Etch Mark-Victimized Stone Countertop in Greenwich, CT, Makes a Full Recovery

May 26, 2015

On your stone countertops, when you see spots of damage, do you know what caused them? The story of a recent customer's etched stone countertop can help you figure it out.

A common misconception many people have when unattractive markings show up on the stone surfaces in their homes, primarily on their floors or countertops, is that the damage was caused by water, when in reality it was caused by etching. In fact, it's rare for stone to experience water damage. Etching, however, is a problem we see all the time. When acid interacts with stone, it eats away at the surface in a process called etching. Etch marks can be caused by a number of acidic instigators, including coffee, juice, wine, and a multitude of cleaning products.


As shown in the video above, Claire, a customer in Greenwich, CT, was recently faced with this issue. Once beautiful and lustrous, the stone countertop in her master bathroom had now grown dull and was covered with etch marks. Claire knew fixing it up would require the help of a Greenwich stone honing company, which is why she decided to give us a call. After explaining her situation to us, she scheduled an appointment to have Sir Grout come by later that week.

When we arrived at her home, she invited us in and led us to the countertop in her master bathroom. Though she believed it had fallen victim to water damage, after seeing it for ourselves we politely corrected her. In actuality, the damage had been caused by etching. We told this to Claire and she asked if it could be fixed. We assured her it could and explained the process we planned to use: cleaning, honing, and sealing.

It was then time to get to work. Before we could hone the stone, we first needed to clean it. This would ensure all excess dirt and debris covering the countertop had been removed. Next came honing. This step would remove any etch marks or other damage that could be seen on the stone by using diamond abrasives to wear away at the stone so that the entire surface could be uniform in appearance once again. Once this step was complete, a dramatic difference could already be seen on the countertop, though we were not done yet. We still had one step left to complete: we needed to seal it. This step is of high importance since it would make the countertop more durable by protecting it from potential sources of damage. After Sir Grout's impregnating sealer had been applied, the countertop was now ready to be shown to Claire.


When Claire saw the beautiful transformation of the stone surface, which you can see for yourself in the video above, she couldn't stop smiling. Not a single etch mark could be seen, and it was now as lustrous as when it was first installed. We were glad she was satisfied with the results, but we explained to her that she would need to care for it properly in order to sustain the newly restored appearance. The most important care tip we gave her was to never use bleach or ammonia-based cleaning products. Instead, she should be using cleaners with a neutral pH-level since they wouldn't lead to the formation of etch marks.

After thanking us for our help, she asked if we'd be able to tackle another restoration project in her master bathroom: the shower. Stay tuned - we'll be blogging about that project soon! In the meantime, if your own stone countertop has acquired etch marks, don't hesitate to give us a call!

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