Before you try anything: always speak to a professional before cleaning, treating or applying any product to your stone. Every slab is different, and the wrong product can cause permanent damage. Contact us or a qualified stone restorer first.
Quick answer
First degrease your concrete: a film of oil and cleaner is often all that is dulling it. If it is still flat, the surface has probably been etched. Small dull areas on polished concrete can be buffed back with marble polishing powder, but restoring the shine across a whole benchtop means professional honing and re-polishing.
First, check what you are dealing with
- Flat, slightly greasy look everywhere: residue.
- Dull patches near the sink, cooktop or where drinks are served: etching.
- Whole surface dull and slightly rough: worn finish needing professional work.
What you need
- Hot water and dish liquid
- Microfibre cloths
Step by step
Degrease first
Wash with hot water and a good squeeze of dish liquid, rinse with clean water and dry with microfibre. Residue from oils and cleaners is the most common cause of a flat-looking surface.
Professional re-polish for the rest
A concrete benchtop specialist can re-hone and refinish the surface and patch chips.
Keep it that way
Protection film over the freshly polished surface stops the dullness returning.
What not to use on concrete
- Waxes, furniture polish and "stone shine" sprays that coat rather than polish.
- Vinegar, lemon juice or "natural" citrus cleaners: they etch concrete.
When to call a professional
A concrete benchtop specialist can re-hone and refinish the surface and patch chips.
Understanding dull surfaces and lost shine on concrete
On concrete, damage shows as pale etch marks, darker stains, worn patches in the coating and hairline cracks.
Cement is alkaline, so acids react with it and leave pale, slightly rough etch marks. On sealed concrete the damage may be in the coating as well as the concrete.
A concrete benchtop specialist can re-hone and refinish the surface and patch chips.
Good to know
A dull concrete benchtop usually means the sealer or wax has worn, especially around the sink and cooktop.
Stop it happening again
Whether yours is cast-in-place and precast concrete benchtops, repairing it fixes today's mark; protecting it stops the next one. Our clear Stone Protection Film sits over the surface, so acids cannot etch it and liquids cannot soak in, and its self-healing top layer shrugs off fine everyday marks. Choose Gloss for polished concrete or Matte/Satin for honed and matte finishes. The protection is identical. It is installed across Sydney with a 10-year written warranty.
How we protect concrete · Fixing etch marks · Dull surfaces & lost shine on every surface