Care and Maintenance

Q.  Hi. I just had a question about being able to remove some water stains on a granite countertop. I worked in August on two tables, which are granite and the white, somewhat sparkly you know, on it. It seems like they were retaining the water... Read More

Q: I had my ceramic tiles acid washed with a mix of 2 parts muriatic acid and 2 parts water. It cleaned up heavy  clacification but tiles remain  smokey  and cloudy. Do I have options to improve the finish other than polishing? Would a... Read More

Q. I have a granite top on our bar with several "ring stains." Can I use a marble polishing product for polishing them out? A. A marble polishing powder or compound can sometimes be used and shouldn't do any harm. However, you may need to use a... Read More

Q. I have hard water stains on my soapstone countertops. It is an extremely hard and dense green soapstone, not the softer black and white. The rings and cloudy sponge marks are driving me crazy. My fabricator oiled the countertops and said that they... Read More

Q: I recently had ghibli granite countertops/backsplash installed and noticed a smearing/haze that looks like the granite was not thoroughly cleaned prior to being sealed. I took a rag and acetone and cleaned an area of the backsplash and resealed... Read More

Q. I have a natural stone floor in a house I was renting. I was attempting to clean the grout and I bought a grout cleaner. I used it and now it looks like it has lightened (almost bleached to a degree) the stone where it touched it. I looked on the... Read More

Q. I have travertine tile with some holes in the tile and would like to fill them in. Is there any material other than putting the grout into the holes to file them? What is the best material to use so that the holes that are filled do not have to be... Read More

Q. Help! I think my new cleaning lady might have accidentally applied diluted bleach (but I'm not sure) to my Crema Marfil countertop. It has a white film and seems to have lightened the color of the countertop in some parts. Is there anything I... Read More

Q. I am interested in buying a house but don't like the ceramic tile in the foyer and kitchen. It is a light color and I would like it to be darker. Can tile be recolored or only the grout? Tearing it up and replacing is out of budget right now... Read More

Q. Five years ago we built a home with a stone veneer front. We had water problems the first 4 years where water was leaking into several rooms and the basement coming from the front of the house. The stone was removed and replaced a couple of times ... Read More