Scratched Granite

[richar51]

Hello,

I made the rookie granite owner mistake of using a green scrub pad on the brand new granite tiles I used for my countertop.

A couple of questions,

Should the common green scrub pad (the ones one would use to scrub pots and pans) have scratched the granite tile? Is there a chance that these granite tiles are cheap. I purchased them from the "Tile Shop" which claims they are 100% onyx granite.

Aside from busting the tile out, can the scratches be "buffed" out using diamond pads and a air grinder?

Are there any secrets to hiding scratches using polish or something similar?

Any assistance is much appreciated !!

Thanks,

[tom]

Doubtful they're cheap. These plastic pads are quite good at scratching hard objects. Just apply consecutively finer pads to the scratches 'til they disappear. Tom

[Roger Taylor]

You may have a case against the Tile Shop. Onyx is a sedimentary calcium carbonate rock similar to limestone, and is very soft and scratchable, and is IMHO unsuitable for a working kitchen countertop, but may be used, with care, in bathrooms and showers. Granite is an igneous rock cooled from magma, and solidified into extremely hard interlocking crystals of quartz and feldspar, both minerals way exceeding the strength,hardness, corrosion resistance, and durability of limestone or onyx. "100% onyx granite" is therefore an oxymoron. It may be possible that you actually have granite there, but the softness sounds suspicious if a scrub pad abrades it.....

[m Ransley]

Those are tough green pads, or you have soft stone.

[RicodJour]

Not really. I've used the various grades of Scotch Brite pads to sand just about everything. Scratching a polished stone surface with one of them is easy to do.

Interesting about the "onyx granite" I wonder who got the description screwed up in the first place - supplier, distributor, owner?

R

[dadiOH]

No, onyx is a chalcedony which is a form of quartz. Specifically, a cryptocrystalline form like flint. It is not soft.

-- dadiOH ____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at

[newsreader]

Go here:

and get advice from folks who work stone for a living. You can also go here:

a bunch of stone guys frequent both sites.

[nospambob]

Same steps used in furniture finishing to go to a high gloss.

[richar51]

Thank you for all that replied. I did a little research and got a little more detail.

The exact tile is

Rush River Shanxi Black granite

The Tile Shop claims it is one 100% granite and should only scratch if scratched by material harder that granite (e.g. diamond). Therefore they do not believe me when I told them a Scotch Brite Heavy Duty Scour pad (the same one you would by at the grocery store). I was able to reproduce it on a sample piece but have yet to show them.

I will take my fair share if stupidity because after the fact, the directions of the pad (what the hell are directions?) stated not to use on a polished surface.

One would assume that the Tile Shop will not take any responsibility for the products they sell and frankly I am not sure if it is worth ripping out the tile to replace it.

One response was to "apply consecutively finer pads to the scratches 'til they disappear". I am not sure if that was sarcasm at it worst (if they were referring to the green pads) or I assume it was in reference to diamond polishing pads.

I have never done polishing before but I figure what is the worst that can happen, I have to replace the tile (in the end probably easier and cheaper but I am looking to expand my horizons). I was thinking of starting at 800 to 1500 to 3000 diamond polishing pads. Other than the penetrating sealer, is there any other finish I need to apply?

Thank you again to everybody who replied. I apologize for misleading you with the onyx association (that was my black splash granite tile).

Thank you !

[Charles Spitzer]

if you can catch your fingernail in the scratches, it won't be easy to get it out. if not, then you should start with something a lot finer, say

2000-3000 at least. use water with a drop of dish soap added. use a flat piece of something (tile, sanding block, etc) as a backer to the paper. try it on your samples first.

there are services that will polish out scratches in glass windows. you might call around to find one to see what it'll cost you for them to do it. there's some tools that can make this a lot easier that would be expensive for you to buy for a one time use.

[dadiOH]

Obviously, the Tile Shop isn't a geologist. I am. Granite isn't a uniform material nor a one of a kind stone, it is an aggregate of numerous minerals. Exactly which minerals and their relative amounts is what gives granitic stones various colors and characteristics. The minerals range from fairly soft to fairly hard. None of them are as hard as aluminum oxide (corundum) which is the abrasive normally used in sandpaper.

I have no doubt the pad scratched your counter. _______________

There is no reason for them to take responsibility, they did nothing wrong. Nor is there any need to rip it out - as others said, you can polish it with successively finer materials. And you don't need diamonds....aluminum oxide or silicon carbide paper should do it. Even various rubbing compounds.

-- dadiOH ____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at

[Bill Miller]

the brand new granite tiles I used for my countertop.<

Try a Rockhound Shop, they should have the materials for removing scratches, Jewelers Rouge and such.

[PipeDown]

Scotch brite pads are used by machinists to put a brushed finish on metal parts even stainless steel.

You should be able to polish out these scratches using normal polishing techniques. Use alumina sand paper down to 600 then 1200 grit then switch to diamond paste and a buffer. Finish off with a new coat of impregnating sealer and surface sealer (whole counter). A gouge would be harder to remove but possible, just start with a coarser grit and feather out from the damage. You can get buffing wheels for an angle grinder from some tile stores.

I bet you can get an installer to come out and do it for you for under $200

Replacement stone tile goes from $4 to $20 a square foot uninstalled. Most granites are in the $7-$12 range

Granite has a blotchey crystalline appearance while onyx has a smoother flowing crystaline appearance (often layered or swirley).

[Roger Taylor]

DadiOH, you are so right. I was thinking of the stuff in my neighbor&#39;s shower, which is mexican onyx, a calcite rock. "Real" or conventional onyx is indeed chalcedony, which should resist scratching right up there near granite......

[dadiOH]

What he has is most likely travertine, That&#39;s calcareous and is very commonly used in bathrooms both in Mexico and the US.

However, there is lots of Mexican onyx too and some looks very similar to the travertine color wise. Most comes from around Puebla and is often made into dining tables and the like. I covet one :) ____________

Actually, it resists scratching better since it is pure quartz and granitic rocks aren&#39;t.

-- dadiOH ____________________________

dadiOH&#39;s dandies v3.06... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at