Water Etching on Black Quartz Countertops
by Catherine D.
QUESTION:Good Morning, What a great website! Thank you for being here. 2 years ago we chose black quartz countertops for our kitchen. We love it.Only, recently we have noticed some rings around rinsed dishes/glasses that sit on the counter over night. This is only water, (not left over wine or coffee glasses, or even oil - just water). These spots are barely noticeable - if at all - until I wet the surface to clean it. Then they stand out. I have not noticed anything like this happening until the past 3-6 months. What should we do to solve these remaining rings, and what can we do to save our countertops from further rings/damage? Thanks so much. ANSWER:Well quartz countertops are marketed as if they cannot etch or be stained, but those in the stone industry know this is not true.Quartz countertops do stain (not easily, but do) and can even be damaged similar to etching by some chemicals. The drawback of quartz countertops vs. granite countertops or other natural stone is that stone can almost always be repaired while quartz is very difficult and usually cannot be repaired once damaged. I assure you that it is not simply "water" that is causing the rings. I'm assuming that the rings become apparent when wet like you stated AND that you cannot clean or wipe them away. I'd have to guess the most likely cause is soap residue left on the glasses. Some soaps can etch (especially dishwasher soaps) and you'd have to rinse your glasses with probably 10 times the water you actually use to completely rid the glasses of soap residue. There may be some type of bleach or other highly alkaline substance in the soap that is causing the problem. Now, maybe these are glasses that have been used and rinsed to await washing... well, the rinsing simply wets the soap residue from a previous washing and the water carries the residue down to the countertop surface. It's curious that this seems to be a new development, but I'd question if you've recently started to use a new product that contacts the glasses at some point? You might try rubbing a fine 0000 grade steel wool pad on the area (test on an more hidden area first) which may re-polish the rings enough to remove them. Otherwise, you'd have to hire a pro experienced with quartz countertops to re-polish the area, but honestly I'd probably learn to live with them rather than risk a polishing mistake. Hand polishing stone/quartz is difficult. Also, call the manufacturer an get their take on what may be occurring and the best way to possibly resolve. To protect in the future I'd use only very mild soaps and maybe use a rubber mat to store the rinsed glasses. Good Luck, Ryan
|
