Granite Countertop Restoration: What Actually Happens During a Visit
By Granite Heroes Team · 2026-09-04
A step-by-step look at how a granite countertop goes from dull, scratched and patchy to a uniform, sealed finish — and why it's done wet, not dry.
Most homeowners have never watched a granite countertop get restored. They just know the stone looks tired: a dull patch around the sink, fine scratches near the range, a seam that has darkened, or a spot where the old sealer wore through. Here is what a Granite Heroes technician actually does when they come out. 1. Inspection and a plan for the slab Before any tools come out we look at the whole run of stone under raking light. We are checking for four things: scratch depth , etching or chemical dulling , sealer failure (water darkens the stone instead of beading), and structural issues like chips, open seams or hairline cracks. Each one changes the plan. A countertop that is only dull needs a light hone and polish; one with deep scratches needs coarser diamonds first. We also confirm the stone is actually granite. Plenty of "granite" installed in Chicago kitchens over the last 20 years is really quartzite, gneiss or even a dolomitic marble sold under a trade name. Those respond very differently to abrasives. 2. Protection Cabinets, floors, backsplash and appliances get masked and draped. Granite restoration is a wet process — we use water to cool the diamonds and to keep silica dust out of your home. That means slurry control matters, and good masking is what keeps it off your cabinet doors. 3. Wet diamond honing Diamond-resin pads run under water, starting at the coarsest grit needed to remove the damage and working up through finer steps. Each step removes the scratch pat