Your St. Louis Granite Countertop Source

Although quarried granite has been used in construction for millennia, granite countertops are a relatively new product. Initially cost prohibitive, granite countertops are now approaching the prices of some laminate countertops. This dramatic price reduction over time is due to the recent increase in affordable fabricating machinery and advanced abrasive technologies. The supply chain from the countries of origin such as Brazil, India, and Italy, to your kitchen has become very efficient in just the past 10 years. This means that compared to other solid surface alternatives, granite has a budget-friendly starting price point.

Granite is most often used as kitchen countertops and bath vanity tops. It can also be used for fireplace surrounds, tub decks, outdoor bbq’s and kitchens, wet bars, and many other surfaces.

Granite is extremely durable. On the Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness from 1 to 10, 1 being the softest such as Talc to diamonds at 10, granite is between 6.5 and 7. Only minerals of equal or greater hardness can scratch granite. You will not scratch your granite if you cut directly on them with steel knives; although you will absolutely dull your knives. Granite can also withstand temperatures up to 1200 degrees Fahrenheit, so a hot pan will not harm it. We recommend using cutting boards with knives and trivets under hot pots.

Applications

Granite countertops are sought by homeowners, architects, and designers mainly for their unique and variety of appearance, low maintainability, and durability. For these reasons, granite is suitable for all interior and exterior residential or commercial applications such as kitchen countertops, bathroom vanity tops, fireplace surrounds, tub and shower surrounds, coffee tables, window sills, reception tops, conference tables, conference tables, outdoor barbeques, wet bars, etc.

Granite improves your daily life

Of course this is a matter of opinion, but we hear it so frequently and it is the main reason homeowners purchase new granite countertops in St. Louis. Think about how much time you spend in your kitchen. The look and feel of granite is pleasing to many that buy it. It is low-maintenance making clean-up after meals a breeze. It’s heat and scratch resistant so you don’t have to be as careful during meal prep as you would with other countertop surfaces. It comes in a variety of finishes such as polished, honed, brushed, suede, and caressed to suit your specific design. Granite countertops will add to the value of your home and many real estate professionals recommend replacing the kitchen countertops with granite to aid in a quicker sale.

In order to understand the process it helps to know about how the granite countertop industry functions in general.  There are three parts to the granite industry.

1. Quarries: there are hundreds of quarries all over the world. They [companies] harvest the granite from the earth in huge blocks that measure roughly 10’ x 5’ x 5’ and are transported to a processing facility near the quarry.  Sometimes they are sold to speculative manufacturers and shipped away from the quarry origin for processing. The blocks are cut with huge gang saws like a loaf of bread, laid flat, and ground down to the desired finish with diamond coated abrasive wheels on what is called a polishing line. The majority of the slabs will receive a polished finish. The finished slabs are placed in sea containers ready for shipment to the nearest port. The slabs will typically take 4-6 weeks to travel from the processing facility to the port of call.
2. Importers/Wholesalers: Companies that pay to import the finished slabs to showrooms strategically located in markets where granite will be sold. They only sell to fabricators. They can be locally owned and operated with a single location or larger national companies with branches in many metropolitan cities.
3. Fabricators: Companies that purchase the stone for customers such as yourself, cut to your specifications, and install a finished product. Fabricators hire skilled tradesmen in the form of installers and fabricators.

For daily cleaning it is best to use a small amount of a mild dish detergent mixed in water with a soft sponge. It is not necessary to buy special granite cleaners and even the Marble Institute of America recommends this method for cleaning. If you would like the convenience of an all-in-one cleaner/sealer product, please keep reading.

Much of the misinformation surrounding the sealing of granite countertops is perpetuated by the Quartz countertop industry, other non-granite countertop purveyors, and uneducated people not familiar with the actual working characteristics of granite. They use fear to shed a negative light on granite instead of laying out the facts for all materials and letting the consumer decide.

Do you have to seal granite? Yes. Is sealing a huge chore? Absolutely not. Do you have to seal it every year? It depends. The fact is that each color of granite has unique mineral composition and will require sealing at different intervals. As a rule of thumb; the darker the granite, the longer the interval between sealing. The lighter the granite; the shorter the sealing interval. There is a simple test to determine if your granite needs to be sealed. Place a few drops of water on the surface of the granite. Wait 5 minutes and wipe it off. If the water has darkened the granite the granite needs to be sealed. If it does not darken the granite, then it does not need to be sealed.

We recommend a product called DuPont Revitalizer (PICTURE). It is a daily cleaner and has sealer in it so you don’t ever have to worry about maintenance intervals. You just use it as you would any other cleaner. This is available in a spray bottle or pre-soaked wipes and has a fresh and subtle citrus scent. Simply spray on and wipe off.

Contrary to their name, granite sealers do not actually seal the surface of the granite. They are actually impregnators are soak into the pores of the stone lengthening the time it would take a stain causing agent to soak into the granite such as olive oil which leads us to our next question.

Can you stain granite?

Yes, although it is very hard to do and most stains can be removed simply.  So let’s say you have a lighter color stone, haven’t sealed it in ages, and keep a bottle of oil near the stove for cooking. You notice when you go to use the oil some has run down the side and left a spot on the granite that has darkened the granite. Relax, it’s not ruined. There is a product called poultice, that can be purchased online or your local big box hardware store, which will remove the stain in most cases. The method is surprisingly similar to the cornstarch and water method of relieving a bee sting. Poultice powder is a non-acidic absorbent powder designed to draw out most stains in absorbent materials. Follow the directions on the product container and make a paste with the powder and water. You place the paste over the stain, cover it with plastic wrap, and seal the edges with painters tape. Let this sit overnight, remove the wrap, tape, and scrape the dried powder with a plastic putty knife or other non-abrasive flat tool. If there is still a dark spot, repeat as necessary until the stain has been removed. Typically, it takes 2-3 times for common organic stains to be fully removed. The best stain removal method is being proactive. Make sure to keep a dish towel or paper towels handy to wipe up spills when they happen. Don’t store oil containers on the countertops without some sort of coaster that will catch drips, and use fry screens to keep spills to a minimum.

Does granite emit radon?

Not enough to be concerned about according to these studies. If you are worried about radon in your home, please purchase a radon test kit. Any measurable radon in your home is most likely from the earth below your foundation. [Provide links]

Can granite be repaired if damaged?

Yes, most repairs we see are small chips on the edge profile from blunt force with a heavy pan in the kitchen. Granite is easily repaired in most cases. We use industrial strength epoxies and pigments to achieve the desired color and pattern so that repairs are not noticed by even the most discerning homeowners.