Polishing granite edges is a crucial step in achieving a finished and professional look for your countertops. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to polish granite edges effectively:
Prepare the workspace:
Start by clearing the area and ensuring you have all the necessary tools and materials. This includes safety goggles, a dust mask, a variable speed grinder for dry polishing, variable speed water polisher if wet polishing, a shaping tool (if you will be shaping the edge), blue painter’s tape, diamond polishing pads (ranging from coarse to fine grit), backer pads, MAPP gas torch with self igniter, white grease pencil (ink marker will stain granite) and a granite enhancement sealer.
Variable speed grinder or variable speed/adjustable water polishers are preferred because the polishing pads will fly off with full speed grinder/polishers or you can use a variable speed inline accessory that plugs in between the grinder and your extension cord. If polishing with water which is preferred, use a GFCI wall plug, GFCI extension cord, or GFCI adapter to guard against electric shock. If using pneumatic (air) wet/dry polisher which we prefer the GFCI is not necessary. You will of course need an air compressor with a large enough reserve tank to keep up with the polisher.
Backer pads keep the polishing pads secure so they don’t fly off. you will want 3 and 4 inch backer pads in both rigid and flexible (more flexible the better). There are rigid pads that have minimal flex at edge which are fine.
If you are polishing a vertical edge with minimal round over (1/8″) rigid is all you will probably need but I like to have a flex backer pad available. If you’re polishing an edge with any more rollover you will definitely want both.
If shaping edge you will need a diamond tool to do this properly. I suggest a roundover if you do not have experience or substantial practice time. 1/4-3/8″ roundover will be the most forgiving for a beginner. You will run this bit at full or near full speed with your grinder/polisher running left to right over several passes making sure you keep it at proper angle. The bits I recommend have an attached vinyl guide on top to help with this.
Before starting polishing process I suggest using the painters tape to apply to surface of granite along your shaped edge so the pads don’t damage the horizontal surface. When polishing the radius the pads may flap slightly which can come into contact with surface near edge scratching or scuffing it even slightly. Top polishing granite to restore that area to match factory polish is a whole different animal and requires much more practice so it is important to avoid this at all costs. That is why the painters tape is a necessity
Granite Polishing Process
Wet or Dry? Wet is always best because the water washes the dust away to keep the edge clean. If you must use dry pads scroll own to Dry Polishing procedure.
Wet Polishing
I’m assuming you’re doing the recommended rollover edge on a practice piece roughly 2-3 feet long.
STEP 1:
Attach 4″ backer pad to grinder of choice, start with coarsest pad (#1 for 3 pad set), be sure pad is perfectly centered on backer pad so centrifugal force doesn’t cause it to fly off. Start water and with polisher at lower setting (1 on variable electric, about 1/2 speed for air polisher I recommended), make sure pad is flat against vertical portion of edge moving left to right with medium pressure 6-8 inches at a time till full length is complete then run entire edge with same pad so there are no irregularities along the edge.
(When you become more skilled you’ll be able to use the 3″ flex backer so you’re not having to switch back and forth)
STEP 2:
Switch to 3″ backer pad, attach the 4″ low grit pad centered. (This low grit pad is extremely aggressive so be aware to not apply too much pressure when polishing radius, let the pad do the work). Again work 6-8″ at a time, stand at an angle to edge so you can see down the edge from over head and down the edge. This is where practice will help develop your technique. Using the outer inch of the pad that extends beyond the 3″ backer, use it at medium or low speed so the pad forms to a portion of radius, altering your angle of attack so you can hit the entire radius in several passes. (you’ll understand what I mean once you start doing it)
Next you want to use the MAPP torch to dry the entire edge to see where you missed. Use the white grease pencil to lightly mark the spots you missed. Repeat Step 1, till you have no more missed spots. To avoid switching backer pads multiple times you can do the pad 1, dry, mark process till the vertical edge is complete then move to radius, you can always blend where the radius meets the vertical after you complete Step 1 for the radius. You can probably use the 3″ backer for both vertical and radius once you get the hang of it.
Step 3:
Repeat the pad polish, dry, grease pencil process with pad 2 till you have no more misses. Dry with torch again, use the enhancer sealer along entire edge (a little on a cotton rag will do). This help give depth to final polish.
Step 4:
Repeat the pad polish, dry, grease pencil process with pad 3 till you have no more misses. With edge dry it should match the surface polish shade. If you see any misses you’ll have to determine which pad step you missed, mark it and repeat the previous steps till you have no misses.
Granite enhancement sealer helps with the finish polished appearance when polishing anything other than very light colored granite.
Quality diamond polishing pads for granite are critical. If you are a beginner it is not necessary to buy the 7 or 8 pad sets. 3-step pads are now available that will ease your learning curve and provide an excellent polish as well. You still want to buy quality, there are plenty of cheap sets available but, are not worth it. The best wet/dry combo pads in 3 pad sets we have found are…Click Here.
Dry Polishing
Safety first:
Put on your safety goggles and dust mask to protect yourself from any debris or dust generated during the polishing process. Use a mask or respirator that completely seals off nose and mouth. Granite dust has a silica in it that will cause damage to your lungs in short order, in mere months not years. Before water was introduced to the process fabricators as well as quarry workers were handsomely paid so their families were taken care of because the workers didn’t live very long.
WHERE YOUR MASK AND GOGGLES/GLASSES !!!!!!!!
The dry polishing is nearly identical to wet polishing except since you don’t have water to continually wash away the dust after each pad so you should spray with a water spray bottle or hose, dry, mark with grease pencil for each pad. Otherwise the dust will get imbedded in the stone which will not allow a great finish polish.
Optional final step:
If you want to achieve an even higher level of shine, you can use the granite enhancer sealer again. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to apply the enhancer to the polished edge, wipe residue off after a few minutes and allow it to dry completely.
By following these steps, you can effectively polish the edges of your granite countertops, giving them a professional and finished appearance. Remember to take your time, use even pressure, and work through the different grits gradually to achieve the best results.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Polishing tile edges is much simpler and can be done with only the polisher, backer, and pads…the process is here.