Granite Edge is Light in Color

[Jake]

I have recently had my Crema Bordeux counter top installed. The top surface is rich in deep color and beautiful but the edges are all very light and some almost white. I have read some of the other forum advice, so I called the fabricator and had them attempt to darken. The slab was quarry sealed and the edges (half bullnose) were fabricator sealed. They used acetone to remove the sealer, then ager to darken, steel wool pads to force into the pores, followed by reseal. The result is some darkening and definitely better than before their work. However, the edges are still noticeably lighter than the top, especially in the browner tone areas.
What is acceptable in the industry for this granite? I was expecting the edge to be the same color as the top. Should I have them come out again with different workers to try again? or correct myself?

[Mark D.]

Your expectations are normal. Ask the fabricator if they have any scraps. If they do have them try to wet the stone on the lighter edge and see if it gets to the same darkness. If it does then they can fix your slab too....it just means removing the sealer and using a color enhancing sealer.
If when the unsealed edge of the stone gets wet it does not darken enough then you should stain it.

Get hold of the fabricator and have them call us if they need more info.

Glad to be of service,
Mark

[Jake]

Thanks Mark. I checked with a piece of scrap and the water trick works good. The edge darkens right away (unsealed). However it is not quite as dark as the top. They said they did use ager when they came out to try to fix. I am thinking that they may not have completely stripped off the sealer before using the ager? Either way it sounds like they should make another trip out to try again. Is the ager the right product or is there something else? Will they need to sand the edge in my house?

There is also a small chip on one of the rounded corners. Can that be fixed or is it just better to live with? It is not noticable unless you rub your hand against it.

[Mark D.]

If it is sealed the Ager may not have been absorbed into the stone. If the stone is very porous for granite they may need to use a different color enhancer, AgerTiger which is made for the more exotic (means more porous) stone.
If they repolish it starting at 100 grit they should be able to remove the sealer, then they should reseal. I would recommend AgerTiger after the 400 grit pad and again at the completion of the project.
If the chip is small the repolishing may fix that. If it is too big for that too fix it have your fabricator fill it with a colored glue to match the stone. If it is on the edge that is being repolished have them fill it before they repolish it so it blends in perfectly.

Glad to be of service,
Mark

[ilovegranite]

There may be a difference in colour due to the light hitting the surface vs the edges. Having the fabricator fix the problem by repolishing the edges might end up looking worse than they do now. Surface polishing is usually computerised and reflectance measured while edges are often not, if you can live with it I think you probably should.