Honed Absolute Black Granite: Is it driving you Crazy with Finger Prints and Water Rings?

You are not alone! Granite State HydroShield has been getting calls on this issue and have successfully helped our client’s keep their honed absolute black granite looking new and easy to clean.  For four years, this client was frustrated with their 4 year old honed Absolute Black counter tops.  Not anymore! The combination of the beautiful cherry cabinets and honed Absolute Black is stunning and now much easier to keep this way.  Here is a link to our clients Google Review. https://preview.tinyurl.com/y2drzde2

First, an explanation of etch marks often appearing as water rings.  Etch marks are actually from acidic substances removing the stone from the surface.  The good news for granite owners is acid etch marks only occur on calcium based stones like marble, limestone, and travertine. Granite is not a calcium bases stone.  Water marks on granite are not “etched” in the stone. The reason the problem occurs is that granite fabricators only have access to traditional penetrating sealers.  Absolute Black, and many other granites are not porous. When a traditional penetrating sealer or enhancer is applied to a non-porous stone, it has no place to go but stay on the surface.  The applicator may try to buff it off but some residue remains. It is this residue that the water marks or other spots appear in. The reason honed absolute black is prone to show finger prints is the color black shows everything. On top of that, the sheen of the oils against the matt finish of a honed surface make finger prints stand out.

HydroShield can reliable solve these issues because we have a family of proprietary surface protection products.  We are not tied to a one size fits all traditional penetrating sealer. The HydroShield product that we use in this situation forms a covalent bond with the surface molecules of the granite filling in the microscopic valleys making it ultra-smooth, non-stick, residue free surface.  The surface cleans easier, water rings and finger prints happen less frequently and if they do, they are easily wiped clean.  Additionally, because of the covalent bonding, this product cannot evaporate. Traditional penetrating sealers do continuously evaporate.  This is why you may be told by your counter top fabricator that you should reapply a sealer every 6 months to a year.

If you have an upcoming new home or remodel and want love your choice right from the start while avoiding hours of fretting over your new space, tell your builder or granite fabricator you want HydroShield!

Granite State HydroShield, LLC!  What is the State of your Granite?