Black Galaxy Water Spots
by Lisa Phimmasone
QUESTION:I just recently had installed Black Galaxy graninte countertops in all bathrooms, the kitchen countertops and island. I have so many water stains/water rings that it's driving me insane.I am constantly cleaning and wiping down water that splatters onto the granite. It gets very tiresome. I use a spray for cleaning granite countertops and a polisher twice a week to maintain it. But, my question is should I seal it? I know that Black Galaxy is a dense granite, but is there no other way to deal with the water spots/water rings? How do I go about removing the water rings? ANSWER:If you are getting water spots and rings and cleaning the granite countertops doesn't remove them and a granite sealer has not been applied, then most likely you have a "doctored" granite.This is a problem with black granite countertop slabs. Some unscrupulous dealers apply a coloring agent that makes the granite "blacker" so it can be sold for more. The substance applied is what gets etched and/or leaves glass-rings... not the granite itself. The black galaxy is not being stained. Sealing will not help this. Although, sometimes if a sealer is applied to a dense granite that really doesn't need it a residue can remain on the surface that may etch leaving glass-rings, etc. In other words, something is on top of your granite causing a problem. The doctoring agent and/or sealer residue must be stripped using a solvent like methylene chloride. However, if the spots you are talking about are simply water that has splattered and dried, but can be wiped clean, then that is just the nature of a dark and shiny surface... you can see all that at certain angles. So yeah, if you use your countertops constantly, then you'll have to wipe them down constantly IF you want them to always be shiny and spotless. If the "water" spots and rings appear permanent, then you have a possible case of fraud being sold a "doctored" granite. You can test for this with the Forensic Granite Test Kit, which will identify the cause of this issue.  Good Luck,Ryan P.S. Get all the facts and simple step-by-step solutions to any problem with our Granite & Marble Maintenance Manuals.
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