Make Dull Granite Countertop Shiny

QUESTION:

My granite counter top is dull and has always been dull.


I want my counter top to shine like my other friends counter in their kitchens. What can I do or who can I hire to make it shine?

ANSWER:

Well, some granite countertop slabs will take a polish better and look "shinier" than others, but if your granite is polished it should be at least a little shiny.

You didn't say, but did you have this granite countertop installed or did you buy the house with it already installed?

Granite is almost always polished (it's the most popular look) and I'd think if you installed it that you would have wanted a polished surface. But if you bought it already in the house this way, then the previous owner may have had it honed, which is a matte or non-reflective finish.

In this case you will need to hire a granite counter top maintenance & restoration pro to come in and re-polish the surface.

Couple other possibilities:

1. The granite is covered in a film of soap or other type waxy cleaner or coating.

A little maintenance and cleaning will solve this. Use regular acetone from the hardware to clean and see if you reveal a shiny surface.

2. You think you have a granite counter top, but it is actually marble that has been etched by using the wrong cleaning products causing it to look dull.

3. You have a granite slab that also has calcite crystals (like marble) and thus etches upon contact with acids or alkaline cleaners.

For #2 and # 3 you can use the lemon juice test to find out.

Except for #1 (soapy build up) the solution to all the other causes of dullness is still to hire a granite counter top maintenance pro to re-polish if you want real shiny.

If you like the look of your tops when wet then applying a color-enhancing granite sealer like this Color-Enhancing Sealer will do the trick for you.