Material guide
Granite restoration and care
Silicate-based, hard, and acid-resistant. Does not etch — which means dullness on granite has a different cause.
Granite is an igneous silicate stone, and that single fact separates it from everything else on this list. It does not react to household acids, so the etching that dulls marble and limestone does not happen here. It is also considerably harder, so it resists scratching from ordinary traffic.
That means when granite looks dull, the cause is usually not the stone. It is most often a residue problem: soap film, hard-water mineral deposit, or the remains of a topical product sitting on the surface. Diagnosing this correctly matters, because the fix is entirely different from refinishing.
Granite can be honed or polished mechanically, but its hardness makes that slower work than on calcite stone. Where a genuine refinish is needed, it is very achievable — it simply takes more cutting.
Behaviour
What makes granite different
These properties are the reason the method changes. They are not trivia.
- Silicate-based, so household acids do not etch it
- Hard and highly scratch-resistant in normal service
- Heat-tolerant relative to composite benchtop materials
- Porosity varies widely by variety; some absorb oil readily
- Holds a high polish extremely well once achieved
Common problems
What goes wrong, and whether it can be put right
Described as you would notice it, then what is physically happening, then what restoration can realistically achieve.
- 01
Overall dullness or a hazy film, especially on benchtops
- Cause
- Residue rather than damage — typically detergent film, hard-water scale, or accumulated spray-on product.
- Outlook
- Usually resolved by correct cleaning rather than refinishing. Worth establishing before anyone proposes grinding a granite benchtop.
- 02
Dark patches around cooktops, sinks, and prep areas
- Cause
- Oil absorption. Some granites are considerably more porous than their hardness suggests.
- Outlook
- Generally drawable out with poulticing, then sealed. Deeply set oil in a porous variety may not clear completely.
- 03
Visible scratching or chipping at edges and around sinks
- Cause
- Impact rather than abrasion — dropped cookware, or a hard object dragged across an edge.
- Outlook
- Chips can often be repaired and edges reworked. Deep scratching in a polished granite is correctable but is real work.
Looking after it
Day-to-day care for granite
A good share of the damage we repair was avoidable. This is the short version of how to avoid it.
Do
- Clean with pH-neutral products and dry the surface afterwards
- Blot oil and grease promptly
- Test whether the stone still repels water; reseal if it darkens
- Use boards for cutting — for the knife's sake more than the stone's
Avoid
- Assuming granite is indestructible; porous varieties stain readily
- Building up spray-on 'granite shine' products, which cause the haze they claim to fix
- Abrasive powders on a polished finish
Finishes
Finishes achievable on this stone
The finish is chosen to suit the stone and the room it is in, not applied as a default.
- polished
- honed
- matte
Other materials
We restore more than one kind of stone
Looking for a particular job rather than a particular stone? Browse stone restoration by what needs doing.
Not sure what your granite needs?
Because granite does not etch, dullness usually means residue rather than damage. That distinction is worth establishing before any refinishing is proposed — the answer is often much simpler and cheaper.