How to buy and maintain Granite Countertops
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Granite is used as a kitchen, bath or bar countertop in most houses. Granite Countertops are never out of style only certain colours and grades of granite become more of decor design favourite than others. Granite itself, being a natural stone comes in various colours and textures and is often used as kitchen countertops because they not only look good but are durable enough and strong enough to support and handle most of what happens on most kitchen tables.
Why Granite is expensive
Getting granite is labour intensive. Prices will always be high because of this. It is often exported from Countries such as Brazil, India and China where labour costs are cheaper and the cost is only driven by transport costs. Original stone is expensive and therefore when you cut and polish the stone to make it more saleable. Price is also driven by demand. Granite is graded and grading is done according to appearance and consistency of the stone material it's self. There is a grading system upon which prices are based.
Pattern design
There is over 100 colours and pattern designs that granite countertops are available in. Textures and colours vary from golden browns, plums and pinks to dark browns and black. They come either speckled or pebbled.
The reasons why Granite is the best of the natural stones to use as countertops include
- Durability and strength
- Ability to withstand high temperatures
- Is relatively scratch resistant
Granite is easily cleaned and maintenance is made easy by the fact that it is natural stone
Maintaining Granite Countertops
Granite countertops should only be kept as clean as possible. It is a more porous stone than most natural stones and spills would mostly stain the surface. Acidic liquids and oil should also be wiped as quickly as they spill with warm water and soap. You don't need special soap to clean a granite countertop, dish soap is enough but it should be mild enough not to cause any damage. Because of its porous nature, you need to keep the surface as dry as possible by using things like coasters.
The cleaning products that should be avoided include bleach and degreasers. Ammonia and citric acid based products should also be avoided. You also need to take care of what it is that you store on the countertop. The best thing to do is to always have something to protect the surface and maybe not put things directly on a granite countertop.
Daily cleaning can be done with a dry cloth and weekly cleaning can be done with a stone cleaner that can be bought from most hardware stores. |
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Author Resource:-
Ginger Jackson is an expert when it comes to kitchen countertops. To find out more about kitchen renovation, go to http://www.searshomeservices.com/countertops/improve.
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By :
Jessie Stone
Submitted
2011-08-21 13:45:19 |
Article From Article Mayhem
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