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$770 to seal granite "permanently"?
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Posted by
alicepalace (
My Page) on
Thu, Aug 9, 12 at 11:30
| We are getting Kashmir White and Jet Mist countertops (KW on perimeter counters, JM on the island), and of course want to seal them because we know that KW can stain rather easily. Our fabricator pointed me to a guy who offers a "permanent" sealer, which I take to be something that impregnates the stone. The cost for 77 s.f. would be $770. Does this seem like a reasonable charge? I don't know that we have the werewithal to seal the stone ourselves and keep re-sealing.
What do you think? The fabricator also said we could absolutely do the sealing ourselves if we wanted to. He's a nice guy and is just trying to give me options since he can see I'm concerned about the staining.
Thanks for your advice! |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: $770 to seal granite "permanently"?
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| Sounds like a bit of a scam to me. Others can chime in but I don't think any sealer is permanent. Very easy to seal granite yourself - wipe on, wipe off. |
RE: $770 to seal granite "permanently"?
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| I would ask questions about his guarantee. Also, how long has he been in business, will his business be around to honor his warrantee if the countertop stains in 2,5,7 years? |
RE: $770 to seal granite "permanently"?
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| What does it cost the second time you have to apply the permanent sealer? I'd skip it and go with the DIY stuff. |
RE: $770 to seal granite "permanently"?
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| When we had our Kashmir Gold fabricated last fall, we had the option to add on a "lifetime sealer with 15 year warranty." The price was $4.00 a square foot. For our 47.6 s.f. this came out to $190.40. For your 77 s.f. that would be $308. I think $770 sounds high. Getting the sealing done before the counters are installed would be my preference, but I think that price high. Maybe someone in your area has another option for you? |
RE: $770 to seal granite "permanently"?
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| My fabricator did seal my granite before installation. He also recommended a product called Tekon, which was offered by an unrelated company. He said it wasn't necessary for all types of stones, but mine was a little more porous, so it might be a good idea. Alternatively, I could do the spray on/ wipe off myself periodically in the future. He told me that he thought it would be about $200 for my kitchen. According to the other guy's brochure, it can be done any time, not just when granite is new. I'm thinking about doing it. So, while I don't think the concept is really a scam, I do think your offer sounds unusually high. |
RE: $770 to seal granite "permanently"?
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| "lifetime sealer with a 15 year warranty" - sure sounds legitimate to me :-). What redress do you get if the granite stains within the warranty period - do they replace your granite or just refund the cost of the sealer? |
RE: $770 to seal granite "permanently"?
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| $77 sq foot? oh my. That's more than my counters cost! Why is science not making something to prevent etching? This is where the money is! |
RE: $770 to seal granite "permanently"?
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| $77 sq foot? oh my. That's more than my counters cost! That's what I was thinking, Bee. I'd rather stick the $770 under my mattress and use it to replace that section of counter when it either gets too stained or I'm sick of it and want something different. |
RE: $770 to seal granite "permanently"?
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I have never heard for permanent sealing. If is it possible (check with this forum first) then it may be worth it.
My feeling is that it is a scam. You can buy a bottle of sealer for about $15 and do it yourself every year. If you can wipe a counter, you can seal :) Takes 10 mins and almost no effort. |
RE: $770 to seal granite "permanently"?
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| You people may be able to design kitchens but you can't do math. $770 for 77 sq. ft. is $10 per sq. ft. Still very high. |
RE: $770 to seal granite "permanently"?
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| the only sealer I know of worthy of a lifetime warranty is a polymer based product called Hydrosheild. it's the countertop equivalent of clearcoat on an auto. $10/SF would be cheap for that product. Typical sealers merely plug the pores in the stone with an inert material to make the stone absorb foreign liquids at a drastically reduced rate. This is why a staining liquid like wine left on a top overnight can still cause a stain (which usually can be removed. |
RE: $770 to seal granite "permanently"?
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| LOL, weissman. You just made us all get mathy. Yes, I was thinking $10/s.f. sounded pretty high to me and I think I'll see if I can talk DH into sealing it ourselves. I was reading on this forum about that 511 stuff. Is that what we should be using on this fairly porous stone? |
RE: $770 to seal granite "permanently"?
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| lol. I don't need math skill, reading is more like it. I thought it said "the cost is $77 s.f." and the $770 total was indicating the OP was only sealing 10 sq feet! I need to get my eyes checked. It's time. For sure. |
RE: $770 to seal granite "permanently"?
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| We went with a "15 year" sealer. (Note warranty only good if applied by an "accredited applicator"). It cost about half what you were quoted for 100 s/f of granite, so your $770 sounds overpriced. DH was surprised to see them apply it, let it sit an hour or so, then just buff it off. DH later found the stuff on Amazon for about $90 (and now feels like an idiot). Depending on when the granite will need to be re-seald, we'll do it ourselves, and probably use the same stuff. |
RE: $770 to seal granite "permanently"?
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| I just had a very rough estimate of $400 - $600 for sealing 2 newly installed slabs (approximately 60 sq ft). He'll come out to look for a firm estimate. Anyway, this guy was recommended by the stoneyard. He has 30 years of experience and is licensed. He says it should last up to 8 years with proper care. Hope that helps. |
RE: $770 to seal granite "permanently"?
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| Just for reference, the 511 porous plus (there are many kinds of "511", some far cheaper), costs, where I live, approx $90/quart container. From my reading it was considered "the best", but it sounds as if there's something better out there. It was, fwiw, recommended by a fossil guy turning fossils to art, so that may not be the same heavy-duty need as a kitchen countertop. OTOH you could always just wipe up the wine. I agree that doing the "work" of sealing is trivial: as stated, if you can wipe, you can "Seal". The hard part, in my kitchen, is moving all the cr@# off the stone. That in itself may be worth hundreds! ;) |
RE: $770 to seal granite "permanently"?
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| You can buy it yourself and do it. It's as easy as wipe on wipe off. It's available at HD or online and at some fabricators. I would NOT pay $770 for sealing. It's sort of like paying $500 for floor mats in a new car, lol. You know you are getting ripped. The way businesses are here today and gone tomorrow a lifetime warranty doesn't really the hold the water that it once did (sadly). |
RE: $770 to seal granite "permanently"?
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| I used Granite Shield. My fabricator would have sealed it for free, but he said with marble, I would have to reseal within 6 months to a year. He was not affiliated with the guy who did the granite shield, but knew him enough to give me his card;) It was between $7-8 sqft. He sprayed it on in a series of sprays and wiped it all off. It didn't change the texture at all. FWIW, I have had it for several months (4) and haven't had a stain - I have found dried on tomatoes and tea, left overnight and was worried, but they wiped right up. I do get etches, but they are minimal and seem to come an go. |
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