Dull White Haze Around Seams of New Black Galaxy Countertop

by Shelley
(Loma Linda, CA)

QUESTION:

I just installed black galaxy granite on my kitchen countertops. It looks nice, shiny and glossy. However, area around 2 out of the 3 seams appeared dulled and not glossy at all.There seems to a white haze surrounding it. When I use the Method Granite cleaner on it, it will appear glossy until seconds later, it dries up and become dulled and whitish again.

The installer says that the white haze/dulled look will disappear within a few months. is that true? What should I do? Please advise. Thanks.

ANSWER:

What you should do is tell the installer that he'll receive his final payment when the dull white haze "goes away."

Did he say what was happening and why it would go away? I'll bet not.

Sounds like the area is simply not polished properly. Black granite when un-polished will look dull and more gray.

Did he apply a sealer to the granite?

Black galaxy typically does not need sealing. Really it won't even take a sealer... it won't absorb and if it dries on the surface it leaves a dull white haze.

So, if he applied a sealer possibly he wiped and dried all excess sealer from the surface properly except around the seams... it may have collected around the seams more than in other areas.

If so, methylene chloride solvent will remove the sealer from the surface.

A long shot and would be rare is if he used a strong acid on the seams to remove excess glue maybe, which etched the granite.

Granite does not etch like marble, so it'd have to be a very strong acid... not likely.

I'd try to remove any possible residue or sealer with the methylene chloride and see if that solves the issue.

If not, the only other suggestion I have without seeing it myself is to have the installer re-polish the area.

But he doesn't deserve to be paid until this problem is resolved... it won't just go away.

Good Luck,
Ryan

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