Granite Sealing Options — Topical Sealers & Impregnators

Granite is a naturally durable and abrasion-resistant stone but due to neglect and overuse, there is a tendency that some of its more appreciable qualities are compromised over a period of time. Considering such possibilities, it makes sense in getting your granite installation sealed. However, granite sealing is not as easy decision to make and there is a plethora of options in which it can be accomplished. There are different types of sealing products offered in the market and it is essential to gain some basic knowledge about their typical uses, and the advantages offered by them.
Granite sealing products are classified into —
· Topical Sealer or Coatings
· Impregnators

Topical Sealers
The are film formers or coatings that are applied on the granite surface to protect it against the onslaught of moisture and spillage of water and other common household contaminants that are associated with kitchen countertops. The topical sealers are manufactured from natural or acrylic wax or other complex industrial plastic compounds. They are economical and can even be applied at home, without employing the services of any skilled labor.
These Coatings are further divided as:
· Strippable sealers
· Permanent sealers

_Strippable Coatings are the more affordable and the more commonly-used type of topical sealing option which is found in most of the bigger residential, commercial and warehouse interiors. The are formulated from synthetic polymers like polyethylene, acrylics and styrene and most of them have a water-based formula. However, the conventional strippable products are more useful for granite tiles and not the floorings. These coatings can be removed or tend to get worn-out after some time and need to be re-applied. It is important to investigate the kind of stripping that is being used for kitchen countertops, since food and other consumables are handled here.

_Permanent Coatings, as the name suggests, are the more enduring to the two type of topical sealers since they are made from solvent-based polymers like epoxies or polyurethane. Most of them are not recommended for small-scale/budgeted household use and should be applied with the help of slightly more experienced hands.

Impregnators
These kind of sealants are both water and solvent-based and tend to seep a bit deeper into the surface of the granite countertop, making the surface not just capable of preventing water or pollutants, but actually repelling them. Thus, they are regarded as the more effective of the two kinds of granite sealing options. Most of the impregnators found today are hydrophobic, i.e. they repel water but a few specialized ones, called oliophobic, i.e. oil-repelling impregnator, are also used.

_Hydrophobic Impregnators are chemically configured to make them capable of repelling mostly water or other surface-spilled substances that are water-based. This includes most of the household fluids of consumption like tea, coffee, fruit drinks and soda.

_Oliophobic Impregnators are dual-functional and can repel both water and oil-containing substances. This includes the conventional cooking oil, body oils and other greasy substances that are often found on kitchen countertops.

Note — oil-resistant and oil-repellent impregnators represent very different kind of granite sealing options. Oil-resistant impregnators can only impair the absorption of oil or oil-based chemicals/fluids into the granite countertop but oil-repellent impregnators provide precise preventive action, i.e. oil is not allowed to enter the countertop’s surface.