How Do You Maintain Granite Countertops? What Indianapolis Homeowners Should Know Before They Buy

Granite Is Still Holding Its Ground in Indiana Kitchens

The 2025 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study found granite in 19% of renovating homeowners’ kitchens, second only to engineered quartz at 39% and ahead of quartzite at 11%.

Most of the homeowners who ask us about maintenance are really asking one question: how much work is this going to be? The honest answer is less than you have been told, but not zero.

Sealing Is the Only Recurring Task That Matters

We seal every top with a non-toxic penetrating sealer before it goes into your home. The sealer does not coat the surface. It soaks in and slows how fast liquids travel into the stone.

After that, plan on reapplying a penetrating sealer at least once a year. It is a twenty minute job with a soft cloth, not a project.

Pro Tip: Stone has to be bone dry before you reseal. Sealer applied over residual moisture cures into a cloudy haze that has to be stripped off. Give the top a full 24 hours with no wiping, no damp rags, and no sink splash before you start.

Not Every Granite Needs the Same Schedule

Absorption varies more between two granites than it does between granite and quartzite. A dense black rarely takes sealer at all. A light, open-grained slab with a lot of movement can drink it.

Test yours instead of guessing. Pour a tablespoon of water on the counter, wait fifteen minutes, and wipe it. If the stone underneath darkened, it is ready for sealer. If it beaded and left nothing behind, wait a few more months.

Run that test in two places: an open field of the counter and the area right next to the sink. They almost never come back the same.