Countertop Etch Drama - Can This Countertop Be Saved?

A reader asks:

"Hi there, I am house sitting for some friends whose kitchen counters are (I believe) a type of dark slate.I acidentally left a paper towel soaked in lemon juice (I was making lemonade) on the counter and now it seems as though it has etched into the counter...the stain is very noticeable and cleaning it just stripped the sealer!! What can I do? Does it need to be resurfaced?" Thanks for your help. (name withheld) 

Dearest Name Witheld, 

It's not your fault - who, really, would even be able to germinate the thought that lemon could possibly etch a hard countertop material? VERY few. Etching is different than staining, and you may want to tip off the homeowner that they should attempt to find solutions for the etching problem. 

Image from countertopnetwork.comTell them what substance caused the problem (was it only lemon juice?) How much lemon juice and how long was it sitting on the countertop? What did you do after you saw it/how did you attempt to clean it up? That will be helpful information. 

Beyond that, I am not a stone expert, and there are countless types of stone countertop materials which makes it impossible to understand the properties of all of them. 

Image by A Bluebonnet in BeantownBest piece of advice I can give is to recommend that they seek, probably several opinions of stone specialists but start with the stone fabricator or showroom which sold it to them. Me, I like concensus, so I would naturally seek out several opinions to find concensus.

I cannot say if the etch marks can disappear via a rejuvenation of the countertop or not, but that is one method that might be suggested to the homeowners. 

Countertop durability is no joke. A great looking countertop may just be waiting for the chance to turn on the homeowner...just because it can! 

A few tips:

• Get large samples of the countertops you are considering
• Put the sample through substance testing: add dabs of ketchup, wine, oil, lemon, wine vinegar, worsc sauce, mustard, more
• Add those substances to one half of the sample, taping it off in half so that the original side may be compared to the side with substances on it
• After 48 hours, remove the substances and view the good (or bad) behavior of the countertop sample

Purchase accordingly!

Sears are applied on to many types of countertop surfaces, and they work very well as a rule. One aspect of using a sealer makes me nervous...it is often difficult to tell when the sealer has been worn away from use. The length of time that a sealer will last depends on:

the properties of the stone

the sealer

food products

other products having a home on the countertop or moving on/off/around the top

lifestyle use pattern (light/heavy use/in between.)

When should a sealer be reapplied? No one can advise a precise date based on the above variables, which partially defines the risk of installing porous countertop materials.

So, dear Namewithheld, it is not your fault...you had no idea of the properties of the countertop and unless you are a geologist or stone specialist, it's called an accident.

Kelly's Kitchen Sync - The Book!

Kelly Morisseau, CMKBD, author of Kelly's Kitchen Sync, just released, has been a great friend, colleague and fellow blogger for many years. Kelly's new book provides a wealth of practical information and tips on all those pesky little details which make ALL the difference in a kitchen design that works for the way you live, both aesthetically and functionally, for perhaps, the next few decades or so.

I have reviewed a few books before. In one case, a long term professional relationship completely dissolved forevermore because my colleague's book on kitchen design, sent to me for review, was so far below my standard for useful (and current) information, that I felt that I could not and would not endorse it (there is no way to say that gently to a colleague, trust me on that). My memory fades on another two books that I also could not endorse, but one refusal was due to flat out inaccuracies that I easily uncovered. Point? My professional standards for information relating to the kitchen and bath industry and design process are VERY high and no, friendship does not trump endorsing what I might consider to be sub par information on kitchen design released to the public at large. I'm a bit wound tight like a lionness in that regard for some very strange reason. I know...I probably need to fix a margharita and relax. 

"Kelly's Kitchen Sync" is a good book. It's the real deal by a smart and experienced (key word) certified kitchen designer, and it offers solid information that is important to know as one navigates the universe of designing a kitchen. The information in Kelly Morisseau's book can truly enhance one's investment in one's home, often the biggest investment one makes, not to mention enhancing one's lifestyle in the kitchen.

Following are nuggets of information (every page offers valuable gold nuggets) that are not only good to know but will add a layer of detail that makes all the difference in the design process, resulting in a kitchen with a higher level of aesthetics and function, especially if one tackles the kitchen design without a professional kitchen designer (no one does that, right?) Following are snippets of good information!

"Clear as glass", page 97:

Kelly talks about mullions on glass wall cabinet doors intersecting with shelves and offers solutions to work around what can be a collision of lines which would otherwise most likely not have been noticed till...later. Four pages on glass shelves and glass doors? Impressive.

Here's just one insider tip on hardware...so simple, yet proportion and scale is the foundation behind this simple, but important, advice.

"Which is better, knob or pull, page 102:

Before you buy, check the width of both your smallest and widest drawers. Buy a few sizes and see what looks best. If your cabinet is 27" wide and the handles are 4" or less, I sometimes recommend using 2 handles, spaced 3"-5" from each side of the drawer."

 Ah yes...the insider's tips for ordering cabinetry correctly...

"Order up! The top 11 beginner mistakes of cabinetry orders (and how to avoid them)", page 81:

(One of my favorites) - "Tall cabinets, such as a 96" high x 24" deep cabinet, will NOT tilt upright in a 96" high room. It's a simple law of physics - the corner of the cabinet will strike the ceiling first."

Perhaps you get the idea - endless tips are provided throughout the book to help, yes, avoid disaster! An experienced kitchen designer has multiple solutions at the ready for nearly every situation that arises. Here, Kelly has laid the foundation for one to understand not only what those solutions are, but WHY these issues are important to know. And, she explains them in an easy going manner that is both entertaining and informative. Kelly's Kitchen Sync - the book!