Polishing Granite Countertop

QUESTION:

Can I polish our new bathroom granite countertop before sealing it? It doesn't seem to have the shine we saw at the showroom.

ANSWER:

Granite countertop slabs are polished "at the factory" or by a professional using special tools and diamond abrasives.

Granite is very hard, so granite tiles and/or granite countertops must be polished by an experienced professional.

Polishing granite countertops is not a DIY maintenance job even for a very good handyman.

Since the shine is not created by applying some product or chemical, there isn't any type of granite counter top maintenance that you can personally do to improve the polish.

And some granite colors polish to a higher shine than others. Now you say it's not as "shiny" as in the showroom.... well....

Could be a number of factors.

First, it may not be the same slab as in the showroom.

Second, they probably have a lot more lighting in their showroom than you do in your bath.

Third, they may be applying a temporary topical "polish" like Topical Polish/Shine Enhancer, which will enhance the shine, but must be re-applied.

So, go ahead and apply a granite sealer.

I'd suggest using one of these recommended marble & granite sealers.

You would want to wait to apply the granite sealer until after you had a professional re-polish the surface (if you chose to do so, but I wouldn't recommend it).