30

Apr

What Color Granite Is Cheapest?

Granite countertops don’t come cheap, and one of the factors that affect the price of the countertops is the countertop’s color. Common colors such as white and black are cheaper compared to rare colors such as green and red. This means that if you are looking to save money, you should go for common countertop colors.

Are you wondering what color granite is cheapest? Tan and black granite are the cheapest, so if you are strapped for money, these are the ones to go for. While this is the case, there are plenty of other cheaper alternatives, including white granite, that you can buy if tan or black isn’t your color. These cheaper alternatives include:

Dallas white

Although it’s known as Dallas, this isn’t where it’s mined. The countertop is quarried in Aguia Branca, Brazil. The countertop is characterized by low water absorption and low porosity, making it an excellent choice for kitchens and bathrooms.

The countertop has a white background and dark crystals scattered throughout, giving your home an interesting appeal.

Although, most slabs have crystals, it’s not uncommon to find some slabs with brown or golden cream veins that make the countertop resemble an abstract art painting.

Due to the tight grain structure of the countertop, you don’t have to install a face resin on the countertops. The lack of resin means that you can place a hot pot on the countertop without worrying about damaging the countertops.

Although, the countertops are tough to take the heat, you should note that continued exposure to heat increases the chances of damaging them. To protect the countertops from damage, use a trivet or a hot pad every time you place a hot object on the countertops.

To get the most from the countertop, ensure that it’s installed by a professional. The Dallas white color pairs excellently with white cabinetry, but if you don’t want your entire bathroom or kitchen to be white, pair it with dark wood cabinetry such as dark walnut.

Azul Platino

Azul Platino has been around for hundreds of years, and it features an off-white background with small bluish-gray specks. It’s also common for the slabs to have black spots or even black or white veining.

Most of the Azul Platino slabs are large, making them ideal choices for kitchen islands and other areas where you need to install large-sized slabs.

Uba Tuba

It’s named after the place it’s mined. Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil. Besides being affordable, the countertop is also beautiful, and when you properly install and take good care of it, it will last for a long time. The countertop features a dark green background with brown, green, and gold flecks scattered across the granite slab.

In some cases, the slab has small veins that can be white, gold, or turquoise.

When you install the countertops, pair them with dark cabinetry to bring out exciting features. You can also pair them with white cabinetry for an elegant contemporary look.

New Caledonia

This is another countertop quarried in Brazil. Although it’s natural, it’s unique in that it has a uniform look such that two slabs look almost similar.

The natural stone countertop features a white background with gray or brown speckles that run uniformly throughout the slab giving it an interesting look. The heavy grain pattern makes it easy to hide the stains, so you don’t have to worry when liquids and foods spill on the countertops.

Since the countertop has a uniform look, it perfectly fits both traditional and contemporary kitchens and bathrooms. To bring out the brown and bedrock minerals, pair them with dark wood-stained cabinetry. On the other hand, if you want to bring out the charcoal flecking, pair it with light cabinetry.

Valle Nevado

It’s one of the most popular, affordable countertop granite colors, and it’s loved for its ability to coordinate with many design styles. The countertop features a tight grain structure that minimizes the need to apply a resin to it.

Due to its versatility, you can effectively pair it with both black or white cabinetry. When you pair it with white cabinetry, you bring out the tiny back crystals. On the other hand, when you pair it with black cabinetry, you bring out the pale gray tone of the countertop.

The key to getting the most from it is to work with experienced granite installers Rockville that know what they are doing.

21

Apr

Can You Put A Hot Pan On Quartz?

Quartz countertops are manmade and tough and due to their tough nature, you will hear some homeowners asking, can you put a hot pan on quartz?

While the countertops are tough and heat-resistant, they aren’t heatproof. This means that the counters can be resistant to the heat to a certain degree, after which they can’t deal with the high temperatures. This means you might get away with placing the hot pan on the countertops once or twice but continuing with it will cause serious damage to the surfaces.

To answer your question about whether you can put hot pans on quartz, no, you shouldn’t.

What other things shouldn’t you do to the countertops?

Besides exposing the countertops to a lot of heat, there are plenty of other things you shouldn’t do to your countertops. Some of these things include:

Don’t ignore spills

Quartz is tough, but you shouldn’t test it. When spills happen, move with haste and remove them before they get worse. You should especially move with haste and remove them if they are juice, wine, vinegar, juice, or tea.

The reason you should remove these liquids is because they can be corrosive or acidic to the countertops and damage them. You don’t want this, do you?

Don’t cut directly on the countertops.

Quartz is one of the toughest materials in the market, as it’s fortified with manmade polymers that make it even tougher. While the countertop is tough, don’t cut directly on it. This is because the sharp knives will scratch the surface, giving them an ugly look.

Whenever you are looking to cut anything in the kitchen, use a cutting board. Don’t cut directly on the countertop, as you will damage it.

Don’t use harsh cleaning products.

You may want your countertops to look their best, so you might be tempted to use the toughest cleaning products such as bleach and others, but don’t go that route. While bleach and other high pH cleaners are highly effective, you shouldn’t use them as they can damage your surface.

You should note that regardless of how dirty the countertops look, you don’t need tough cleaning products to keep them clean. Mild soap and water are enough to give the surfaces a clean look and also remove bacteria and minor stains that might be forming.

Don’t slide things on the countertops.

Quart counters can stand a lot of abuse, but you can protect them from scratches and other forms of damage by being cautious about how you handle them. As a rule of thumb, don’t move ceramic, metal dishes, or utensils along the countertop surfaces.

You also shouldn’t slide knives and other potentially abrasive materials across the countertops, as they can leave black marks that might be difficult or impossible to remove.

Don’t use permanent markers on the countertops.

It’s tempting to let the kids do their homework on the kitchen island as you are making dinner. While you love your kids and want to spend as much time with them as possible, don’t let them do their school projects on the counters, especially if the projects involve permanent markers.

This is because it’s only a matter of time before the kids start doodling on the countertops with the permanent markers. And as you can guess, the permanent markers will adhere to the countertop surface and become hard to remove. In fact, you can’t remove the marker with anything else other than a harsh chemical that has high chances of causing damage.

If you have to have the kids in the kitchen, ensure they are using water-based markers. If the kids play with sharp objects, protect the surfaces, so they don’t damage the counters.

In conclusion,

These are some of the things you shouldn’t do to your quartz kitchen countertops Potomac. For the countertops to retain their look for a long time, you need to show love to them. Remember, you installed them for their strong, gorgeous, and easy-to-maintain look, so you need to take good care of them.

As a rule of thumb, avoid all of the above and clean the counters regularly. You also should register the countertops as soon as you buy them to activate the warranty.

12

Apr

Can Heat Ruin Granite Countertops?

Can heat ruin granite countertops? The simple answer is yes, heat can damage your countertops. Although granite is tough and heat-resistant, it isn’t heatproof. While the countertops might not get damaged the first time you place a hot pan or pot on them, continued heat exposure is bound to damage them.

What can you do to protect your countertops?

As mentioned above, you can get away with placing hot items directly on the granite surfaces, but if you repeatedly do it, you are pushing your luck too far, and it becomes a matter of when you will ruin your countertops.

To avoid this, make it a habit to place a trivet or hot pad on the countertops all the time. This way, even when you are in a hurry to remove the hot pot from the fire, you can easily reach the trivet and place it there instead of placing it directly on the countertops.

If you don’t have a trivet, don’t take the hot pot from the fire and place it directly on the countertop. Instead, give it a few minutes to cool down, after which you can place it on the countertops. This means that when the food is ready, you should switch off your stove and let the pot cool.

Before you place the pot on the countertops, remember to wipe the pot’s underside to remove any black or burn marks that would damage the granite surface.

What should you do to already damaged countertops?

If your countertops have already been ruined, try to restore them using pastes and liquids. There are plenty of special creams and solutions that you can use to polish your granite surfaces and remove any stains and marks on them.

The cool thing is you don’t need to hire a professional to help remove the stains—you can easily do it on your own. You should rub the burn marks from the countertops using creams and solutions, but if some marks are hard to remove, ask a contractor to look into them.

If there are burn marks that don’t come off even after using a professional service, try to use your warranty and get a replacement.

What other things shouldn’t you do to your granite surfaces?

Other than not placing hot items directly on the countertops, there are plenty of other things you shouldn’t do to keep your surfaces in top shape. Some of these things include:

Don’t work with raw meat on granite surfaces.

Raw meat looks harmless, and it’s true it will not hurt your granite, but it harbors plenty of bacteria that can get to the other foods you prepare on the surfaces. Many homeowners also cleanse their surfaces after preparing meat on them, which can be harmful, especially when they use harsh products to do the cleansing.

Don’t stand on the countertops.

The countertops are made from stone, so there is no harm in standing on them, right? Wrong. Although the countertops are made from natural rock, the rock has veins, fissures, and striations that can crack when you place a lot of weight on them.

To keep your countertops in top shape, don’t sit, stand or place any heavy item on the countertops, especially on the edges.

If you have to reach the top shelf or change the light bulbs, don’t step on the countertops. Instead, have a stool or ladder in place.

Some people sit on the countertops as they are preparing meals. Don’t do this, and to fight the temptation, have a chair in the kitchen.

Don’t wash your children in the under-mount kitchen sink

The kitchen sink might seem like a fun place to wash your kids, especially if the sink is large, but you shouldn’t do it. While the sinks are often strongly secured to the bottom of the countertops, regularly using the sink as a bathtub can loosen the sink mounting.

According to granite countertop installers Rockville, if your kids are large, they can put a lot of weight on the countertops and crack the striations.

For your countertops to last for a long time, use the sink to only wash the utensils. If you want to wash the kids in a fun way, do it in the bathroom.