Hydrophobic Vs. Oliophobic Sealers
If you choose penetrating sealers, the two choices that you would encounter next is whether to get a hydrophobic or oliophobic sealer. The difference is really simple: hydrophobic keeps out liquid-based substances, while oliophobic sealers keeps oil-based liquids from the stone. The difference in function is small, but their effects on your granite and marble slabs is huge, depending on the application.
Hydrophobic sealers are great for granite and marble applications that don’t encounter much oil-based substances through its use. Coffee tables, sinks, and vanity areas could use hydrophobic sealers for stone care since these don’t get much spills from oil-based materials.
Oliophobic sealers are perfect for kitchen marble and granite tops since you use a lot of oil and other oil-based food and products in the kitchen. Bathrooms can also use oliophobic sealers if you regularly use bath oils when bathing.
But when you compare the two, oliophobic sealers have the upper hand since all oliophobic sealers are also hydrophobic by default, whereas the reverse is not the same for hydrophobic sealers. One would then ask, why not make all sealers oliophobic? Doesn’t that make things simpler? The answer to that is application and cost. With application, not all granite and marble slab that you use in your home would be exposed to oil-based stain. As to cost, since oliophobic sealers can do more in terms of protection, it’s reasonable for oliophobic sealers to carry a bit more heft in terms of price.
One thing to note though: oil-resistant is different from oil-repellant. You may see labels for oil-resistance and assume that the sealer is oliophobic. But that is not the case. Oil-resistant sealers can only delay the oil from seeping through the pores, but not keep them out entirely. To be sure, better look for “oliophobic” or “oil-repellant” on the labels for complete oil protection.
If and when you can, going for oliophobic sealers is advisable since you get more comprehensive protection for your granite and marble slabs. This maybe overkill for some, but then you can never be too careful with natural stone, and the investment that you make in stone care and protection is sure to yield results in the future. But if you’re limited by your budget, then be sure to get the right type for the appropriate application for your marble and granite countertops.
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