Cleaning Stone Countertop
Hi All, We have stone countertops in the kitchen. Pietra Cardosa specifically or, as our plain-speaking GC likes to call it, “grey schist.” It performs very well but, after 9 years use, has darkened significantly. I believe this is due to its having absorbed cooking oil etc. So before I reseal it, I’d like to…
Hi All, We have stone countertops in the kitchen. Pietra Cardosa specifically or, as our plain-speaking GC likes to call it, “grey schist.” It performs very well but, after 9 years use, has darkened significantly. I believe this is due to its having absorbed cooking oil etc. So before I reseal it, I’d like to thoroughly clean it. Has anyone tried applying a poultice and, if so, do you have a recipe for mixing it up? Any other tips gratefully received. I’d rather do this myself than hire a professional but don’t want to use the wrong chemicals!
Schist is much more porous than a true granite and will absorb dirt, grease, etc. over time.
Your best bet is to have a professional restore the top. You’ll be much happier and it will be money well spent.
Tracy
Denver Designer and representative for Loveless Stone sandstone countertops
Thanks everyone. I’ll try the poultice but won’t get my hopes up too much!
we have the same material. i’ve used acetone and talc mixed into a paste, spread over the affected area and covered in saran wrap, taped at the edges. this works, but it’s hard to do over a large area. i’ve basically given up and just let nature be nature.
schists can discolor over time from oxidation and I think they are slightly porous. the “schist” means to split so I imagine over time everything gets absorbed into the surface.they aren’t actually homogenous, but made up of interleaved flakes and the composition can vary.
I don’t know that particular material but I recently cleaned some very old, stained marble using a mix of peroxide & baking soda that someone on the forum recommended. It worked wonderfully well w/ no elbow grease needed. I’d tried many, many other methods over the years. I doubt it would hurt to try it. No measurements – just make a not-too-thick paste.
Are you sure it hasn’t oxidized. I was under the impression that Pietra got black over time like soapstone does.