Granite Seal

Has anybody ever used this product and/or service:

http://www.graniteshieldusa.com/

It's supposedly a one-time granite sealing service with a lifetime warranty.

Any other recommendations?

 

I'm a big fan of Dupont Stonetech products, the Daily Cleaner, Revitalizer and Sealer work great on the 3 different granite types we have in our home.

http://www2.dupont.com/Stone_Tech_Professional/en_US/index.html

 

Yes, I've heard of it. A buddy of mine works for a shop that apparently just restored the Baltimore Hustler Club using Granite Shield. Supposed to be pretty hot rod stuff according to him. I guess it better be if its going to be used in a bar like that.
He spoke highly of it and did also say it had a lifetime warranty.

 

Anybody ever hire somebody to do the sealing? what does it cost? We are 3 years in do we need to do it?

 

I called my buddy and asked him the "proper" way to seal a top if it is being done as a DIY. He pretty much said there are 2 ways... and according to him, yes you need to seal your top if it hasn't been done for 3 years.

Spray and Pray! He says what most do is buy anything they can get their hands on, soak the top, and wipe off what's left after a couple minutes.
If this is the method used he said it should be done once a week.

If someone is trying to achieve an "effective" seal that only needs to be done bi-annually or maybe even just annually you have to begin with a very high quality penetrating topical sealer. He said none of the home center, wall mart, hardware store stuff here. He is talking about products made by industry suppliers. Anyhow, he said the top has to be stripped first or you are sealing in all the bad stuff like dead skin cells, germs, etc. Denatured alcohol or acetone needs to be used with micro-fiber rags and don't get anything on the cabinets or floors... acetone removes the finish on contact.

Take everything off the countertops and strip them as described above and then let them dry. When done, use the sealer and a heat gun to heat up the countertops. Heat the top in several square feet at a time and saturate with the sealer and run it in with your hand. Let sit and continue on to the next area... keep an eye on whats been done... if it dries fast hit it with more sealer. Work several feet at a time allowing the sealer to sit for about 15to 20 minutes.

Wipe off the excess with your rag and continue until you've completed the top with the 1st coat. Go over the entire top again without heat and a good saturation. Let it sit just about 10 minutes and wipe off.

Hit with a last coat over the whole top and let it sit for 5 minutes and buff off with the micro fiber rag making sure any streeks are gone. Now let the top sit for 24 hours to cure (do not put the toaster and whatever on the tops or use them for 24hrs.).

He also said be very careful what you clean the tops with afterward since different things can eat through different sealers.
I think I'd rather mow the lawn!

I forgot ask him what they charge. Next time I talk to him I'll ask him if he knows.

 

I would be very interested in knowing what something like this costs and his opinion on this "lifetime" seal from Granite Seal.

I have also read that most of the products that are sold in home improvement stores don't really do anything - waste of money.

 

So anybody every hire somebody in to seal... any suggestions out there.... the granite does look so much better when it is shined

 

Dominion Granite uses an "impregnator process", give them a call.

http://beautifulgranite.com/

or

703-723-8860

 

I am logged in under "Plane Maker's" ID because he asked me to take a look at this site. I work for a fabricator that uses the Granite Shield product.
Since I am generally in the field or in the shop I don't get involved with the sales role. However, the Granite Shield applications generally are about $7 per square foot. Some other factors are involved that could make that a little higher... mostly if other products are being sealed like stainless steel appliances and sinks, or glass shower doors that have a lot of soap scum build up on them and so forth.

When looking over the thread I saw someone mention an "impregnator" for another company. Yes, impregnators are the most current technology for sealing natural stone. There are however a few things I can point out.

1 - Not all impregnators are created equaly because they rely on chemicals known as polymers. This is like saying "medicine"... there are all different kinds for different purposes and thus they all costs different amount in raw chemical form usually based on quality. The cheaper the impregnator the cheaper the ingedients.

2 - Is it warrented? Many companies have switched their sealers to impregnators, but still do not warranty the seal. This way they can achieve an initial confidence building resistance but not be responsible when the sealer fades and breaks down becoming uneffective.

The link that I saw referenced a fabricator that seals their work with an impregnator... their site does not state whether or not they retro-seal tops already installed. I'm guessing they do not because they do not reference the product they use nor reference any warranty they apply. They simply state their installers apply the product which "ensures" no future sealing is needed. I wouldn't ever not seal a stone because someone told me I didn't need to without a warranty.
I was skeptic when the company I work for began offering Granite Shield. I thought it was going to be expensive and a waste. Now that I have worked with it I am impressed with the end result. It takes he most steps than any other product I have worked with, but the stone looks much better afterward. Granite Shield cleans the stone as it is applied. Sometimes I can actually see what looks like "fuzz" being lifted from the pores of the stone. With all of this gone the stone is able to reflect more light so the stone is so vibrant afterward and the Granite Shield prevents future build up in the top, so the increase in the looks department is permanent. The reflections are more crisp, the colors in the stone are more vivid and have more depth. We also have never received a call back and the manufacturer has never reported a failure in our area.

I wouldn't tell anyone what to use, but from my experience I would seriously consider the Granite Shield seal.

I think someone also asked about the lifetime waranty. Granite Shield does have a lifetime warranty and defines lifetime as "the service life of the treated stone". The species of stone doesn't matter and the warranty is transferrable at any time... it follows the top, not the owner like all other lifetime warranted sealers I have seen. The distributor has a good website with a bunch of info. It was referenced in this thread at the top.

I think I have done all I can here, so I'm out.