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Posted by dadiOH on September 7, 2006, 8:16 am
John M wrote:
> I have had a black granite countertop for over 2 years with no
> problems, resealing about every 6 months. Today, my wife noticed
> some white spots, she thought that something had spilled, and tried
> to clean it off, with no success. To me, it looks like the polish
> has been etched off by some material that spilled on it, and the
> white spots are actually the raw granite with no polish. I have no
> idea what substance could have done this to my granite, I hear the
> usual about oil, vinegar etc, but this is extreme, and seems way
> beyond those, this is down to raw granite in no time at all.
"Raw" granite would be the same color as it is when polished, just not
shiny.
_________________
> I have my suspicions. My wife yesterday was using Dr. Scholl's
> Freeze Away wart remover for a wart on my son's foot. She claims
> that she was super careful, and was not even in the vicinity of the
> granite, who knows. This stuff is gaseous too, so I suspect some
> may he gotten on the counter somehow. This stuff is dimethyl ether
> and propane. Described as:
> Dimethyl ether gas is water soluble. It has the formula CH3OCH3.
> Dimethyl ether is used as an aerosol spray propellant. And used in
> conjunction with propane to create a chemical reaction in which
> cryogenic freezing is used for the removal of common warts found on
> the human body.
I pretty much doubt this had anything to do with it.
__________________
> Whatever it was, it sure etched the crap out of my granite in a few
> spots. See pic at:
> http://pic7.picturetrail.com/VOL208/996154/8804017/185122138.jpg
>
> How can I fix this and how much should it cost?
Well, either it is a residue from something and it can be scraped off
or it is a chemical change in one or more of the minerals that
comprise granite.
To me, it looks like the latter as one can see numerous crystals (look
like feldspar) of unaffected material. Been a long time since I
studied geology but IIRC igneous rocks like granite have their
components held together by the interlocking of the various mineral
crystals; i.e., there is no "cement". Nevertheless, the white portion
looks like it is within a cement.
I have no idea how to fix it, especially without seeing it. Can you
feel a difference in the white areas? If so, I'd try scraping. If
no, I'd probably try a weak acid (I'm *not* advising you do either).
In either case, the affected and surrounding areas will probably have
to be repolished so the best thing you can do is call a fabricator.
--
dadiOH
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