If you liked it then you should have put some sealer on it!

Sealer is to Granite Counters,  what urethane is to Wood Floors!

I went to the local do it yourself store, and had a moment of cheapness, not thrifty-ness, not frugal-ness but pure unadulterated cheapness. I saw the $50 granite sealer, I picked it up, read the label and then promptly put it down for the $12 granite sealer beside it. Well, the $12 granite sealer . . . . . sucked. It was smelly, and it changed the color of our granite a little bit. Thank goodness we tested a small hidden spot before we did the entire counter. ALWAYS TEST!

So with 12 fewer dollars in my pocket I went back to the store and bought the "good stuff",. Polished Granite Sealer, again we tested in a small spot, It was fine and after the 24 hour wait period to make sure the sealer didn't adversely affect the stone I was ready to seal!

 

Here's what I learnt:

• First you'll want to administer The "Paper Towel Test". Wet a paper towel, put the wet sheet of paper towel on the granite, if after a few minutes the granite is darker under the paper towel, your granite needs to be sealed! 
• Buy the good sealer, aka buy the expensive sealer. After our first blunder I did some research, the concensus was to buck up, after all it could end up costing you a fortune down the road!
• Clean your counters, dust is the enemy!
• Spray the sealer on, working in small sections, unless you have very little counter space you won't be able to seal the entire counter in one go. Work in Small sections.

•  Once it's sprayed on use a dry cloth or sponge (we used sponge) and rub into the granite for about 5 min. making sure the counter stays wet with sealer, if it absorbs it all spray on some more.

• Once your done rubbing, let it sit for a few more min then wipe off any excess with a different dry cloth (we used a bar towel). Make sure to wipe off the excess before it dries (it's just way harder to get off if it's dry)!
• Some sealers may require a second coat a couple days later but ours did not! 

 That's about it!

• Don't clean it for 24 hours.
• After 24 hours do a test, drop some water on to the counter top and if it beads up, it's sealed!

Disclaimer: These instructions are based off of our particular sealers directions, every sealer will vary and you should read the instructions on the back! Just in case :)

Now, just because the granite is sealed doesn't mean that you can just drop what ever you want onto it. Granite Sealer can never fully seal the counter. It's meant to block the stain long enough for you to clean it up. So by all means if you drop beet juice onto your counter clean it up right away!

Also, be careful putting hot pots and pans directly onto your counter top. It's true that a hot pot can't hurt granite, it can however burn the sealer. And if the sealer gets burnt it will require a professional to come and restore it!

And don't forget to repeat the "Paper Towel" test every year to make sure the counters are sealed! Giving an exact time frame on when you'll need to re-seal your counters is impossible as it varies so much depending on the stone, the color of the stone, how many times the counter had been sealed already. That's why it's just a good idea to administer the Paper Towel test at least once a year, it only takes a second and it could save your counters.

I liked it so I put some sealer on it! Woah oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh, Woah oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh