My (Great) Experience With Granite Sealer

Friday, March 13, 2015

You guys remember I just redid my kitchen island and got a new granite (honed absolute black)? I love it, but I did notice over the last few weeks that it was showing finger prints and things more than it should, and was a bit lighter than a true black. It was supposed to have been sealed at the stone fabrication yard, but I honestly didn't know what they used and didn't really know if the sales department would be reliable on that. So, I did a bunch of research and found what people seem to think is the best sealer. It is called "Color Enhancing Sealer" and is made by Ager. 

My granite before was a very grayish black. Actually, do you see the discoloration on the edge? I actually think that is a result of the fabricators doing a poor job with the sealer:


And here it is after two coats of color enhancing sealer. I have a black kitchen table, so I am thrilled that it more closely matches that now:




It definitely looks shinier now, which takes away from the honed aspect a tiny bit, but the color is closer to what I want.  And it's definitely not as shiny as polished (by the way, I still love polished granite, but it just wasn't the look I was going for here).

These photos show the before and after the best. I intentionally left this bottom right edge un-sealed because my husband is away and I wanted him to see the difference. I'll finish it up after he see it. Isn't that an amazing difference?


Closer up:


If you ever want to try this one, Ager Color Enhancer Sealer, you can get it on Amazon. (This is not a sponsored or endorsed post - it is just me sharing my experience).

Other thoughts:
It's easy to work with, beginners can do it.
It has a mild odor - not offensive at all - kind of like acetone.
It only took about 5 minutes per coat.
I highly recommend it.

I thought some of you might be able to use this info. If there are questions I didn't think of, send them my way and I'll try to answer.

Happy weekend everyone!










Taylor Greenwalt said...

That really works...it looks beautiful!

Pura Vida said...

Your kitchen is so pretty

artluvr said...

We have leathered absolute black granite, also not shiny, and, over time, experienced the same showing of fingerprints, lightening, etc. you mention. Per our fabricator, we got the same sealer, the Tenax Ager color enhancing you used. We applied it following directions. It looked fabulous. But we found that when we used a damp sponge or even a cloth with granite cleaner, or pretty much anything to wipe the counter, we'd get streaks. Would be interested to hear if you experience the same problem...

Anonymous said...

Hey sweetie! love your blog and insight and your granite rocks big time, but for some reason, since you changed the format of your blog, I am having a hard time receiving it in my inbox. It takes forever to load? Just FYI xoxo

Karena said...

Adore your counter top Stacy, it is gorgeous with the new sealer!
Have a super weekend!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena

Anonymous said...

I have a LOT of black granite, which I love, and am considering re-sealing it....thanks for this post, very informative!!!

Debra @MyHumbleHomeandGarden.com said...

Your black and white kitchen is beautiful. Wow, what a difference that made on the granite!

Sandy said...

Love your kitchen! And great info Stacy. I need to reveal my granite. Thank you for sharing.