OT - Removing Bleaching? Sharpie Marker out of Granite Counter

[technocrat]

Turn it into a hunting scene

 

[mike44]

I would try GooBeGone spray. I have a dry erase board that I marked up with a sharpie. Left it for several weeks before attempting to clean it. Tried acetone, lacquer thinner, alcohol Goo Be Gone. Only the Goo be Gone completely removed the sharpie. Cleaned the board with one wipe.

 

[David Utidjian]

Sort of off topic... Very nice layout to that kitchen. Looks like a pleasant place to do some cooking. A few things you may not find to be optimal if you do much cooking are... the dishes on the shelves (and the shelves) to the right of the stove are going to get grimy. The nook directly behind the stove is going to get really grimy and those bottles of oil and salt shakers etc... look convenient now but not so much when you actually get some cooking going. A plain stainless backsplash from stove top to hood will be MUCH easier to clean. You can also get stainless backsplashes with designs "creased" in.

 

[rons]

I use a Jenn-Air exhaust and backsplash. You can make one and still keep the square box hole. The SS shelves are ok with me.

https://www.jennair.com/parts-and-accessories/cooktop-parts-and-accessories/p.backguard-with-shelf-48-stainless-steel.w10285449.html

 

[Georgineer]

Pictures would help, but if its just a small mark, lay an o ring down over the mark, pour in the solvent and lay a weight on top to hold it all in a puddle. Let it soak a while and maybe that will help remove it or diffuse it.

I see that Goldenfab has responded to this but I'll continue anyway. My first thought was to make some sort of dam to retain solvent,and let it soak. Henrya's idea is a good one, except that some combinations of O-ring material and solvent would leave new circular stains on/in the granite.
George

 

[goldenfab]

The hot ticket seems to be denatured alcohol and volcanic ash, but short of having the ash laying around baking soda works too. Next is straight Clorox but not sure how it would work with baking soda. For best results cover with plastic sheet taping the edges and leave for a day or so before removing. To be clear a poultice is solvent with a powder to keep the solvent in place and absorb it as it dries out, pulling the stained solvent out of the stone, and hopefully the stain. The powder can be most anything that will do the job and not react with the solvent or stain the stone. Marble powder, diatomaceous earth, baking soda, etc. You may need to repeat it a few times. Do not seal until the stain is gone or you have given up since a good sealer will really make it hard to remove the stain.

For more info search "poultice to remove stains from granite" but DO NOT use acetone or other solvents that will attack either polyester or epoxy resins.

If you just want to buy a product then the pre-water-based version of this is what I have heard is the best.

Lacquer thinner is one of the best solvents for deep stone cleaning, including hard water stains.

I didn't know what a poultice was so glad you mentioned it. I forgot I tried lacquer thinner with no avail. I tried hydrogen peroxide with baking soda too. Maybe lacquer thinner and backing soda or volcanic ash will do something.

Yes I have scrap pieces so I've been trying new stuff on that.

Sort of off topic... Very nice layout to that kitchen. Looks like a pleasant place to do some cooking. A few things you may not find to be optimal if you do much cooking are... the dishes on the shelves (and the shelves) to the right of the stove are going to get grimy. The nook directly behind the stove is going to get really grimy and those bottles of oil and salt shakers etc... look convenient now but not so much when you actually get some cooking going. A plain stainless backsplash from stove top to hood will be MUCH easier to clean. You can also get stainless backsplashes with designs "creased" in.

Yes the shelves aren't ideal because of stuff settling on them but the wife really likes them and they are for the everyday dishes. The less used items are in cabinets with doors. I have yet to do a real back splash and will do the nook in something cleanable. The wife has some tile picked out I think. I built the house and got it signed off on but there are a lot of things that still need to be done. Need to figure out something for the range hood. Got a killer deal on the range used, came out of high end remodel and the hood came with it so I stuck it up there. Going to have to dress it up or get another one.

I see that Goldenfab has responded to this but I'll continue anyway. My first thought was to make some sort of dam to retain solvent,and let it soak. Henrya's idea is a good one, except that some combinations of O-ring material and solvent would leave new circular stains on/in the granite.
George

A lot of things I've tried I put plastic on top and let sit overnight.

 

[rons]

The easiest route would be to ask a professional installer what they would do.
They know what the right adhesives and solvents to use.

You have tried everything. The discoloration has to be drawn out or disguised.
He might even suggest dye that is matched to the original color and randomly applied.

I did read a little about this stuff. You can damage the sealant/barrier of the counter top if all kinds of
chemicals are put on it. Then a sealer would have to be put back and buffed out. I thinking about the future.
Somebody tips over a glass of wine and the spots you are working on will absorb color and not come back.
Now the area is larger. I suggest no more red wine, stay with the whites.

The area shown is not so bad when I look at it and probably would not notice it.
The issue is that you notice it. The good part is that you can take as long as you like to make it look 100% and not 99.9%.

Tip: I use masking tape and a Pentel 0.5mm pencil tip to mark lines before cutting.
Tip: If it was my job the thing I would look into is just breaking up the lines by dyeing little spots on each line white (the lightest color).
The lines are matching surrounding areas and you will get a little more character out of that slab. The only thing is finding something that
will bleach a dark spot white. You can at least try this on a scrap piece. Then you got it made.

 

[rons]

Got it:
You can't expect a chemical applied on top of the surface to remove the stain below.
Maybe by dyeing it, I'm not sure. But there is hope and it's called a vacuum.

Just apply whatever you want on top and let it soak in.
Before it evaporates apply a suction cup to the area and draw vacuum with a hand pump. Let it sit for a while. I have a little kit here with a hand pump and a gauge.
The vacuum may disperse the stain upwards/sideways through through the grain structure of the crystals. A few iterations and the color may disperse enough to blend in.
I bet those stone installers know all the tricks. This might work better because all the suggested methods above have one thing working against, gravity.

BTW: I was reading a little about acetone. They warn not to use it.
Warnings might mean permanent damage or something that can be brought back.

 

[DavidScott]

The easiest route would be to ask a professional installer what they would do.

See post #17 and most likely omit the warnings about chemicals that will attack the resin, they generally are not very educated about chemicals and resins. This information came from a forum of professional fabricators and installers. This topic would come up fairly often on that forum. For about 16 years machining stone, engineered quartz, and ceramic was my main business.

IF you need to mark the stone the "professional" way to do it is with china markers, but they can be almost impossible to remove if embedded in the stone. The smart ones just use blue painter's tape, the sorta smart ones use other tapes that leave adhesive that is difficult to remove, but quite doable. I do have lots of experience with this.

 

[mnl]

If you can find an old mercury uv lamp that might well fade the ink. You will need a lot of uv, one of those black light tubes probably won’t cut it. The mercury lamp is much shorter wavelength. If you have one of those lamps do not look at it. It will fry your eyes.

 

[rons]

To check that it works, expose the area across a covered edge. After whatever time the edge is lifted and compare the two sides.

a lil OT, but I have done some Corian parts with a off-cut here and there. You have to be a licensed installer to buy it.
The manufacturer does not want it's name dirtied by homeowner installers who botch things up. The last word does
not apply here. It's a good looking kitchen. Even with the way it is conduct a backsplash test. Place a sheet of clean aluminum or
stainless behind the gas stove. Then go from there.

 

[David Utidjian]

Yes the shelves aren't ideal because of stuff settling on them but the wife really likes them and they are for the everyday dishes. The less used items are in cabinets with doors. I have yet to do a real back splash and will do the nook in something cleanable. The wife has some tile picked out I think. I built the house and got it signed off on but there are a lot of things that still need to be done. Need to figure out something for the range hood. Got a killer deal on the range used, came out of high end remodel and the hood came with it so I stuck it up there. Going to have to dress it up or get another one.

Tile is nice. Not as easy to clean but WAY better than painted sheetrock and it can look gorgeous. I have seen some older kitchens where it was very nicely done... even in apartments (mostly built pre-WWII.) Hopefully your hood also vents to the outside.

I like to cook a lot. It is difficult to make a kitchen that is easy to clean, convenient, and safe to work in yet also 'warm and attractive' and doesn't look like some sort of industrial clean room.

 

[Peter Colman]

If you can experiment on a scrap piece of material, try hydrochloric acid, this will should dissolve the material so pretty drastic. If it works, mix some with an inert powder into a paste and use with care.

 

[rons]

If you can find an old mercury uv lamp that might well fade the ink. You will need a lot of uv, one of those black light tubes probably won’t cut it. The mercury lamp is much shorter wavelength. If you have one of those lamps do not look at it. It will fry your eyes.

As long as a test piece is checked with a blocked edge. Just saying because radiation messes with everything.

 

[Joe Gwinn]

If you can find an old mercury uv lamp that might well fade the ink. You will need a lot of uv, one of those black light tubes probably won’t cut it. The mercury lamp is much shorter wavelength. If you have one of those lamps do not look at it. It will fry your eyes.

A short-wave UV lamp can be quite dangerous to skin and eyes. Treat it like a welding arc. Won't hurt granite though.

 

[Scottl]

You might try mixing powdered whiting with the alcohol. Brush on, let dry, brush and vacuum. I suspect the issue is ink in crevices. I've had similar issues gettingSharpie ink off of textured laminate countertops and found a toothbrush plus blotting worked well with iso alcohol.

 

[rons]

What the heck, lay down some masking tape over some of it. If you see that normal sunlight is fading the exposed parts it then there is nothing left to do.

 

[DavidScott]

UV will attack the resin in the granite, and is a big known problem if the slabs are stored outside.

 

[EPAIII]

I would test that on a scrap first.

If sunlight causes Sharpies to fade, which is my experience, I wonder if you could use a uv black light to lighten the stain. My understanding is that the stone is colorfast, so it should only affect the dye.

 

[Milland]

If you can experiment on a scrap piece of material, try hydrochloric acid, this will should dissolve the material so pretty drastic. If it works, mix some with an inert powder into a paste and use with care.

No offense, but use of many industrial acids within a home or other confined space should be avoided. The fumes and liquid are harmful to human tissue and can also attack most metals and other materials.

"Mild" acids like dilute citrus or vinegar could be tried, but with testing first.