Granite Countertops

My husband and I have been a homebuilder for nearly a decade building tracts of home in Phoenix. I have owned three homes with granite countertops. There is always some inconsistency in granite because it is stone. It is formed by the hand of God to be a perfect part of a mountain not to be a luxury finish in your kitchen. It is consistent for there to be imperfections in the surface for example, small areas where the surface feels slightly rough because there was a void in the stone. Granite is polished to create the beautiful finish so you could be looking at a polishing imperfection or it could be part of the stone itself.

If you think you may have gotten poor workmanship in creating the finish and you have a defective piece of stone from that perspective you may be able to have somebody come out and re-finish the granite, basically grind the finish off and re-polish it, this would more than likely involve the entire slab if not the entire kitchen. If the cloudyness/inconsistency is part of the stone you're probably less likely to get any solution because your contractor would have to get another slab installed. I'd say you're going to have to raise quite a stink to get either of those things done.

The contractor should have had you choose the actual slabs yourself, then you wouldn't have these types of issues. If you did choose them you're probably completely out of luck.

I would start by getting an independent contractor who is not involved at all to look at it and tell you if it's right or wrong and what can be done. I'm not sure if they do granite tops but www.naturalstonecareinc.com would be a good place to start, they do marble floors and surely could point you in the right direction.

Dear D.,
Not only do you need to make a stink...you need to stick to it. I'm sure you paid a lot of money for your granite and it's needs to be right. Granite should never be dull no matter what the light. Good luck and don't let anyone push you around!!

In my last house my granite countertops were like that. They were black with maroon, brown and light colored designs and it always looked cloudy. Honestly I think it was the poor sealing when installed. However the company I used went out of business.

In my recent house the countertops are lighter (base color is tan not dark) so I don't know if that affects it. However they are shiny and gorgeous always.

I would not let it go. They need to re-seal them or replace them.

Good luck.

We have dark green granite as well. Does it have any oil on it? For example, when I use olive oil, especially the spray can like Pam, it is very hard to get off even with the granite cleaner. It will just look cloudy around the stove top. Also, I had to try many types of cleaner, even some granite cleaners would leave a cloudy residue. I hate it. I was even thinking about asking on here if anyone knew of a cleaner that would work well but be a "green" cleaner....I worry about what toxic stuff is in the granite cleaner & it is very expensive.

Hi, I have granite and so do a few of my friends and they agree with me that you should throw a fit. You pay enough for everything, it truly should be just how you like it. If you don't get it right, every day when you are in the kitchen, (and we are in them alot right?? ) you will be frustrated. Don't let them tell you that is just how it is... make them do it right. Good luck!

HI. I would suggest having them taken out. Granite has been tested and proven to release radon! Even if it's just a tiny amount, do you really want your kids exposed to radiation? Any excuse would do, but if you're not happy with the cloudiness, I'd add this to the list of reasons to get rid of them. Good luck. :o)

Not seeing your countertops I'm not sure if your problem is with the granite or with the product you use to clean them. My granite countertops get a cloudy fime on them when I clean or wipe them off. The only cleaner/polisher I have fount that I am happy with is called Stone Pro Granite Counter Top Revitalizer and the only place I can find it is at Hard Rock Tools on Broadway W of 32nd Street. When I wipe them off after cleaning up after dinner, I have to wipe with a wet rag and then immediately wipe them with a dry rag/towel. Otherwise they will have a cloudy film on them that leaves fingerprints and it drive me crazy. Good luck.