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How to Protect Your Countertops During the Holidays

The holiday season really can be “the most wonderful time of the year,” with family and friends getting together to celebrate. However, with the holidays quickly approaching, it is easy to forget about the care and maintenance required for your countertops.

Here are five tips to protect your countertops, whether you have granite, marble or quartz, during the holidays:

1. Use Coasters. Adding a second layer of protection between liquids and your countertops is always a great way to ensure your countertops stay intact not only during the holiday season, but over the years as well. (Coasters can also be helpful in remembering whose drink is whose.)

2. Wipe Up Spills. When having family and friends over during the holiday season, spills are just about inevitable. When there is a spill, it’s important to wipe it up as soon as you can to make sure the liquid doesn’t penetrate the stone. Wiping spills up quickly is the best way to avoid staining, which can happen with any surface.

3. Use Trivets or Hot Pads. It is extremely important to be mindful of heat when placing pots and pans on your countertops. Although natural stones like granite and marble can absorb heat, we still recommend using trivets to create another level of protection. For those with quartz countertops, using a trivet is crucial to keeping your countertops intact because the heat from pots and pans can burn the surface.

4. Use a Cutting Board. This is another simple tip that can make a huge difference when followed during the holidays and beyond. Cutting boards protect your countertops by preventing scratches from your knives when preparing food for the holidays. Also, using a cutting board not only helps preserve your countertops, but also helps preserve your knives too.

5. Use Stone Cleaner. When all the gifts have been unwrapped and the celebrations are winding down, it is important to use a granite/stone cleaner to make sure you’re giving your countertops a deep clean. This is a great way to ensure that residue and liquids do not stay on your countertops. The cleaners that we recommend can be found at Miracle Sealant Company’s wesbite ( https://miraclesealants.com/ ).

We hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday season with their friends and family!

Dishwashers and Solid Surfaces

Over the years the way dishwashers are attached has changed.  This is primarily due to the fact that many of the counters people are having installed are granite, quartz, or marble.  When formica tops are installed the dishwashers can be attached directly to the  formica tops, by being screwed in.  With granite, quartz, and marble this cannot be done.  Therefore many of the dishwasher companies are making their dishwashers side mountable.  If you have a relatively new dishwasher it probably has to the ability to be attached to the side of your cabinet.  If you dishwasher is older, or in the rare occasion not side-mountable then we can attached a metal strip under the surface and the clips can be attached to it.

The easiest way to determine if your dishwasher has the ability to be side mounted is to look at the installation manual.  It should give you two different options, and one will explain how to attach it to the cabinet rather than the counter.    Below is an example of how a dishwasher can be attached to the side of a cabinet.

side mount instruction

Patio Season in Buffalo

Patio Season in Buffalo

Outdoor patio with SmartDesign Architecture

Outdoor patio with SmartDesign Architecture

Hopefully in Buffalo the weather will begin to change and all the snow will start to become sunshine. With this in mind many people are beginning to plan their outdoor patios, outdoor kitchens, and other outdoor living spaces. When making selections for your outdoor patios their are many things to keep in mind when determine what surfaces to use:
1) The type of stone. Many people like quartz, but for the most part you cannot use it outside. Quartz cannot be used with heat, such as a firepit, and it cannot be exposed to the outdoor elements like rain and sunshine. This is due to the fact that there is dye used to produce the stone and the elements can change the color of the stone. Granite and soapstone are the most recommended for the outside, soapstone being the best material. The soapstone can handle heat the best, where as some granite are too brittle for outdoor use. This is especially important in Buffalo. Buffalo experiences all four season therefore the stone will be expanding and contracting with the weather.
2) Color of the stone should also be taken into account. Black stones can be very HOT during the summer. Think about getting your car in the summer with a leather black interior. Your black granite can be like that outside. Therefore if using black stone make sure it is not in the direct sunlight.
3) Consult your granite sales person/fabricator about the integrity of the stone outside. As mentioned earlier some stones perform better outside than others. Granite with a lot of crystal is not ideal for the outdoors because of the expansion and contraction as mentioned earlier. Let your sales person and fabricator be a part of the conversation when picking the perfect outdoor stone.
4) The temperature outside matters when installing the stone. Certain epoxy and glues only work in certain temperatures. Unfortunately that can mean delaying an install by a day if the the temperature decides to drop below 50 degrees.
5) Lastly, start planning early! If you are thinking you want to use this new outdoor living space for memorial day weekend, make sure you shopping now.

Patio Season in Buffalo

Antiqued Granite Countertops

There are many different natural stone finishes to use on your countertops.  They range from leathered (antiqued), honed, polished, and many more.  These finishes do not necessarily jeopardize the integrity of the granite countertops.  However, additional coats of sealer may need to be applied.  When a stone is leathered it creates a textured finish, which varies depending on the quartz structure of the stone.  Meaning that two different granites can have a leathered finish but one may have more texture than the other.

It is important to try and think of what “look” you are trying to achieve.  Some customers prefer the leathered finish when they are trying to achieve a more rustic or old feel in their kitchen.  Polished granite countertops and leathered granite countertops can bring two different looks.  The picture above shows a leathered granite countertop out of African Tapestry.  The granite countertop below is the same stone, but with a polished finish.  Both granites bring something different to the kitchen.  It is important to see that leathering the stone lightens it as well.

Patio Season in Buffalo

Countertop Edges-What is the best fit?

Picking your countertop edge can be a little overwhelming for some people, especially when taking specific stones into account.  When our customers are looking for edges we take three main factors into account.

  1. The most important factor to take into account is the type of stone.  A quartz countertop (engineered countertop) can have any type of edge, expect for a rockface finish.  A rockface edge is rough and have a chiseled look.  Many quartz companies will not warranty the stone if this edge is used.  As for the marbles and granites, different characteristics of the stone need to be taken into account.  Some granites and marbles and more susceptible to chipping so an ogee edge, or an edge with a sharp point may not be recommended.  If the granite or marble has a “sugar” charactertistic to it, a rockface will not be recommend as well.  The potential for the countertop to break during fabrication is higher.
  2. The feel of the room/design.  Some edges look more modern, where others have a classic look to them.  A bevel edge can almost have a more modern look to it.  Where the ogee or ogee stepback has a formal look, like a furniture piece.
  3. Lastly the budget is taken into account.  In our company we have four standard edges.  Built-up edges, ogees, and bullnoses are additional money due to the increased amount of labor.

So when picking your edge, make sure your fabricator or sales person helps with the process.  Make sure they go over the characteristics of the stone and you understand what edges are best for the stone.  They can also help you understand which may fit the room in your house.

Built up ogess step back edge on countertop

Built up ogee step back edge on countertop

Patio Season in Buffalo

Preserving your Countertops During the Holidays

It’s that time of year again!  Everyone is coming over and surrounding your beautiful marble, granite, or quartz countertops.  Food and different beverages will be passed around, but how safe is your countertop.

If you have a marble, you are probably aware of the different factors that can hurt your counter.  Different foods and beverages can stain or etch your stone.  In regards to the granite, it is still a natural product.  Staining is not as much of problem as it is for marble.  However, it is not recommend to let spilled red wine sit there for awhile.  If you have overhang on your island or peninsula make sure no one is standing or sitting on it.  There is not as much support at the overhangs and the countertops can break.

So what can you do to help prevent damage to your countertops?

  1. Check to see if your countertops need to be sealed.  (QUARTZ DOES NOT NEED TO BE SEALED)  It is a common misconception that granite needs to be sealed every couple months.  We use high quality sealers that can last up to ten years, especially on granite.  Take some water and put it on your counter.  After a couple minutes if the water starts to bead then you do not need to  reseal your granite or marble.  If the water in being absorbed into the stone, then it needs to be sealed.  If your counter needs to be sealed call your local granite fabricator.  They have high quality sealers that are easy to apply.
  2. Make sure you have your guests use coasters, especially on the marble.  The last thing you want are marks from everyone’s red wine or food.
  3. Do not allow anyone to sit or stand on the countertops.
  4. If you are using quartz make sure you are not putting hot pans directly on the surface, you run the risk of melting or damaging your counter tops.
  5. Sometime stains happen.  If they do, call your fabricator as soon as possible.  There are different products they can use to try and remove the stain.

We hope this helps during this busy time of year.  HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!IMG_1388