| Sealing Granite Countertops | Sealing Granite Backsplash |
| How to seal a Granite Countertop |
The first thing to do when sealing a granite countertop is to seal any tile, stone or granite backsplash first. It is just as important to seal the granite countertop backsplash as it is to seal the actual granite countertop. Backsplashes are difficult to clean and they can easily get stained while cooking and preparing food. Grease and other types of cooking products can get splashed on the granite countertop backsplash and permanently stain it. Airborne stains created when cooking can also easily stain the granite countertop backsplash and ruin the look of the entire granite countertop.
Often granite countertops will come with a ceramic or porcelain tile backsplash and the grout needs to be properly sealed in these types of backsplashes. Ceramic and porcelain tiles are virtually non porous so they will not easily stain. Grout on the other hand is extremely porous and must be sealed to prevent it from looking dirty and dingy. Cleaning the grout on vertical surfaces can be extremely difficult so it is important to protect the grout on backsplashes from becoming dirty and stained.
When sealing the grout in a ceramic or porcelain tile backsplash a brush tipped sealer applicator can be used. You should apply the sealer directly to the grout lines with the brush tipped applicator. Some of the sealer will drip down to the granite countertop's surface and this dripped down sealer will be used to seal the actual granite countertop surface. The same sealer that will be used to seal the granite countertop can be used to seal the grout in a granite countertop's backsplash. Sealing vertical surfaces requires reapplying the sealer over and over for about 5 minutes to ensure that the sealer has penetrated deep into the grout. Only apply the sealer to small areas of the backsplash at a time because it is important to not allow the sealer to dry on the backsplash or granite countertop surface.
Stone tile backsplash such as travertine, slate or marble should also definitely be sealed. These types of natural stone tile surfaces are much more porous than granite so they can more easily absorb food, liquid spills and airborne contaminates.
To seal a natural stone type of backsplash a cotton or terry towel that is saturated with sealer should be used to apply the sealer. It is important to totally saturate the towel with sealer and wipe the stone surface with the saturated towel of sealer. It will often be necessary to apply the sealer to the stone backsplash a few times to ensure that the stone backsplash has completely soaked up as much sealer as possible. Do not allow the sealer to dry on top of the stone tile surface so only work in small areas at a time. Much of the sealer will drip down on the actual granite countertop surface and this dripped down sealer will be used to seal the granite countertop. By working in small sections of no more than six feet wide you can be certain that the sealer does not have a chance to dry on top of the granite countertop or backsplash.
After applying the sealer to the granite countertop's backsplash you should wipe away any excess sealer that has not been absorbed by the stone and grout. It is important to not allow any of the sealer to dry on top of the tiles or grout. The easiest way to wipe up the excess sealer off the surface of the granite countertop backsplash is to use paper towels to clean up the excess sealer. You do not want to have any drips or pools of sealer left to dry on the granite backsplash so it is important to wipe all excess sealer off the surface of the backsplash. Simply take a wad of paper towels and wipe as much sealer off of the backsplash surface as possible. When the wad of paper towels becomes wet with sealer then throw it away and get another wad of paper towels and continue cleaning up the excess sealer.
When sealing the granite countertop backsplash you always must be aware of the excess sealer dripping down on the granite countertops surface. This is why it is important to only seal small areas of the granite countertop and the backsplash at a time. You do not want the sealer to drip down on the granite countertops surface and dry. You should only seal approximately six feet wide areas of countertop and backsplash at a time. As soon as you are done sealing the granite countertop's backsplash then you should immediately start sealing the surface of the granite countertop. Click here to read more about how to seal a granite countertop.
Sealing a granite countertop may not be a job for many non DIY homeowners. You may want to consider hiring a tile or stone restoration contractor to seal your granite countertops for you. You can read some valuable information here about how to hire a stone restoration contractor.
Sealing Granite Countertops How to Seal Granite Countertops