Type of Sealer & Guarantees
by Sherry
QUESTION:I am thinking of buying Sensa granite which has a sealer guarantee of 15 years, but I read about Granite Shield which is supposed to be guaranteed a lifetime. Which actually works or is better?ANSWER:Well, both are excellent sealers/products and you will get great long-term protection from either. Far better than the last generation of sealers, which are still very good.Both sealers are based on advanced chemical technology that forms permanent bonds with the stone, so you'll likely get "lifetime" protection from both of them. I don't think either Granite Shield or Sensa/SenGuard can claim superiority at this point since neither has been on the market long enough to "test" their warranties. Granite Shield certainly has the more aggressive marketing being willing to stand behind a lifetime warranty vs. 15 years for Sensa. It doesn't convince me that Granite Shield provides any better or more durable protection than Sensa though. It's likely that Silestone is very confident their Sensa Granite will also guard against stains for a lifetime, but is hesitant to make claims it cannot yet prove. From a purely business perspective they ought to offer lifetime because their risk is very small and it would eliminate any marketing advantage by Granite Shield. So, my take is that you'll get the same level and length of protection with either sealer and that you are highly un-likely to ever need to invoke the warranty on either product. If you did, Granite Shield does have the better warranty. But again, chances are it'll be a very rare case that you'd need it, so it's more of a marketing advantage than a true product advantage. And even if your granite did stain, it's an easy repair in all but the most severe cases and you're not likely to have a severe case with either sealer. So, my opinion is that the warranties are of little value and not a factor that I would use to decide on which product to buy. And neither can honestly claim a performance advantage. Granite Shield can be applied to any stone, however it must be applied by a licensed applicator (which are not as numerous as Sensa installers) so may or may not be available in your area. Sensa, is a the "brand" name of granite pre-treated with SenGuard sealer. SenGuard can be applied to any stone as well, but Sensa is not offered in every granite color. It is available almost everywhere in North America though, so you'll likely get better prices on Sensa. Regards, Ryan P.S. Get all the facts, answers, explanations and simple solutions with step-by-step instructions for any issue, problem or question with our Granite & Marble Maintenance Manuals.
|
