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[quote=Anonymous]The issue regarding etching (which is different from staining) is for POLISHED stone, NOT HONED.  If you appreciate the timeless beauty of honed marble (like the streets and fountains across Italy and much of Europe) then etching isn't an issue.  For the person with green goop on honed marble left on overnight by kids, it may be a remnant stain that is bring noticed -- not etching.

Etching is a dulling [honing] of the polished surface of stone.  Acids (lemon, tomato, vinegsr, bleach, many toothpastes, acidic oils including olive, Lysol, Drayno, etc.) will etch [create an unpolished spot] on certain stones.  Marble is very susceptible to this.  Some granites.  A few Quarzite (those many are practically impervious -- at least for a longer period of time begore cleaning up the spill).  Note:  Quartzite is a natural stone -- which is different from the "Quartz" the industry has named for the man-made product [also, not to be confused with real gem-stone quartz -- citrine, amethyst, smokey].

Sealing your stone prevents neither staining nor etching -- it only buys you time [slows absorbtion].  The best quality sealers such as 511-PorousPlus buys you more time than lesser-quslity sealers.

Some marbles are more resistant than others; some granites more than others.  For those who haven't yet installed their desired choice of stone, ask to test a sample of the slab-group you desire.  Do the water, lemon-juice, olive-oil test.  That will tell you if [A] a sealer will buy you an acceptable amount if time for spill clean-up; and [B] if the room in which you envision the install will make sense.  If your stone is quickly stained or etched, a kitchen or kids bathroom may mean an unacceptable amountbof effort despite the beauty.

All that said, staining is more the bear than etching.  If one wants to retain a uniform, mirror-like sheen on their polished stone, removing etch marks can be done with etch-removal products that are used to repolish the etched area.

Staining is more of a challenge [permanent-wise].  Many [but not all] stains are less noticeable on dark, multi-shaded stones.  Poultice products [used to draw out to stain over time and repeated applications] can have mixed outcomes.  The best, granted vigilant,  approach is to clean up the spill ASAP, while the sealer is still preventing the stone from absorbing the stain.  Note:  if the poultice result is unacceptable, the stain can be removed [excised] by grinding it out IF IT IS A VERY SHALLOW SURFACE STAIN.  Doing such requires several stages of increasingly fine griding pads used in an increadinly wide circle until finally the finest buffing pad is used to polish the area to match the complete stone.[/quote]

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