Rough Granite Question

[cjdcjd]

Hello all,

We had granite installed in our kitchen and bathrooms, but when I run my fingers over the counter surfaces, there is a distinct "roughness" to it. Some areas are worse than others, but it's all of the surface; in many places it will snag cleaning rags, etc. The installer said everything was polished and sealed and that's just how granite was....but all granite I've seen has been very smooth. I know it's not the type of granite we picked because the bathrooms and kitchen are different types.

Below is a picture of some of the detail; I couldn't get a better photo because of the lighting...nothing would show up accurately in a photo, but hopefully this shows a little of what I'm seeing.

What can be done now that the counters are installed? Can it be polished again? A thicker sealant? Thanks much in advance!

IMG_6888.jpg (475.25KiB)Viewed 751 times

[topshop]

Did you inspect and feel the slab before it was cut and installed?

[Dan R.]

There are many reasons for this type of finish on slabs. Did you choose the slab at the distributor facility or the fabricator facility?

The slab did not material change between the time you selected and the time that job was installed.

We just dealt with this type of situation. A client purchased stone somewhere else with little to no education before hand. They were unsatisfied and tore out their first attempt, educated themselves and selected another stone more in line with their uses and expectations. This is an extreme example, but nonetheless an example of the value of education before the fact, rather than after.

This finish will not affect the usage or beauty of your stone. You must love the color, pattern, etc of this material. My advice is to love the natural part as much as the beautiful part of the stone.

No sealer will solve this issue.
Polishing in place is too messy.
Removing, polishing and reinstalling is expensive and problematic.

[GMR-Geremy]

There are many reasons for this type of finish on slabs. Did you choose the slab at the distributor facility or the fabricator facility?

The slab did not material change between the time you selected and the time that job was installed.

We just dealt with this type of situation. A client purchased stone somewhere else with little to no education before hand. They were unsatisfied and tore out their first attempt, educated themselves and selected another stone more in line with their uses and expectations. This is an extreme example, but nonetheless an example of the value of education before the fact, rather than after.

This finish will not affect the usage or beauty of your stone. You must love the color, pattern, etc of this material. My advice is to love the natural part as much as the beautiful part of the stone.

No sealer will solve this issue.
Polishing in place is too messy.
Removing, polishing and reinstalling is expensive and problematic.

Great Post hit the nail on the head!!

[JMarcella]

"but all the granite I've seen has been very smooth"

Not sure of the stone, looks like some kind of Delicatus from the picture. If so, that's rather typical of those types of stones. I've seen this occur many times over the years, where a client will see a certain stone with a nice polish, then assume all stone will be like that, only in a different color.

I know this is not the answer you were hoping for, but the previous post was spot on.

If you still aren't convinced, send more pictures if you feel there's something we're missing, but this is a common complaint that we've all seen too many times to count.

[Jeff H.]

Exactly what the others have posted.

[Stone Dude]

From what I see in the picture, it looks perfectly normal fo that type of stone. There doesn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary

Every granite seems perfectly smooth, until you get your own. Start running your hands over it all the time, inspecting every bit of it, etc. you will find some imperfections. It's not a manufactured product, it's slices of a mountain. There is only so much that can be done.

[cjdcjd]

Thank you so much for your responses. I appreciate you taking the time...!

We selected it based on a small piece (it is Delicatus), but not from the yard itself. The supplier had certain slabs "in stock", so it definitely was a case of me being uneducated, assuming all granite is smooth as glass, and choosing a different color based on small samples.

[Dan R.]

Delicatus is a beautiful stone with a lot of variety in the pattern. Enjoy your new kitchen, it will last a lifetime.

[Steve A]

x2 Regarding everyone's comments.

However I would add that the areas bad enough to "snag cleaning rags" should be easily remedied with a quality stone filler and a capable hand.

[Mark DeFusco]

I am curious if any of the fabricators on here have used Tenax' Pectro for this situation. While it was made for use with micro-fissures by color enhancing them and filling the voids with resin it may "smooth out" some of the roughness of this stone while not really looking like a fill. Has anyone tried this before?

Mark

[Caleb]

I am curious if any of the fabricators on here have used Tenax' Pectro for this situation. While it was made for use with micro-fissures by color enhancing them and filling the voids with resin it may "smooth out" some of the roughness of this stone while not really looking like a fill. Has anyone tried this before?

Mark

If the stone 'snags a rag' pector will not help with this. I would use fill a chip.