31

Aug

Do You Need Hot Pads On Granite?

If you are wondering, do you need hot pads on granite? You must be new with granite countertops, and you are wondering whether they need any form of protection, right?

The answer is yes, you need to place hot pads on granite to protect the surfaces from damage.

It might sound weird that you need to protect granite while it’s one of the toughest materials in the market, but the truth is that while granite is tough, it’s not heatproof. This means that when you repeatedly place hot items on it, it’s a matter of time before you completely damage it.

To prevent this from happening, you need to use hot pads or trivets at all times. If you don’t have them, let the food cool in the oven, then bring it down once it has completely cooled down and is harmless to the countertops.

What other things do you need when using granite?

Besides the hot pads and trivets, there are plenty of other things you need to have when using granite. They include:

Sealer

Although granite surfaces are tough, they are porous. This means that when water and other liquids spill on the surfaces, if you don’t remove them early enough, they sink to the inner layers and stain your countertops. You don’t want this, do you?

To prevent the staining from coming about, always seal your countertops. You should do the sealing when you are installing the countertops then at least once a year thereafter.

The purpose of the sealer is to prevent the liquids from moving too fast into the inner layers, and as a consequence, you have enough time to wipe them down.

You should note that even if you have sealed your countertops, you should still move with haste and remove the spills because if you delay, the liquids will still get to the inner layers and stain your expensive countertops.

Cutting block

The other thing you need when you are working with granite is a cutting block. Again, even if the countertops appear tough, they aren’t damage-proof. If you repeatedly cut your vegetables and onions directly on the countertops, you will leave knife marks on them, which, as you can guess, will make your countertops ugly, forcing you to replace them so that you can have the countertops of your dreams.

The right thing to do is to always have a cutting board on the countertops at all times—this is where you should cut your vegetables and onions. At no time should you cut directly on the countertops, as you will damage them.

Ladder or stool

The other thing you should have with you as a granite owner is a ladder or stool. What do most homeowners do when reaching for the top shelf? They step on the countertops. Others sit on the countertops as they are preparing the meals. This is wrong.

Yes, granite counters are tough, but when you put a lot of pressure on them, they are bound to snap and break. You don’t want this to happen to your expensive countertops, do you?

To ensure that it doesn’t happen, have a stool in the kitchen to sit on as you wait for the meals to cook. When you want to reach the top shelf or change the bulb, don’t step on the countertops—have a ladder in place instead.

Water and soap

To keep the countertops looking great, you should have water and soap to do the cleaning. Some homeowners think that they should use tough cleaning agents such as ammonia and others for the best-looking countertops, but they shouldn’t.

While these cleaners are great, they are tough on your countertops, so they end up damaging them when you repeatedly use them.

Granite counters are one of the easiest countertops to maintain, and all you need to do is clean them with soap and water.

Stains are the biggest enemies of the countertops, so you should strive to keep them as much as possible. Granite installers Montgomery County MD recommend you avoid using liquids on the countertops as much as possible.

When spills happen, move with haste and get rid of them before they get to the deeper levels and stain the countertops.

30

Mar

How Do I Get The Best Deal On Granite Countertops?

Although granite counters are beautiful and significantly improve the house’s look, they don’t come cheap. Fortunately, you can do several things to get the countertops at a good price. Are you wondering how do I get the best deal on granite countertops? There are plenty of ways, with the most common ones being:

Shop around and compare prices

What do most homeowners do when they are looking to buy granite counters? They visit the first granite shop and make the purchase. In most cases, they do this because they are in a hurry to get things done and move on to the next thing. This is wrong as they often end up spending too much money than they should have.

To save money and get the best deal, take your time and visit different granite stores and see what they offer. Of course, you should only consider buying from a store stocking high-quality stones at a low cost.

You can’t have ample time if you start your research late, so to ensure you have as much time as you need, start scouting for countertops at least 3 months before you embark on your project.

Buy wholesale

When you buy anything wholesale, you save a lot of money, and you should do the same when you are buying granite counters. The cool thing is most granite stores will sell you the countertops at wholesale prices when you are buying many slabs. There are even some stores that will sell you one slab at a wholesale price—you only need to look.

Be flexible with granite color.

One of the prime factors affecting the price of countertops is the color of the slab, where the rare colors cost more than the easier-to-find colors. As you can guess, this means that if you are looking for a specific rare color, you end up paying a premium for your countertops.

To save money and get a perfect deal, you should be flexible in your color choice. The beauty is since granite is natural, it comes in plenty of colors to choose from. If you are in the granite store and find that your desired granite color is expensive than your budget, choose a cheaper color that is close to your color of choice.

Order from a local supplier

While you can buy the granite slabs from anywhere in the world, it’s good you buy them from your local supplier. The reason for this is because the slabs will be cheaper to transport from the local supplier to your home.

Granite slabs are heavy, and if you ship them from a long-distance, they can cost you an arm and a leg, and you don’t want this, do you?

Granite sellers ship their products in bulk, so they don’t spend as much money as you would if you shipped just a few slabs for your kitchen.

To save even more money on transport, ask the seller if they can transport the slabs for you, for free.

Go for granite remnants.

If you are looking for small granite slabs for certain kitchen elements, such as the backsplash behind the stove, don’t spend a lot of money on whole granite slabs. Instead, get granite remnants.

These are small granite chunks that are leftover from previous projects.

Since they are leftover and often too small to fit an entire kitchen, they are cheaper than entire slabs.

When you are in the granite store, ask for the remnants, and you will get them at a low price, which sees you saving a lot of money.

Go with a standard eased edge.

The type of edge you install on your countertops has a significant impact on the overall cost of granite surfaces, so be cautious of the edge you settle on. As a rule of thumb, choose the standard eased edge as it’s much cheaper than the tiered or bevel edge.

Install the countertops by yourself

If you are a dab hand at DIY projects, save money by bypassing granite installers Rockville and installing the countertops by yourself. Of course, ensure that you follow the right procedure when it comes to their installation.