCrafters Rockford, IL Back to top Curtis Marburger Platnum Fez Cap Wearing Super Homeboy Joined: 03 Sep 2005 Posts: 4711 Location: Central Pa Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 1:20 pm Post subject: Quote: [b]in strict VOC enforcement California?[b] a pro will know what to use in your area _________________ Get Allied, Join the SFA www.cornerstonegranite.com Support Our Troops http://www.homesforourtroops.org Back to top Mr. Mike Best Friend Joined: 03 Aug 2005 Posts: 288 Location: W.P.B, FL Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 1:59 pm Post subject: oil & water stains I've had mixed results with stain removal. I find that they only "fully" come out 50% of the time; so don't get your hopes up. On a good note; since it wasn't sealed, the stain should poultice out easier. As far as the actual ingredience for the poultice-I'll leave that up to whatever SFA, NSRA or average skilled tradesmen you hire for the job. Back to top Jeff Leun Uber Super Dooper Friend Joined: 16 Mar 2005 Posts: 1519 Location: chattanooga Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 10:23 pm Post subject: any stained can be removed, but its possible it could take up to 30 days of back and forth, polutice 3 days, let dry 1 repeat _________________ Get allied, Join the SFA, Dont get left in the slurry Jeff Leun, SFA The Stone Haus Inc Surface Treatment Technologies " Good things come to those who wait, but only whats left by those who hustle" Abe Lincoln Back to top Chicagostonepro Trusted Friend Joined: 28 Apr 2007 Posts: 73 Location: Chicago Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 7:35 am Post subject: Definitely best to have a pro check it out for you. Stone Tech Oil Stain Remover is effective for the cooktop area. Won't etch the polish, don't have to cover it either. The only problem with it is, it's around $20.00 for a pint can, which covers less than two square feet. Could take three applications, if the stain is deep. Make sure the poultice is truly dry before scraping it off. If you scrape it too soon, too much solvent residue remains in the stone, and can take forever to dry. You'll probably find the problem around the cooktop is a larger area than you realize. It can show up after the solvent from the poultice is finished flashing off. Sometimes I work oil stains with acetone and a heat gun, instead of poultice. It's a royal pain, and if you don't know what you're doing, you can ruin a top, but the stain is gone in a few hours instead of a couple weeks. The oil stains are pretty straightforward. The ones around the sink may be from dishsoap, a very different animal. This should definitely be checked out by someone with experience. I use Stone Tech Impregnator Pro for sealing most granites. It's solvent base, and I just find it resists oil longer than other sealers, giving the homeowner time to clean up before oil can set in. Good luck. _________________ Phil Albee "Amazing. No matter how many times he cuts it, it's still too short." - Said the stone guy to the trim carpenter's assistant. Back to top Stone Dude Best Friend Joined: 09 May 2007 Posts: 294 Location: Southern California Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 1:17 pm Post subject: the stone tech poultice in a can is retarded, IMO, it doesnt work worth a poop. the best powder ive found so far is diatomacious (check my spelling) earth. you can find it at a pool supply store, its like baby powder. youre supposed to use certain liquids for certain based stains, such as citrus based for oil, peroxide for organic etc. ive had success with laquer thinner, hydrogen peroxide (the stronger one you get from a salon), bleach and a few other things. you dont want to go spending all that money on poop in a can. the cheapest test you can do is about 10-15% bleach w/ 85-90% water. soak a paper towel in it and let it sit on there till it dries. if it doesnt work, call someone in to look at it. if it comes out a little bit, keep trying it. it may come all they out, it may come half way out, or it may not come out at all. i just dealt with this about a month ago. oil stains on a light colored granite, there for life i couldnt get them to come out at all. if you use the powder with a laquer thinner or somehting similar, i like to seal it up. cover it with plastic and tape the edges so no air gets in or out. it may take up to 3 days to dry, but be patient. it turns back into a powder then just sweep it off. _________________ Cameron DeMille Natural Stone Restoration @ DeMille Marble & Granite MIA member check out DeMilleMarble.com Back to top kdnoel Uber Friend Joined: 21 Feb 2006 Posts: 1071 Location: North Carolina Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 1:43 pm Post subject: Bellinzoni "Mangia Macchia" has saved me more than once and I would recommend it. This is a consumer question and I think we should be a little more helpfull. We are pro's and used to do the stain removal ourselves but it requires multiple trips and wastes a lot of time. Recently I have actually "rented" out my stain remover with plastic bag, plastic putty knife, and clear consise instructions for the home owner and then followed up with a trip charge and impregnator fee and it has worked well for both parties. Let's start embracing the consumer here instead of forcing them to go somewhere like HGTV. They do pay all my bills. _________________ Kevin Noel Century Stone Proud SFA Member! Ubuntu Back to top Stone Dude Best Friend Joined: 09 May 2007 Posts: 294 Location: Southern California Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 1:09 am Post subject: KDNOEL, thats what i was aiming at. more often than not, the consumers themselves can remove a stain just as well as any of us, if educated properly on what to use and when. the bleach/water and paper towel i think is something i recommend the most, because almost everyone has bleach around. the peroxide would be my second recommendation. _________________ Cameron DeMille Natural Stone Restoration @ DeMille Marble & Granite MIA member check out DeMilleMarble.com Back to top Chicagostonepro Trusted Friend Joined: 28 Apr 2007 Posts: 73 Location: Chicago Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 5:23 am Post subject: I just finished removing an oil stain in Giallo Ornamental that had been started with that Bellinzoni poultice. It's a good product. It started out working okay on this oil stain, but the fabricator ran into a time limit, and sent me in to finish it up. I didn't have to use any poultice, was able to use one of my short-cuts. Stone Dude, I use Diatomaceous earth sometimes. I also use kaolin clay. Sometimes whiting. Sometimes cotton rags or paper towels. Sometimes I'll use these media with solvents, sometimes surfactants, sometimes peroxide, sometimes hypochlorite bleach. Sometimes I don't bother with a poultice at all. I probably have a bit more experience than you at this. I mixed my first poultice in 1989. Bleach in any poultice media won't do squat against oil. D-Limonene (citrus solvent) can etch marble and some "granite" unless you happen to know how to inhibit it from doing that. Lacquer thinner can work, but can impart a stain of its own - which is perhaps why you end up using bleach to finish up the oil stain. I'm thinking the reason the Stone Tech poultice failed you, was that you tried it on something it wasn't designed to address. Or, maybe you're blowing smoke. I agree with Kdnoel. That's why I recommended the Stone Tech Oil Stain Remover poultice-in-a-can. It works, and works well. It won't etch anything. The toxic load isn't high. It's easy to use. I've never had it fail on any oil stain I've used it on. The directions on the can are exactly how it works. The Bellinzoni Mangia Macchia might also do the trick, may cost a little less, but the process takes longer. It has a good reputation. _________________ Phil Albee "Amazing. No matter how many times he cuts it, it's still too short." - Said the stone guy to the trim carpenter's assistant. Back to top kdnoel Uber Friend Joined: 21 Feb 2006 Posts: 1071 Location: North Carolina Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 2:06 pm Post subject: Hey Roberts were you able to help your friend out? I hate to hear about "stained granite"... _________________ Kevin Noel Century Stone Proud SFA Member! Ubuntu Back to top Mr. Mike Best Friend Joined: 03 Aug 2005 Posts: 288 Location: W.P.B, FL Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 2:08 pm Post subject: stain removal I had a real hard time with a dishwashing soap stain. It wasn't antibacterial & it had lavender & sh*t in it,( perfect breading ground for bacteria). I tried: 40%peroxide, degreaser, stripper then finally toulene-which, sadley set the stain. So after 4 or 5 trips; I was unsuccesful. Um...how do you properly remove soap stains Back to top Stone Dude Best Friend Joined: 09 May 2007 Posts: 294 Location: Southern California Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 3:42 pm Post subject: i would say you do have more experience, since i was only 6 years old in 1989. i dont know why youre being a %^&*, i wasnt trying to be. ive only ever used the stone tech poultice on an oil stain (which is what it was made for), and i followed the instructions to a T. im not blowing smoke, maybe it would work for me if i tried it again? relax dude i was just trying to help. _________________ Cameron DeMille Natural Stone Restoration @ DeMille Marble & Granite MIA member check out DeMilleMarble.com Back to top Roberts Good Friend Joined: 06 Aug 2006 Posts: 12 Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 6:03 am Post subject: Thanks for all the advice. After this holiday passes I intend to try some of your recommended remedies. Thanks again. Back to top Kowboy Trusted Friend Joined: 22 Nov 2006 Posts: 117 Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 11:26 pm Post subject: All: I'm a member of www.servicemagic.com and get referrals for repairing and refinishing solid surface countertops. In over a decade, I've never met a top that I couldn't fix. I have a two hundred dollar minimum, if the customer is cool with that, I come out and fix it, no estimating. Payable upon satisfactory completion, I've never been stiffed. Servicemagic charges me seven bucks for each repair lead, whether or not I do them. The other day a I get a lead for a lady whose sister has stained their mother's granite countertop with some sort of cleaning solution. I can get a credit for my seven bucks from servicemagic because granite clearly isn't solid surface which I signed up for, but I'm thinking with the Michigan economy, I need all the two hundred dollar jobs I can get. How hard can this be? Well, I turn to Stoneadvice and read this thread. Yikes! It sounds like I could buy thousands of dollars of customer ill will for two hundred bucks if the stain dosen't come out or is made worse. Let's say I buy the Mangia Macchia, drive a half hour, wait ten hours and pray, drive another half hour. Let's say it's better but needs reapplication. I'm headed for a minimum wage job in a hurry. Michigan is slow, but I'm not that desperate yet. I can hear you now, "Charge more." you say. She's already told me they got a price from a guy in the phone book of $400.00 and that's too much. (He's got an hour drive each way.) So even if I fix it, if the price doubles, I'm the bad guy. Naagoonndoit. I'm risking much more than the money. Servicemagic offers your customers the opportunity to review your work publicly. It is a tremendous sales tool. Right now, I've got a 4.61 rating out of a possible 5. If this lady's mother isn't pleased, I could get my rating trashed in a hurry for two hundred lousy bucks. Nuh-uh. I didn't fabricate or install this granite. I didn't not seal it. I didn't stain it with the cleaner, but the minute I spread the poultice, I own this thing from now on. No thank you. I'm going to link the sister to the Mangia Macchia website and let her decide what she wants to do. If it works, I look great. If she has to reapply it several times, well, do you visit your mother often enough? If it doesn't work, she'll have a hell of a hard time making it my fault and I get my seven bucks back from Servicemagic. Oh yeah. Thanks Stoneadvice, I owe you, Kowboy P.S.: http://www.servicemagic.com/servlet/SPRatingsServlet?mode=allRatings&spEntityID=6355465&link_id=5470[/url] Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Stone Advice Forum Index -> Stone Advice ForumAll times are GMT Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Welcome to the #1 most visited natural stone site in the world!----------------Stone Advice AnnouncementsStone Advice ForumThe Digital ShopThe Soap BoxStone World Lounge Join The Stone Fabricators Alliance! 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