PondScum

Because of the prolonged drought here in CA, I haven't done much detailing lately. We can't even wash our cars anymore, unless you use recycled or gray water.

Instead of detailing, last weekend I polished and sealed my granite countertops, and it reminded me how similar the products and application are to maintaining automotive paint. Years ago when selling our previous home I paid someone to polish our countertops, and realized it was something I could do myself, once I found the right products to use. It's actually easier than polishing paint, since you don't need to worry about strike-through or burning the paint.

My countertops were in pretty good shape, with the exception of some mineral deposits around the faucet and dishwasher air gap on the main sink. These are the products I used, in the order of application from left to right. Just as with automotive paint polishes, there is inconsistent use of the word "polish", sometimes meaning an abrasive that burnishes the surface, sometimes meaning a product which hides tiny defects and increases gloss.





Stone & Glass Scrub: Specialty product for mineral deposit removal
MB-20 Polish: For removing defects and perfecting surface
Granite Sealer: To provide six months of protection from water, oil, other contaminants (like a paint sealant)
Finishing Touch: Cleaner/Polish for weekly cleaning, boosts sealant (think Sonax Brilliant Shine)
Crystal Clean: Daily cleaner, like an instant detail spray

There are many vendors who sell a similar line of sealer/polish/cleaner, or sealer/polish+cleaner.

The pads I use are a 6-1/2" hogs hair pad (polishing) and a lambswool pad.

Since I had mineral deposits, the first step was to remove the kitchen faucet (I was replacing it at the same time) and air gap, so I wouldn't have to polish around them. I punched out the center of a hogs hair pad (it's perforated for this) and took the resulting 3-1/2" pad and put it on a 3-1/2" backing plate on my Hitachi rotary polisher. It took about four passes with the "Stone & Glass Scrub" to remove all the mineral deposits. I did all of this polishing at the lowest speed, 1400rpm. They claim you can apply this product by hand, but my guess is it would take forever, given that it took four passes with a rotary buffer.

Next step was to tape off the countertops to get a 4" barrier all around the countertop, as the polishing step tends to fling a lot of product around while you're spreading it. I follow the directions on the MB-20 polishing cream, working a two square foot area at a time. I use the 6-1/2" hogs hair pad and spread the product at 1400rpm, and once it stops flinging, I increase speed to 2400rpm and move the buffer quickly over the surface, as it doesn't take long to bring up the gloss. The MB-20 is suitable for taking a surface from 1000 grit polishing wheels all the way to ready for sealant, so it cuts like M105 but finishes like M205, all in a single product.

The surface is dusty at this point, so I spray distilled water and wipe everything down with a microfiber towel. I suppose you could use a diluted IPA mixture for this step as well. I apply the sealer with a wide applicator on most of the countertop, and use an MF pad in the tight areas. Let it dry for five minutes, and then buff it off with the lambswool pad on 2400rpm (wiping it off with an MF towel also works).

I like to apply the Finishing Touch spray at this point. From this point on, you can use the daily cleaner for daily cleaning, and use the Finishing Touch once per week to help preserve the sealant.

Our granite doesn't polish up to a mirror-like shine because of the grain and micro-fissures, but this is what it looks like after polishing and sealing (it feels as smooth as polished glass):

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Nice! Always fun to clean up around the house when it involves a buffer

travanx

That's funny. We just redid our kitchen and got quartz counters. Was wondering if something could do the same for those. At the same time I bought ceramabrite for the stove. Felt like I was waxing the stove top.

PondScum

I think quartz countertops require a lot less maintenance as they are a man-made product. Obviously quartz is a mineral, but the countertop is ground quartz mixed with resin. I had a quartz sink which was pretty much maintenance free (non-porous surface), but it was black and did show mineral stains, so I did scrub it with an abrasive hard water deposit cleaner once a year. It was a matte finish though, so that was fine. You might not want to do that with a shiny quartz countertop.

Because of the resin component of the quart countertop, you have to be careful when polishing it as it can burn, while a solid stone surface would not.

I assume you have a glass-top electric range? The guy that polished my countertops years ago polished the range top at that house too. I think he used "Softscrub" on a terry bonnet with a rotary. Use a razor blade scraper to remove any cooked on deposits first, then polish it with your buffer. In between buffing you can use the razor scraper and Cerama Bryte with the included nylon scrubbing pad.

travanx

Yeah I have been hesitant to touch the quartz counters. We did pay more for no maintenance, but its hard to believe these will stay nice with just a wipe down every day.

The stove is gas. The top coating is some black smooth material, which takes nice to the razor and hand buffing method. After the razor part, just like waxing a car.

Now you are going to make me look even closer at granite counters whenever I see them.

UDel

That is interesting. I kept my grandmothers lamp table with a white marble top. It had some red stains and the finish was dull. I got the stains out by making a mixture of baking soda and some other products and putting it over the stain which absorbed it. I was going to try polishing it with my PC but when I looked into polishing marble it seemed like a PC and foam pads would not be nearly strong enough and I would need some pretty expensive specialty pads/polishes and it would be better with a rotary. I tried it anyway just to see with my most aggressive pads/polishes, it did not make much of a difference but did take some of the brown stains off and made it slightly more shiny.

I should have tried a glass polishing pad and glass polish now that I think of it.

Good thing it worked out for you.