Suction Cup Marks on Caesarstone. How to remove?

[hakenate]

Having trouble getting suction cup ring marks off of a full height caesarstone backsplash. I've tried acetone, mineral spirits, MEK, and Goof OFf.

[Dan R.]

Rubbing alcohol and magic eraser is what LG recommends.

[lonestarstone]

MOST marks have been removed with success with combination of glass cleaner mixed with bar keepers friend cleaner/polish. If you feel too aggressive to start we start with water and bar keepers mixed and soft cloth to buff

[Dave.Scott]

Toothpaste and Dawn dish soap mixture

[Mark Meriaux]

Kenny's Silestone Spot Remover has worked on countless quartz blemish removals for me.
http://www.ebay.com/p/Kennys-Silestone- ... 1300193949

[ufGatorHarv]

Quartz dust and acetone.

[Todd Luster]

We have used softscrub with no problems.
Gloved hand or soft cloth using light pressure.

[ChrisGraham]

Soft scrub here. With bleach on whites.

[Shiny Alex]

We get a branded Caesarstone cream cleaner here and its awesome on the rubber marks.

[Israel]

Simple Green Aircraft Cleaner, you can find this at your local Fastenal. Non abrasive and will not harm the resin. It takes the marks off from almost anything, except metal marks, in an instant.

[Teef]

Wow lots of different solutions. How did you get to the point of toothpaste and soap? we use a magic eraser and seems to work pretty well. I have no idea why the seamsetter suction cups are not made from white rubber. omni cubed larry this is a suggestion. save a bit of swearing at the job haha

[Dave.Scott]

Toothpaste and dish soap were the only two things that I had that I had not tried.
That was about 12 years ago, being fully exhausted installing a kitchen at 10PM on December 23.
I just wanted to go home and it worked!

[Teef]

im going to try the toothpaste today. pure white and lyra so im sure the pad marks will be on both kitchens .

[Omni Cubed Larry]

... I have no idea why the seamsetter suction cups are not made from white rubber. omni cubed larry this is a suggestion. save a bit of swearing at the job haha
[

Hi Teef! Good point. Swearing in general should be kept to a minimum. That is why we are doing our part to make better tools that will help with that.

Suction cups are black for good reason, and making them from white rubber sounds easier than it really is. The machines that normally mold black rubber are VERY dirty, so molding a batch of white rubber would shut down the factory for a week just to clean the machine and work area. Then you would have expensive non-marking cups, but they would crack and break down in no time. Plain old white rubber doesn't last long.

We've known this to be an issue for a long time and have been working hard over the years to develop REALLY GOOD non-marking cups. It took a ton of time and money, but we did it!



1) Here is some background why rubber vacuum cups are black and why they mark surfaces.

All vacuum cups made of black rubber have the potential to leave marks on surfaces. For starters, rubber is made black by adding various chemicals such as carbon black. This isn’t just for cosmetic reasons, but because adding chemicals like carbon black drastically increases the desirable qualities of the rubber (i.e. increased durability, strength, UV resistance). A durable vacuum cup is a good thing, especially in the construction industry where tools are sometimes abused, but because carbon black can leave marks on surfaces some precautions need to be taken.

Another reason vacuum cups may leave marks is related to the molding process. Rubber is vulcanized during the molding process when, heat, pressure, and chemicals form the rubber, and bond the rubber to itself, as well as other materials that may comprise the vacuum cup. Unfortunately, rubber can sometimes leach these process oils or plasticizers over time. When a vacuum cup tool is used, the rubber is pressed tightly to the surface; consequently, this increases the leaching problem at the same time the rubber is making intimate contact with the surface material. In addition, there may also be mold release agents still present on newer vacuum cups. All of these rubber ingredients have the potential to leave marks on surfaces, especially when the cup is under vacuum pressure.

Older vacuum cups may also leave marks when the rubber starts to chemically break-down. This process can be exacerbated when acetone or other harsh solvents are used to clean the cups or the surface material where the cups are used… even just one time. These solvents can be absorbed into the rubber and will eventually lead to the slow breakdown of the rubber, resulting in the rubber having even more potential for marking.



2) Here are some tips on how to avoid marking surfaces.

Always clean the vacuum cups before use. Wiping off the cups before and after each use with a damp paper towel or damp rag (water only) is good practice, and usually all that is necessary to keep the vacuum cups from marking the surfaces they are used on. You can also use a mild cleaner/degreaser occasionally (i.e. Simple Green), but be sure to use water to wipe away all residue afterward. Proper cleaning of the rubber will make the cups last much longer and reduce the potential for marking.

Important: NEVER use Acetone or other harsh solvents on rubber or plastic. Even pre-cleaning the stone or surface material with acetone or solvents can alter the vacuum cup and lead to the rubber breaking down over time.

To prevent stains on lighter materials, use a plastic protective film such as is used to protect the larger stone pieces during shipment and processing. Apply small pieces of the protective film to the material surface where vacuum cups will be used. The film will adhere to the material very well, and the pressure from the vacuum cup on top will hold the film against the material even tighter. Because it is possible for some softer stone to get damaged when removing the protective film, you should test the film prior to use.

[Mcarts75]

Try the white eraser cleaning pads they sell at most grocery stores.It works well on alot of surface marks

[Teef]

thank you larry for that education on the rubber pads. I will find some film to put on the ES. I found this very informative. Thanks again. Biggest problem is that we have no choice but to fab ES!

[Kowboy]

Nice to get the "why" Larry. Thanks.

[CustomKitchenIncGA]

Try Softscrub with bleach. We use that to remove pencil marks on white quartz and works beautiful. We didn't remove suction cup marks though but I think it would work for you. you can get it in any Home Depot.

[Amroczka]

I just had this happen yesterday. I tried soft scrub with bleach, acetone, denatured alc., simple green, goof off, and bar keepers freind. Bar keepers helped but nothing completely remove it.

[Dan R.]

LG recommends Alcohol (rubbing).

[Mark Meriaux]

https://www.ebay.com/p/Kennys-Silestone ... 1300193949