The Arabesco granite has an absorption rate of about 0.36%, which is fairly high, meaning it easily absorbs spills and will stain. Just as point of reference and by contrast, another thread discussing Virginia Mist granite noted that Virginia Mist has an absorption rate of 0.17%, i.e. less than half yours, and does not need sealing. You should seal your granite. I recommend you call the fabricator who installed the counters and ask what he/she used to seal it at installation, and use the same thing.

The link below shows three different Arabesco granites; I don't know which one is yours, but if you click on the photos, you will see the absorption rates of 0.36%.

Here is a link that might be useful: Arabesco Granites

Wow - thanks for the source Sahmmy. I know the cutoff for sealing granite is 0.25% so this is high.

My fabricator said that I could use any granite sealant on my River White granite. What he used I don't think is distributed to consumers so I will buy stuff at Home Depot. He said re-apply sealant whenever water is making a spot on the granite (soaking in). He said you can't over-apply the sealant. He did 3 coats but I'm buying and applying more sealant because water is now soaking in after sitting for 30 min.

thanks for the feedback feisty68.
Just got off the phone with my installation company & that was the feedback I got also.

They can charge me $300 to come out & lay something on with a 15 years warranty or they said to go to HD/Lowes & do it myself every so often & it will basically have same effect.

Actually you can over-apply sealant - make sure you wipe off all excess sealant after you apply it. If you let it sit there, it will build up and can become hazy among other things. Sometimes when people complain about their granite staining, it's actually the excess sealer that's causing the problem.

I agree with Weissman - you can over-apply. The whole point of sealant is to be absorbed into the stone, thereby lowering the stone's absorption rate. If you apply too many layers of sealant, then the multiple layers just sit on top on the previous layer rather than absorbing into the stone, and will cause haze.

Before sealing, drop some water on your counter where it gets the most use to see whether the water beads up, or is absorbed within a minute or two. If it beads up, the sealant that your fabricator applied is still good, and you don't need sealant at this time. If the water is absorbed, wait until it dries out completely, then apply one layer of sealant. Wait 24 hours, drop some water on your granite and see if the water now beads up. If it does not, apply another layer of sealant, If the water then beads up, you are done with sealing for 6 months to a year.

If you are not using a commercial brand of sealant, then the 511 Impregnator sealant at Home Depot is very good. The 16 oz. is the smallest size it comes in, and a little goes a long way, but HD does carry bigger sizes too.

Here is a link that might be useful: 511 Impregnator Sealant in 16 oz. size at HD

This post was edited by Sahmmy on Tue, May 27, 14 at 13:16

I use Tenax sealer. The Italians have been at this stone business for a while. I avoid sealers that advertise ".05 per square foot" on the bottle.