Has anyone used Granite Shield?

[momintennies]

There is a product/company called Granite Shield that seals stone countertops and surfaces. It is applied once and is under warranty for the lifetime of the coated surfaces to resist staining and adverse changes to its appearance so you never have to seal again. Warranty for flooring is 10 years. It costs $300 upfront and this amount is applied towards sealing - $5 sq.' for countertops and surfaces, $2 sq.' for grout. This can get pricey if you have a lot to seal. Has anyone used this product and how do you like it? Is it worth the cost? (Of course, I'm sure that price is relative for each person in terms of time and budget; but it seems appealing to have a warranty against staining for the life of the product and only sealing once).

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[GraniteGirl]

It is applied once and is under warranty for the lifetime of the coated surfaces to resist staining and adverse changes to its appearance so you never have to seal again.

I would be weary of anything "coating" the stone. Topical applications are not very well regarded in the stone industry - and some with good reason. I am not familiar with this product/service, though.

For what purpose do you intend to use this product - counter tops or floors?

Edit: Did a search - they are crystallyzing the stone - something that could potentially do more damage than solve problems. Stay away from this kind of "restoration" and rather opt for a grind-in place restoration and a super quality impregnating sealer.

[momintennies]

Thanks for your input Granite Girl. According to the brochure I have, it states that "The standard sealers in the industry today are penetrating sealers. This means they are absorbed down into the porous stone and away from the surface. Oils and stains can still damage the surface of your stone. Granite Shield forms a stain proff barrier on the surface filling in the uneven nooks and crevices of your stone. This barrier stops oils and stains from entering your stone. Granite Shield will last the lifetime of your stone surface. Granite Shield is a product that reacts on a molecular level with the oxygen in your stone surfaces. It forms a crystalline carbon seal which makes your counters water proof and stain proof." I picked up this borchure from the company where we got our granite slabs. When I called the Granite Shield Co., I was told that it is best to not have any other sealer on the stone and have this application right after installation. I was thinking about using this on the granite countertops in our kitchen and bathrooms. We will be using porcelain tile on our bathroom floors and shower walls. It is always reassuring to me if I know of others who have used a product before I purchase - esp. in this case where it adds up to $$$ as we have 4 bathrooms and a large kitchen. Any more thoughts?

[GraniteGirl]

Hi Mom (got a real name? :D )

Some of the mercantile "granites" do not even need to be sealed - Ubatuba, Black Galaxy and Tan Brown (to name but a few)

The rest of the stones that do require sealing, do very well with a good quality impregnating sealer. Basically the sealer penetrates the stone and the solvents evaporate to leave a protective barrier inside the material. Some folks try to tell you sealer would have to be applied every ........ (insert time period here) - basically not true. The efficacy of sealers depend on a number of things. How it was applied at first, the quality of the product, the way you take care of your stone etc.

Bottom line is, do research about your FABRICATOR before you even think about picking stone. Think of choosing the color right at the end. A decent fabricator is a lot harder to find than a great stone and a poor fab guy will mess up even a great piece of material.

My honest opinion - I'd stay away from a fabricator trying to push a crystallization on you even before he knows what kind of material you'll choose.

If you follow the link in my signature, it will take you to a site dedicated to folks like you - a veritable treasure trove of valuable information about natural stone.

[momintennies]

Hi Adriana,

Thanks for your second reply. I will definitely go to your suggested links and read the material! I know sealing granite does not take a lot of time and your remarks have certainly saved $$$! I'm appreciative of your input!

Loretta

[luverofpeanuts]

This thread interests me too, since we are in the process of picking our slabs to be used for our countertops. One shop offered a 'seal' called vantage or something like that could be added so that we don't have to seal the granite ourselves....ever.

Having said that...my wife spent a whole day and drove up to the Twin Cities, where she checked out several places where our local shop could get the slabs from. She wanted to SEE and PICK the actual slabs.

The reason I'm posting is because the one place that actually had the granite we are using ("labrador antique"), said they actually would not recommend having a 'sealer' put on...that this particular type of granite was so dense, the value of this type of sealer is diminished greatly. Does that sound right?

On a side note, my wife was extremely frustrated at the samples of Labrador Antique...she was looking for the 'darker' shade of this granite. Only one place actually had slabs of both darker and lighter shade of this style.

Anyway...thanks for the comments on the sealer, and any comments on Labrador Antique are appreciated as well ;-)

[Steven Hauser]

Hi Greg,

Labrador Antique is a beautiful stone from a small quarry. It's yield means that depending on what blocks are being used most people purchasing at that time will have the same material. The blocks do have a great deal of color variance but the most recent material has been darker.

It is an expensive mateerial as well, this means that very few people are going to keep vast quantities of it becasue fewer consumers actually purchaser it though many admire it.

I would agree with the the fabrication facility that states it doesn't need an impregnating sealer. The fact is this material has very low absorption and many times it is resin treated to help control the fissures that it naturally has.

Hope this helped.

:)

[Steven Hauser]

Great work Adrianna,

Thanks for your wise input.

:)

[luverofpeanuts]

Hi Greg,

Labrador Antique is a beautiful stone from a small quarry. It's yield means that depending on what blocks are being used most people purchasing at that time will have the same material. The blocks do have a great deal of color variance but the most recent material has been darker.
....



Thanks for your comments Steve. <sigh> It figures it would be one of the more expensive granites we looked at. Unfortunately, once my wife saw it...everything else was compared to it. As with a few other things with our kitchen remodel....if we 'settled' for something a little less costly, she'd look at it and hate it every time she entered the kitchen.

My wife was most frustrated with the fact that at a couple of the places she went to find slabs at .. if they even had Lab. Ant...they looked at her like she was crazy saying she was looking for the darker variety. It could be these shops just haven't seen it, I guess.

I'll have to ask about the resin coating option. If there are many fissures, I'd think a resin coating would be a good idea.

[Steven Hauser]

Greg,

The resin will be on it or not long before you see it. It is a decision that is made during the cutting and processing of the blocks.

Good luck and :nod: I think I married your wife's sister. :D

[GraniteGirl]

Good luck and :nod: I think I married your wife's sister. :D

:rolleyes: Oh come on! If it weren't for ladies with great taste, you'd both be wearing a red sock and a green sock with leather sandles, cut-off shorts and a loud Hawaiian shirt :D

[doitright]

Ah, Oh! :yeah:

BTW, checked the Granite Shield site. They're using some carbon something or other. They do mention that it will not resist acid etching on marble.

[Steven Hauser]

:wtf: ...and what is wrong with that ensemble?

:rofl:

[Chris the Rep]

:rolleyes: ....wearing a red sock and a green sock... :D

Hey, I have two pairs of that same color combo!

[GraniteGirl]

:wtf: ...and what is wrong with that ensemble?

:rofl:


...proving my point, exactly :idea:

[momintennies]

Adriana,

Now that I won't be using Granite Shield, I did "the test" on the three different granite slabs ( Bianco Romano, White Pericima, and Ivory Cream) that we will be having installed: putting blackberry juice (didn't have any red wine available), lemon juice, and oil on my samples. The oil really stained the Ivory Cream, and was also noticeable on the White Pericima, the blackberry left a faint stain on the slabs. What would your recommendation be for sealing these slabs - two or three coats? interval between coats? and what are some options in brands of sealers? I appreciate yours and any others for advice. Thanks in advance.

Loretta

[GraniteGirl]

A good quality impregnating sealer will - if applied correctly - protect against absorption of liquids and so prevent stains,

The sealer should be applied according to the directions on the bottle - most often the sealer wil be applied, left to sit for a few minutes and buffed off. This procedure should be repeated until the stone does not absorb any sealer any more. Wait a period of 24 hours between applications for maximum effieciency. You will know that the stone stopped absorbing liquids if any water left on the stone beads up and the stone does not get darker if you leave water on it.

The stones you listed would all benefit from multiple applications of sealer (and it is not applied in "coats" because it will be absorbed and will not be sitting on top like a coat of varnish :) )

As far as brands go - John has a good one in his online store and Maurizio has a good water based sealer. You will also need to get stone specific cleaners for daily maintenance of your investment - also available from either gentleman :D