Q. There are dark areas on my new granite seat in the travertine shower stall. I've been trying to dry out the areas with a fan and a hair dryer over a week, but they haven't returned to the normal color. How long should I wait for the granite to dry out so that I may be able to re-seal the granite? My contractor tells me to ignore the darkened color and use the shower and enjoy. Will the constant moisture harm the granite (Tropical Brown) in the long run?

A. If the dark spots are moisture try the following: place some dry flour on the dark spots and allow it to sit overnight. If it is moisture, the flour should absorb the moisture. You may need to repeat several times. You don't want to seal the granite until you have removed the moisture. If the granite is wet and then dries, this can cause some long term damage. I would dry it out and then seal it with a good, quality stone impregnator.

Fred Hueston
Chief Technical Director, SurpHaces
President, Stone Forensics