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Honed Carrara Marble Owners--HELP!

kswartwout
9 years ago

I just had honed carrara marble installed on my countertops. It's gorgeous, but I am seeing water spots already and it seems to have no stain resistance. It was sealed with Drytreat. I'm thinking of going over it with another sealer like Porous Plus or just impregnating 511. Is it normal to see water spots and dark spots where water has been, or does this mean the stone isn't fully sealed???

Comments (9)

  • PRO
    Joseph Corlett, LLC
    9 years ago

    kswartwout:

    Welcome to the world of marble. Drytreat has a product that will prevent etching and staining, but it's only applied by certified applicators. The curing light costs $2,000.00, so I'd have to do about 10 jobs for free before I made a dime, so I don't think I'll be investing in it anytime soon.

    Good luck.

  • Bunny
    9 years ago

    I have honed carrara on my vanity. I think they sealed it with Stonetech Bulletproof when they installed it. No problem with water at all; it just beads up and sits there. It does etch. My daughter merely walks into the bathroom and etches appear. :)

  • leela4
    9 years ago

    No help to the OP but Linelle-do the etches bother you enough to prohibit your daughter from using the bathroom? ;-)

    treb-If the fabricator kswartwout hired had used the Drytreat with his/her installation, should these water and dark spots be appearing? I'm a little confused by your response, unless you're saying they treated the stone improperly.

  • kswartwout
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Yeah, I'm thinking that the sealer applied was ineffective. I shouldn't be getting dark water spots from water alone, right? Do those of you with impregnator 511 or porous plus get any dark spots from water droplets when the water is wiped away?

  • Bunny
    9 years ago

    leela, I knew going into it that it would etch. My daughter is 38 and stays over infrequently (she doesn't live far away), but something she uses on her face at night drips and etches. If it isn't her, it will be someone else spending the night. Even with etches, I love my carrara.

  • enduring
    9 years ago

    I have honed carrara on my vanity and it has etched, but I new that going into the situation. There is darkening that happens when water stands on the counter but drys out and is normal looking again. I wipe up the counter with a microfiber cloth after every use. I just keep it at the faucet, ready.

  • moschmro
    9 years ago

    I just had honed Carrara marble installed in our kitchen too a couple of weeks ago. The installer said it came factory sealed already but I noticed near the sink the water was seeping into the marble leaving a dark spot that would go away once it dried. From what I read this meant it wasn't sealed. So I bought a quart of 511 Porous Plus and did 2 coats of sealant. Now the water beads up on the marble and doesn't seep in or darken it! It seems to be working great. No stains yet or anything. It is cheaper to purchase the 511 products on Amazon too.

  • kswartwout
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I agree! it wasn't sealed enough. I put on 3 coats of aqua mix sealer and i don't have problems anymore. thanks!