31

Jul

How Long Do Granite Countertops Last? Find It Here

One of the reasons homeowners are attracted to granite is because it’s durable. Since it’s made from tough materials, it’s resistant to scratching and heat.

Homeowners know granite is durable, but how long do granite countertops last?  When properly maintained, granite can last for a long time. Experts say the countertops can last for more than 100 years.

Comparing granite to other countertop materials

So how does granite compare to the other countertop materials?

  • Natural stone and granite: 100+ years
  • Cultured marble: 20 years
  • Laminate: 20-30 years
  • Concrete countertops: 20 years
  • Tile: 100+ years

How can you ensure the countertops last for as long as possible?

As mentioned above, you need to do the right things for the countertops to last for a long time. Some of the things you should do include:

Choose the right color.

Did you know the color of the stone has a great impact on the durability of the countertops? When you choose the wrong color for your lifestyle, you will be bored with it fast, or it will get stained, forcing you to replace it. The most popular colors to choose from are:

Black: Black is sleek, elegant, and never gets out of style. Black can also give your kitchen the impression of space.

White: Looking to give your kitchen a modern and contemporary look? White is the way to go. For a great look that you will proud of for years, pair it with white appliances and sinks.

Red: It’s said to be the color of daring and energetic. Many homeowners shy away from it so that you won’t find it in many homes. It’s rare to come across pure red, but it’s easy to bump into red granite featuring white, blue, or light-colored highlights that you can use to make a powerful statement.

Green: For a traditional and earthy look, green is the right color to go with. You can also pair green with bursts of grey and brown to create an old-fashioned, comforting vibe that makes your kitchen one of the most relaxing places to be.

Seal the countertops

Another way to make your countertops last for a long time is to seal them. Granite is naturally porous, so air can pass through it. At the time of installation, you should seal the stone so no liquids can go through and cause stains.

To maintain the sealing properties, make it a habit to seal the counters at least once every one or two years.

You can do the sealing yourself or hire an expert to help you out. Regardless of who does the work, ensure you use a high-quality sealing product.

Clean the countertops regularly

Can you imagine a simple act as cleaning the countertops can give your surfaces a long life? Every day, clean granite with warm water and a soft rag. You also should consider investing in a disinfectant cleaner designed specifically for granite surfaces.

You should avoid regular cleaning products on granite as they tend to be too abrasive, and they can easily break down the sealants, exposing your countertops to stains and damage.

Protect the surfaces from damage

Even if the surfaces are tough, when you hit them with heavy material, they will crack, and you have to replace the entire slab. You don’t want this, do you? To protect the surfaces, don’t hit them with a heavy object.

When preparing your food, always use a cutting board.

Ensure the countertops are properly installed

Everything begins here. If your countertops aren’t properly installed, it’s a matter of time before they break. To prevent this, ensure you use extra beams and other support systems necessary to hold up granite.

This calls for you to hire experienced granite contractors Rockville. While they will be a little bit expensive, they will properly install the countertops, which will save you a lot of money in the long run.

Use the countertops properly.

You will have the most properly installed countertops, but they will crack or suffer from other forms of damage if you misuse them. To avoid damage, don’t stand, sit, or use the countertops for any other purpose other than what they are designed to do.

26

Jul

Can’t Afford Granite Countertops? Engineered Stone Countertops Are A Great Option

While everyone would want to have granite countertops and other natural stone countertop materials in their homes, not everyone can afford them. Are you one of these people?

Don’t fret as there are plenty of other cost-effective alternatives you can go with when you are operating on a budget. The best options to go with are engineered stone countertops.

Why engineered stone?

Engineered stone comes with plenty of attractive features that include:

Attractiveness

The stone is made from quartz material that has been compressed into slabs that have similar color and texture to natural granite and slate. As a result, your entire kitchen matches perfectly.

The stone also comes with a variety of colors, such as: rose, grays, and many others. While most of the colors come from the natural color in quartz, you can talk to your designer and add colorants that give you a customized color.

Cleaning the surfaces is easy.

While natural stone countertops are beautiful and high end, the downside is they are porous. This leaves room for bacteria to get into fissures and pores where they are hard to get rid of.

Quartz countertop surfaces are non-porous so they won’t absorb liquids, which makes them easy to clean. If you work with fish, meat, raw vegetables, and other materials are known to make the countertops dirty, engineered stone is a great asset.

You have plenty of options

The countertops come in a wide range of colors and style that gives rise to plenty of countertops. They include:

Silestone

Silestone is made up of 94% quartz known to be extremely hard and resilient. Since the material is impervious to staining, acids, and scratches, Silestone is loved by many people looking for an alternative material. The cool thing is that it comes in plenty of colors with extraordinary textures.

Caesarstone

It’s made up of 95% quartz particles, with the other 5% comprising of polymer resins and coloring. Since quartz is hard enough, it’s highly durable and scratch and stain-resistant. This makes Caesarstone an excellent option for kitchen countertops.

Essastone

Another hard stone made up of 95% natural quartz. The stone is completely non-porous and homogenous and has a low maintenance finish that is resistant to scratches, heat, knocks, chemicals, and staining.

It comes in a variety of color palettes ranging from solids to patterns.

Smartstone

Smartstone comes in twenty-four designs with four color collections, and it’s made up of 93% quartz. First established in 2002, it comprises some of the quartz’s best surfaces. Smartstone comes with several attractive features such as high resistance to heat, chemicals, and staining.

These features make the stone an ideal material for bathrooms and kitchens.

Quantum quartz

Quantum Quartz is made up of 93% natural quartz, and the other 7% is made up of bonding agents and pigments. Quantum Quartz is low maintenance and ultra-hygienic, making it an ideal material for kitchen benchtops.

You can also use it in bathrooms and on the floor in the form of tiles.

What are the major flaws of engineered stone?

While engineered stone comes with all of the above advantages, it comes with its fair share of negatives. One of the negatives is that it’s hard to create curves with engineered stone. You should note that this doesn’t mean it’s impossible to create the designs. You can do the designs, but it will take a long time.

When you are hiring a contractor to do the work, it will cost you a lot of money to complete the work.

Taking care of engineered stone

While the stone is easy to maintain, you still need to take good care of it. Some of the ways of doing it include:

Clean it regularly: The beauty of it is that it’s easy to clean the countertops as they are non-porous. Use regular soap and a piece of cloth to clean the surfaces. Like when cleaning granite and other natural stone countertops, avoid harsh cleaning products as they will etch the surfaces.

You also should avoid placing a lot of pressure on the countertops. While the stone is strong, quartz countertop contractors Potomac advise against hitting the surfaces with a hard object as it can break the countertops. You also should avoid sitting on the edges where the countertops are known to be weak.

11

Jul

Do Granite Countertops Scratch?

Granite is one of the most popular countertop materials in the world. It’s referred to as the hardest, scratch-resistant materials you can invest in. While this is the case, you must have heard some of your friends or even family members saying that their countertops developed scratches.

Do granite countertops scratch? They do. The countertops can be scratched by other items that are equally hard or harder than granite itself. These include stones such as diamonds. So you should avoid pressing your diamond ring into granite or pulling it along the surface.

Quartz and other cutting devices designed to cut through granite will also scratch the countertop material. In most cases, contrary to popular belief, knives won’t scratch granite, but using them directly on the surface will dull them. So to preserve them, you should always have a cutting board in place.

Why do the countertops scratch?

While the countertops are tough and durable, they aren’t scratch proof. When you roughly use them, or an accident happens, the countertops can crack, chip, or even develop major scratches.

Some of the reasons the countertops can develop scratches and cracks include:

  • Falling of heavy objects on the countertops
  • Cutting vegetables with a sharp knife directly on the countertops
  • Using abrasive products on the countertops. This often happens when you are cleaning the surfaces.
  • Sliding heavy utensils or pottery with hard pointed parts on the countertops.

Even a minor scratch on the countertops will spoil the beauty of the countertops. The scratches also trap dust, creating a space for bacteria and other microorganisms to grow.

Due to this, you should move with haste and fix the scratches.

Ways to fix granite scratches

There are plenty of ways you can fix the scratches, and it varies depending on the depth and size of the scratch.  You can group scratches into three main categories:

  • Hair like scratches
  • Scratches deeper than 2mm
  • Scratches deeper than 3 mm

You can fix the minor scratches on your own, but for scratches deeper than 2mm, you should seek professional help.

Fixing hair-like scratches

Hair like scratches are easy to fix, and you can easily fix them on your own using one of the following methods:

Washing the scratches with water and dish wash: Here, you need to find a course rag and wash the scratched area with warm water and dish wash. You should saturate the granite surface with a dishrag soaked with hot soapy water and let it sit for some time.

With little pressure and cleaning, some of the scratches will fade and others disappear. If there are any deeper scratches, they will remain as they are.

Use penetrating sealers: You can apply a penetrating stone sealer at least once a year to add extra protection to your granite counters. All you need is to buy a brand that is recommended by the manufacturer and follow the application directions. After applying it, give it time to dry completely. The sealer soaks into the scratches and fills the scratches, making them invisible to the eye.

Other ways you can fix the hair-like scratches include: using resin scratch stick and ultra-fine steel wool.

Fixing scratches deeper than 3mm.

As mentioned above, you should refrain from attempting to fix scratches deeper than 2 mm. If you got larger scratches, you are better off hiring granite experts.

Most of the contractors will use a diamond polishing or sanding pad to repair small or medium scratches. Since diamond is harder than granite, it will remove the annoying scratches.

Preventing scratches from coming about

Prevention is always better than cure, so you should always strive to prevent the scratches from coming about instead of repairing them. According to granite installers Rockville, the best way to prevent scratches from coming about is to seal the counters regularly.

After sealing it at installation, you also should seal it once every year. By sealing the surfaces, you provide a protective coating that is hard to remove unless you dig too hard into it.

It’s also wise to keep damaging materials such as precious stones and other materials stronger than granite away from the counters.