Sir Grout of Greater Fairfield County Brings New Life to a New Canaan Customer's Granite Countertops

April 10, 2015

Recently, we received a call from a customer in search of a New Canaan stone polishing company who could bring new life to her granite countertops. The customer told us she was upset because, although they were only eight years old, they had started to lose their luster and look a bit grimy. She couldn't figure out why this was happening since she hadn't been neglecting their upkeep. We assured her we could help and an appointment was scheduled for us to come by later that week.

A few days later, our stone care technician arrived at her home. She greeted him with a smile before inviting him inside to examine the stone. His assessment of the stone, coupled with her answers to a few brief questions regarding the way she had been cleaning and maintaining it, led him to conclude that her cleaning methods were a little off. While this came as a surprise to her, he wasn't surprised at all: many people we encounter are misinformed on how to properly care for the granite surfaces in their home.

The improper cleaning methods the homeowner had been using involved washing the stone with soap and water, and then frequently failing to entirely rinse off the cleaning solution. As a result, soap residue had left a layer of film on the stone, covering up the granite's glossy, polished look. Additionally, the New Canaan customer had often been using a greasy sponge to clean the stone and, when grease gets left behind on granite, it is known to dull the luster and can also make the stone sticky.

Our technician would soon inform her of more appropriate stone cleaning methods, but first he needed to make her countertops look just like new again. His plan for doing so would be an extensive four step process and would include deep cleaning, polishing, sealing, and buffing. The video below demonstrates these procedures being performed:


To start the project, he deep cleaned each of the granite countertops in the customer's home. Next, he polished them in order to restore their lustrous sheen, which was followed soon after by sealing them. The purpose of sealing granite, or any type of stone, is to prevent it from once again losing its luster, as well as to make it better protected against damage from spills. After sealing the countertops, the technician buffed their surfaces. At this point, the project was close to completion, but it wasn't done yet! Now he needed to add a special touch by installing a fresh bead of caulk where the countertop joined with the backsplash. Our technician did this by removing the old caulk, steam cleaning away any existing mold or mildew, and then installing the new caulk. A professional bead of caulk takes a lot of practice, but most would agree it's the icing on the cake.

When the project was finished, the customer was pleased with the brighter, shinier look of her freshly restored granite countertops. However, while our work here was done, hers was just about to begin. If she wanted the stone to retain its beauty, she would need to adopt and implement the proper cleaning practices. Our technician advised her on how to do so, and the most important suggestion he gave her was to switch from cleaning with soap and water to using a soap-less cleaner instead. By making this switch, residue wouldn't get left behind and her granite's lustrous look would be better preserved. After offering her a few additional tips about proper stone care and products, it came time to part ways. Upon leaving the customer's home, our technician was happy to know that the her polished granite countertops were now in better shape and in better-informed hands.

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