Hey Kelly Whelan Crump, email this gal (Elsa) and ask her what product they recommend for sealing Shadow Storm --

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elsa.middletngranite@gmail.com

Mine was sealed from the fabricator. I loved my Super White Dolomite and choosing again for our new house. I did not baby my counters & spilled all sorts of citrus lime lemon wine sauces. Marble is gorgeous with its depth and sparkle from nature.

Just had what we were told is Shadow Storm marble installed in the kitchen. They sealed it prior with Tenax hydrex and on site with Tenax Ager. 

In the light it looks spotty or blotchy. Dawn and water or a magic eraser did not help. I read if sealed with a solvent based sealer, more of the same may help, but also, after the Ager it may not.

Any guidance would be helpful. TIA.

What you are calling ”spotty” and ”blotchy” is just what Shadow Storm marble looks like.

AM, so, just in the light, that it looks shiny in spots and not in others, that's how it is? I mean, it looks fine, otherwise, but with the light I was noticing all the surface blotchiness and thought it was because the Ager dried on it and maybe with the various minerals it took in some areas and not others, making it look that way. If it is what it is, then OK.

It does look like a film on top, but doesn't feel that way, not just the spots below the surface

Yes, Shadow Storm looks like it has a million small water spots in certain light and angles. It may kind of look like a glass that was air-dried after washing

Well, then, that's it because that's exactly what it looks like. Thank you

A M thank you! Would love the color cabinets that you all paired with the Shadow Storm!

@westmain Here is a picture of my Shadow Storm slab before and installed. My cabinets are SW Misty (6232, semi-gloss). My island is painted SW Anchors Aweigh with a butcher block top.

Beautiful! Thank you so much A M!

Does anyone have brown spots in their shadow storm? Not stains just natural color variation. We are building semi custom and at design center I fell in love with shadow storm over cheap looking quartz. They just installed it Thursday and centerpiece of my kitchen, the island has, has 3 brown spots in between the grays. Perimeter has none. I kinda hate it ughhhh

@Kasia Rooth Do you have a picture?

@AM I was trying to post it twice already

Here are the spots

@A M I was finally able to put a pic

Here is mine with a few brownish spots. I still love the marble over manufactured quartz. I accept imperfections in beautiful, natural stone. It's not plastic.

@Kasia Rooth I think that is normal, although not all slabs have the brown spots. Mine has something more like the spot on the left of your photo than the "streak" on the right, but I intentionally picked a slab with the spot because it ties in really well with my brass accents. We jokingly said it was probably fossilized dinosaur poo, but I think it adds character.

@laxmom08 and @AM thanks for your input. I'm doing brass faucet and have few wood accents in the kitchen. So I'm thinking maybe I will learn to love it. Hubby says, not spending $4k on a new piece for the island so better love it lol

Also @AM and @laxmom08 how is your stone holding up so far? I'm usually very careful even with granite I have now. I always use cutting boards and clean counters after spills. My only sin is I constantly put hot pots on it without trivet. Is that doable on shadow storm?

@Kasia Rooth I am not particularly hard on my counters and do most of my prep on my island, which is butcher block; shadow storm is only on my perimeters. I don't think I have ever put anything "out of the oven hot" directly on it so I cannot speak to that.

So far, great, with our being sealed. I use a cutting board, but I have made scones directly on the marble. I'm not obsessing about it as much as I did when it was brand new. Every spill and splatter has wiped right off. No staining. I just love the sparkles and pieces of gems and stone that are embedded in it. We have the date coming up to reseal and plan to keep up with it. No chips or scratches yet.

As far as hot, I used to put hot things right on my granite, too. I have, once, on the marble, but won't again for no reason other than it panicked me. Overall, I love it

Hey LaxMom08, if you have the chance, would you mind mentioning what sealer that you use? A soap dispenser had a leak or something and now there's a stain on my Shadow Storm quartzite. Made me mad. This is right after the folks installed it & sealed it!

JT, I believe it was Tenax Hydrex. It's been 5 months and nothing has stained it. We're going to give it another swipe next month.

Technically Shadow Storm is a Dolometic Marble. It is often referred to as a "hard marble". Another very popular stone that falls under this category is Fantasy Brown. Some refer to these stones as "soft quartzite", which is somewhat misleading, although it actually is the product of elements of marble and quartzite being fused together.

This article should definitively answer your question: https://columbusgranite.com/fantasy-brown-granite/

Hi. Am looking for a warm, light-subtle-gray colored quartz countertop that's minimal-to-no pattern. Am thinking of pairing it with Shadow Storm honed marble backsplash. Does anyone have recommendations? Thanks.

How is the shadow storm holding up after a year or so of use? Etching? Did you do professional sealing or yourselves with the spray? I am planning to get it for our kitchen, but I am a little nervous with my husband and kids and trying to keep it clean.

@HU-449625099 We had our shadow storm installed sept15th last year. This Thursday we are getting new countertops 😞 this thing is awful. I use cutting boards always, I clean it good few times a day and it's etched so bad I can't stand looking at it. Going with quartz now. I'm very upset because the counters are beautiful but so impractical, such a waste of money.

@HU-449625099 I am a little over two years with mine and they look the same as day 1, but mine are only on perimeter where I do not do a lot of prep work

Thanks for feedback. @kasiarooth what about just sending down the stone? Doesn’t that correct the etching issue?

Sanding *

Wow. Other than one small spot near the stove where my husband got spaghetti sauce and I didn't notice until the next day and it stained slightly, and a small dot I can see in a certain sunlight where my dil got a drop of lemon, we've had no problems. As long as coffee or sauces are wiped up quickly, they come right up. 

You're probably better off, though. You haven't liked them since you got them with that slight discoloration, so you'll probably be happier with the granite. Good luck.

@laxmom08 I got used to the darker spots on it :) but can't deal with all the glass water rings. I don't know if they sealed it incorrectly? Because I have the same one in a bathroom and that one is fine. As long as sanding goes @HU-449625099 I'm not sure how that works with a stone? I would assume they wouldn't be able to do it in the house because of the dust and all plus didn't want to risk this happening again. Fingers crossed I will like my new counters

I don't know...I definitely don't have water rings, so I wonder about the sealant. Believe me, we're not super careful. We use these counters. Other than the previously mentioned sauce, there's no staining. Everything wipes up. But, I do know regardless of sealing, it will etch with an acid, hence my lemon "drop". But, lots and lots of water rings, no. 

We know the granite is indestructible! I really hope you like the new counters.

@laxmom08 thank you so much, fingers crossed 🤞 I think you are right they didn't seal it properly

So totally confused about quartz vs dolomite marble vs granite. What to do when wanting simple light counters !!

@laxmom08 any issues with the marble chipping?

I know, Mary! I just read this --

https://eaglestonesusa.com/dolomite-countertops/

Jennette, it might come down to lifestyle. Love dolomite. Can I commit to protecting it from scratches and etching? Probably. I am an empty nester who doesn't actually cook much. I really just want to have a pretty kitchen, lol. Will have to keep an eye on the grandkids when they visit and eat at the high bar. If I could find a granite that imitates marble, I may consider it. I think no matter what material you go with you have to protect counters. Even must protect quartz from laptop heat. And I often work remotely at my high bar. Hadn't even thought about that heat until a salesperson mentioned it.

@HU-449625099 I went over a year with no chips, and then when I was washing a heavy Dutch oven in the sink, I nicked a spot and made a small chip. I was pretty upset, but now I barely notice it. So, it will chip. But, I was told a straight edge will chip the most easily.

@laxmom08, did you get anti-etch coating when you purchased the marble? I am planning to get it for the island only. It is so expensive! ($85/sf). My family keeps trying to talk me out of doing this stone, but I love it so much. Not sure if there is another granite that looks like this at all?

@laxmom08 did you get an anti-etch coating when you purchased the stone from the fabricator? I think I am going to get for the island only. My family keeps trying to talk me out of getting this stone.. but I don't think there is a granite that looks similar to this at all. What sealant do you use?

They used Tenex Hydrex. We did not get an anti-etch. If it had been offered, I may have. I do love it, but don't expect it to be perfect forever. We USE our counters. This is now, however many years since we've gotten it. It's real, not manufactured and unique.

Beautiful. What color are your cabinets if you remember?

They're just white, the island is grey. Nothing fancy. We wanted something brighter, but didn't want to rip everything apart, so they're refaced. Solid, Amish made wood painted fronts, all new full pull out metal glides and they reconfigured the small island from divided 2 drawers/2 doors to 3 large drawers. That's all it took to thrill me.

@laxmom08, it all looks great!

We installed shadow storm 3 years ago. I love it in the bathrooms and entryway. Never had any issues with it other than hard water stains by the faucets. In the kitchen, I have to constantly use placemats anytime we eat, drink or prep anything. We had them professionally sealed, we seal them every 6 months, and use a cleaner/sealer daily and it still leaves ring marks from cups, etc. I’ve seen a few scratches but nothing too noticeable. I would purchase them again for the bathrooms but not the kitchen.

Ugh! Less than a year and this is what my island looks like. Etching that I can’t get out. I knew I had to be careful with staininh, but not water rings!? 😢

Not seeing a photo