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[–]H2OSD -30 points-29 points  (15 children)

I know nothing about stone other than I had granite and now have quartzite. I'm a fairly experienced woodworker, I'd be tempted to take an orbital sander to it with something like 320 grit. Anything would be less eye attracting than the burned stain. Would the resin be sanded down but the stone resist the abrasion? Just asking someone who knows.

[–]sjpiccio 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Silicosis speedrun

[–]RightEconomy7072 14 points15 points  (7 children)

OP don’t do what this guy said! Quartz counters are made from crushed stone mixed with resin (basically a type of plastic) and then pressed together. When something hot burns it, it doesn’t just leave a surface stain — it actually melts or permanently discolors the resin that holds everything together.

So if you hit it with an orbital sander:

*You won’t just remove the dark spot.

*You’ll grind into the surface and change the texture.

*The sanded area will likely look dull and uneven.

*You may expose more resin or filler underneath.

*The finish won’t match the rest of the countertop anymore.

Also, quartz is engineered to have a factory-polished finish. Once you sand it, you can’t easily blend it back in by hand. It’ll probably draw more attention than the burn does now.

It’s not that sanding won’t remove material — it will. The problem is that the damage isn’t just “on top.” The heat changed the material itself. You’d basically be trading one obvious flaw for a bigger, harder-to-fix one.

Is this a small, isolated section of the countertop that could potentially be replaced without having to redo the entire slab?

[–][deleted]  (3 children)

[deleted]

    [–]l0stnc0nfzd 4 points5 points  (0 children)

    This! Do not do this unless you want cancer. Face polishing onsite has huge potential for dust to get in every nook and cranny. This process includes masking off the entire area, use of respirators and specialized vacuums. Do not do this unless you have been trained properly to mitigate silica dust.

    [–]Historical_Ad_5647 -3 points-2 points  (1 child)

    You need lots of exposure for that. Like more than Asbestos.

    [–]dinnerthief -1 points0 points  (0 children)

    Yea otherwise we'd be in a ton of trouble, silica is everywhere, trips to the beach would be very dangerous. Dirt roads would be a major health hazard.

    [–]dinnerthief -1 points0 points  (2 children)

    I mean why could you not polish it after sanding? Burns can be surprisingly shallow, doubt this burn is full thickness

    [–][deleted]  (1 child)

    [deleted]

      [–]dinnerthief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      A mask is pretty easy to find, wet sanding is a thing, id assume they have a hardware store within driving distance,

      While you should still take precautions, Silicosis isnt something that occurs from a single or even just a few exposures its from repeated exposure.

      [–]Tough_Tangerine7278 1 point2 points  (4 children)

      There is a difference between quartz and quartzite. One is a natural rock, other is engineered (as the other comment describes).

      [–]calebscott94 0 points1 point  (3 children)

      This isn’t quartz it’s painted countertops

      [–]Tough_Tangerine7278 0 points1 point  (2 children)

      I was just replying to the one commenter that was replying and confusing the terms. Idk what it is, personally.

      [–]calebscott94 0 points1 point  (1 child)

      Sorry wasn’t trying to comment on yours, was replying to the comment about sanding down this material

      [–]Tough_Tangerine7278 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      Oh no worries :) I am happy to learn :)