When you’ve invested a great deal of money into your kitchen remodel, it’s only natural that you’ll want to do all you can to protect and care for your new kitchen. One area you can easily maintain and keep looking great is your beautiful granite countertops.
Granite is a very hard natural stone, making it a great choice for workspaces in your kitchen, but it can be damaged if you do not properly care for it.
Keeping Granite Counters Clean
Fortunately, cleaning your granite counters is a simple as wiping them with a damp cloth and a few drops of dishwashing liquid. You should avoid using harsh cleaners such as bleach, abrasive cleaners, ammonia, vinegar, or citrus liquids. These can damage the sealant layer on top of the granite.
Best Practices for Gorgeous Granite Counters
- Get into the habit of cleaning up spills as soon as they occur. Granite is porous, hence, can absorb liquid spills if they’re left for a period of time.
- Wet containers such as oil bottles are better stored on shelves or in cabinets. Bottles that are hard to keep completely dry can discolor or stain the granite with prolonged contact.
- Granite countertops are heat-resistant so you can place hot pans directly onto them without causing a burn mark. However, using a trivet or pad is still a good idea, as heavy pans can still leave scratches on your granite countertop surfaces.
- Always use a cutting board when preparing food. Cutting directly on granite will damage both your countertop and your knives.
Why Resealing Granite is a Must
Because spills are a common occurrence in the kitchen and liquids can soak in and stain granite, it is important for you to reseal your countertops from time to time.
Think of resealing granite countertops like waxing your car. It acts like a protective film on the granite surface so that spills never actually come in contact with the stone at all. Periodic resealing is essential to maintaining beautiful granite kitchen counters.
How to Tell If Your Granite Counters Need to Be Resealed
To find out if your countertop needs granite surface maintenance, sprinkle a few drops of water on its surface. If the water stays as drops or beads up, the seal is strong. If the drops pool together, that means the seal is already compromised and should be reapplied.
How to Seal Granite Countertops
It’s really simple. Clean your kitchen countertop with your favorite cleaner, dry, and then apply a granite sealant. Some sealers may need to be reapplied once or twice year, while others can last for several years.
The type of sealant you use will depend on how often you want to do resealing and the finished look you want to have on your countertop surfaces.
Permanent sealers that can last several years will penetrate into the surface of your granite and fill the fissures and pores, offering a more natural but less shiny look for your countertops. There are also enhancing sealants that change the look of your granite countertops by making it appear darker or “wetter.” Homeowners usually go with these types if they want to show off the granite’s natural highlights or color.
Light-colored granite countertops are usually more absorbent, so sealing it once a year is ideal. Darker-colored countertops can be resealed less often, and in some cases may not need to be resealed at all.
Have Questions About Your Kitchen Countertops?
Whether you need to maintain your kitchen granite countertops or do a complete kitchen remodel, we can help. If you are interested in exploring your options for kitchen countertops or just have questions, give us a call at (650) 287-4202 or fill out our easy contact form.
