Your Place: Water is staining granite countertops

Al Heavens, Inquirer Real Estate Columnist Posted: Friday, November 23, 2012, 3:01 AM

Question: We recently installed new granite tile countertops and backsplash in our kitchen. We are noticing that if we place a wet object on the countertop, the granite is stained in that area.

Answer: We have granite countertops and don't have this problem, so I can only tell you what other readers tell me.

Most water stains are only a temporary problem. The granite may darken or lighten in color when the water is absorbed into the stone. However, once the water evaporates, the color of the stone should return to normal.

You need to seal the surface regularly with a high-quality sealant, which prevents water absorption. I seal ours once a year.

If you have hard water making the stains, they can be removed with vinegar.

Q: Two years ago, we had a four-inch plastic corrugated drain pipe installed under the edges of the basement floor, about one foot from the bottom of the foundation, with rock surrounding it and weep holes in the bottom of the walls so groundwater that drained down through the wall would leak into the pipe area and drain to the sump.

Works pretty well so far, especially last year with Irene, and more recently with Sandy dumping lots of rain on our area.

However, about two months after the pipe was installed, we started seeing little black drain flies - not too many, but somewhat noticeable in the basement.

Didn't know where they were coming from, and it wasn't a significant problem.

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Your Place: Water is staining granite countertops