Shadow Storm Quartzite

[Quartzite bob]

Best pics I could get. You can see it best where the light hits it

[tim farr]

That looks natural to me. Any that we've done looks just like that

[steven nenzel]

To me that looks etched.

[steven nenzel]

Do the dull spots feel as smooth as the polished?

[Quartzite bob]

It is just as smooth but it looks really bad in the dark areas. It wasn't enough to worry about until the second time they sealed it. Seemed to be a lot worse or a lot more noticable. One small area they forgot to seal the second time isnt as bad. Seems crazy that it could be the sealer but the GQ website said may etch marble. Feels smooth but looks like a million hard water spots. Like on a glass shower. If that is the way it is I am fine i just want to be sure it can't be better

[Quartzite bob]

Opinions.?

[Dan R.]

Used the wrong sealer that caused etching. solution is to repolish top.

[Quartzite bob]

Is this the consensus and can it be done on site? I thought I would feel etching. I don't but I think that is what it looks like. Again, the best comparison is water spotting on a glass shower. Lastly, Proseal next time??

[Dan R.]

Pro Seal next time is an excellent idea.

The etching can be polished in place. It can get messy, but with proper prep work no big issue. Make sure your fabricator is well versed in it, BEFORE he attempts.

Re. Etching.....The etching will manifest itself as water spots. The acid erodes a micro amount of the calcium away, this leaves the affected area "rough" compared to the rest of the polished surface. Not rough enough to feel. Rough enough that light refracts on of it, while it reflects off the highly polished areas. Thus, the "water spotting " is the difference in light reflection/refracrtion.

[dustinbraudway]

I do about two containers worth a year of this material. It doesn't look etched. Some factories can polish better than others, but this material is won't be like a mirror finish. You can find slabs that are finished that look just like that. We only sell it honed or brushed.

I have tested it. Polished and sealed you get about 45 mins until an etch is taking place using typical vinegar and wine. Honed you get about an hour to hour and half.

[Quartzite bob]

So they came out today. Kept saying he didn't see the spots. Then he did but it was normal. We decided he woud tape off a square in the middle of the 9 foot piece and see what happened. Boom! 85% gone!! He did the entire kitchen with the buffer and a diamond dust mixture. The island is 95% better the rest 80-85%. He said he learned something. I ordered the proseal on Amazon. Now I have to keep everything off for a week. Thanks a million. What a great forum for a hoe owner to find help!!

[Quartzite bob]

Especially Dan R. Thanks for the precise reply. It put me over the edge to getting it done. Thanks again..

[Dan R.]

Your welcome!
I have that effect on a lot of people (put them over the edge)!

Glad it worked out for you.
Enjoy the new beautiful tops!

[Mark Meriaux]

Glad to hear you got everything resolved (even 85%-90% resolved)!!

[marcydz]

This has been an interesting discussion to follow. I purchased Shadow Storm Quartzite in November and have seen etching and water rings. I have been very disappointed. If I'd known it was really a marble, I would not have purchased. My kitchen took 2 slabs, so it would be very expensive to replace. I am going to purchase ProSeal and reseal the countertops. My fabricator also only "splashed on and wiped off the sealant." It was not allowed time to penetrate. I guess I'll have to live with the imperfections and cringe whenever there is a new spot. I wish I had found this conversation in November!

[Quartzite bob]

So I did the Proseal. Looks so much better. No water rings or sweat rings. It is 100% on stopping these regardless of how long a glass sits. The additional coverage against ketchup, wine etc is very little. Much happier though. You should not have to worry about sweating glass of water or coke. So lets talk 15 and 20 year sealers with warranties on stains and etching. I don't care what it cost. To a point

[Dan R.]

There are many very good sealers available. Pro Seal is amongst the very best.

Sealers are penetrating (or impregnating) sealers for the most part. The sealer consists of 2 major components. One element is the suspended solids. These solids (invisible to the naked eye) are suspended in a carrier. The carrier is the second major component of sealer. The carrier basically provides a delivery vehicle for the solids. There are both solvent based and water based sealers. Some sealers are very strong smelling. Other sealers are VOC compliant and less offense smelling. There are different sized solids in different sealers for different applications.

The sealer is applkied to dry & clean tops and allow to dwell for a period of time. This dwell period allows for the solids in the sealer to settle into the pores of the substrate..

After an appropriate dwell period, the excess is wiped off the surface, until dry. If too much time elapses, the sealer could be tacky and very difficult to wipe up. Not to worry, if this occurs, simply reapply some sealer and this will rehydrate the dried sealer.. Be sure to wipe it dry. This will require several different towels. Once the towel becomes saturated, a new one should be deployed.

After all the carrier is is cleaned up, keep the countertops dry for 24 hours. This will give the solids, that migrated into the pores an opportunity to cure and become more solid. This curing is key to the longevity of the sealer.

Depending on the type & structure of the particular material, it is possible that there may be several applications of sealer to be truly effective.

As far as etching.......
Etching is the result of the chemical reaction betwwen an acidic solution coming into contact with pH neutral calcium based material (marbles, limestones, calcites, gabbros and several other types of stones. The acid literally eats away the calcium of the material (very much like stomach acid & a Tums. The ending result will be an etch. Etches, typically, can not be felt, only seen. An etch looks like a water spot. A dull area, where the light refracts, instead of reflecting off the highly polished surface area. These "dull" spots are etches.

Unfortunately, there is no handy chemical solution for this malady.

The concensus on how to mitigate etching is to have the material hones. A honed surface is a matte finished flat surface. This matte surface will not reflect any light, only refracting it (relative to reflecting). In essence, a honed surface can be thought of as "pre etched". In a high. Use(abuse) area, honed surface will look consistent for a substantially longer time than a highly polished calcium based stone.

Leather is a matte finish, with surface textured (feeling like leather grain). A leather surface will provide a consistently more uniform, appearance than polished,or honed, due it'soverall appearance & characteristics.

The textured stone has a bit more casual feel about itself.
The honed material is more subdued than it's polished brethren.

Both honed & leather surfaces are your best management tool when it comes to etching.