Oil Seeps Into Granite

Granite has a reputation as a particularly non porous stone.

Oil seeps into granite. The first step is to try and get rid and try and lift the stain as soon as possible. It does this by absorbing into the pores of the stone. On a regional basis a comparison of maps of northern gulf of mexico sea surface slicks figures 5 42 and 5 43 seafloor seeps figures 5 44 and 5 47 active oil and gas platforms an indirect indication of deep oil and gas reservoirs figures 5 48 and 5 49 and maximum historical oil and gas production rates figures 5 50 and 5 51. The porosity of a stone is influenced by the number of channels or micro voids in the stone itself.

Some are on a scale large enough to constitute commercial oil fields e g. Applying a high quality sealer helps block liquids stains from seeping into the granite. In countertops these channels are much smaller. Although if you have spilled something containing oil such as grease or fat or cooking oil and you leave it on the granite worktop surface for a longated period grease can seep and dissolve into the stone and a dark oil based stain mark will appear.

But substances like cooking oils that don t evaporate can cause permanent stains if they re allowed to soak into the stone. But once again regular sealing will almost always stop oil from damaging the top. Having said all of that you need to keep in mind that not all granite surfaces require sealing. There are many occurrences of hydrocarbons in granites and other basement rocks.

However their presence means that food or water can seep into the stone leaving stains. Petford mccaffrey 2003 so their origin is worthy of investigation possibly the earliest documentation of oil in granite is the occurrence of oil including viscous solid bitumen residues of oil in the granites of cornwall where it was. Oil that seeps into granite can be removed and sometimes it dissipates on its own over time. Often it only needs to be done twice a year.

Granite is a porous natural stone and without the sealer oil grease dirt and water will seep into the surface and spoil the look. When oil and grease come into contact with granite surfaces staining can be expected unless the stone is sealed properly and the oil is cleaned up quickly and this isn t limited to kitchen countertops because it can also happen in the bathroom with creams makeup and some body lotions not to mention accidental spills on granite floor tiles. The clear sealers are applied with a cotton rag and simply rubbed into the surface. Granite city cleanup continued wednesday here after 200 000 gallons of used oil spilled from a company s storage tanks a portion of it contaminating nearby ground and the city sewer system.

Granite counter top sealers reduce the rate of absorbency so the. When water seeps into your granite countertop it leaves a dark spot that evaporates in a few minutes and returns to normal.