When I remolded my bathroom this summer I did everything from the tile on the floor to the texture on the walls.
When putting my faucet on granite vanity top the directions strictly said to use silicone. But, there is a type of plumbers putty that is strictly for granite. Which is what I used.
Also, when cleaning up 100% silicone you can't use just water. You have to use mineral spirit to clean it up.
I'm not sure if he left a rag (paper towel) behind with mineral spirit and silicone on it.
On another note, a friend of mine back in the day used silicone on threaded pipes instead of Teflon tape. Worked just fine until it came to changing them out.
