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We are asked almost everyday the
same series of questions on maintenance, "how to take care
of granite countertops?" and "how often to seal them?"
Maintaining your granite is not difficult at all, common
sense with a little effort will have your countertops
protected and looking spectacular. Granite cleaners and
wipes are easily available, even grocery stores are now
carrying them. These cleaners are inexpensive and effective
at removing soil from your granite without harming the
protective seal. Windex with ammonia and cleaners with harsh
abrasives should be avoided. If you are not comfortable
using commercial cleaners then simple soap and warm water is
also a very effective way to clean your granite!
SEALING products are a little more
technical and not as accessible as granite cleaners; big box
stores such as Lowes and Home Depot will carry a line of
sealers. You want to purchase an impregnating sealer to make
the granite less prone to staining and to reduce water
absorption. The sealer fills the pores and repels spills on
the surface. At installation, Granite Warehouse thoroughly
seals all countertop surfaces. We simply spray an
impregnator on the granite, we then let it sit and absorb
into the countertop for 5 minutes, then we wipe off any
excess with a paper towel.
Different granites have different degrees of porosity. The darker the
stones like Uba Tuba and Black Pearl are non-porous and may
never need to be re-sealed. We do recommend that you seal
the dark stones every 5-7 years. The lighter color stones
such as Ornamental and New Venetian Gold are more porous and
should be sealed every 2-3 years. Don't let the phrase
"sealed" intimidate you as a consumer, you can't do it wrong
or hurt the granite! Like cleaning your countertops, it's
the same process - just spray the sealer on, wait and wipe
off any excess. A final note, the sealer does not change the
appearance of the granite! Many people think that the
"shine" they see on the surface is the sealer, its not! This
is simply the polish that is created with machinery and
diamond abrasive polishing pads. |
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