GRANITE CARE AND MAINTENANCE Congratulations on your decision to choose the most durable, natural, and long lasting countertop
material available today.
Your granite countertops will provide you with many years of use with little or no aging in the look and feel of the countertop. As with any natural product, there are some simple steps to take which will enhance and length the life of your tops, as well as common sense approach to understanding its limitations.
1. As a natural product, granite will vary in color from slab to slab and in some instances will vary in the same piece. This provides character and uniqueness to each individual top and assures you a one of a kind kitchen.
2. Granite seams are a necessary aspect of a granite kitchen, which will be slightly visible. We use our expertise to determine the location and number of seams required. We use a seaming material which holds the two pieces together to provide a secure fit and good adhesion. We mix colors into the adhesive to get a relatively close match with the color of granite.
3. The most important aspect of understanding your granite countertops is that it is a porous material. Any natural stone has these characteristics and must be understood to ensure the beauty of the stone. Porous simply means it can be penetrated over time by oils, grease, and chemicals. Emporio Marble & Granite Inc. uses a nontoxic sealer to resist all types of stains and this must be resealed annually. Our show room sells a stone sealer, it simply wipes on with a soft cloth, let it dry, once it is dry buff the surface with a dry cloth to bring out the
shine.
4. Scratches on countertops are always a concern for homeowners and under normal use granite resists scratches better than any other surface on the market. With normal cutting and food preparation your granite tops will last a lifetime.
5. The best aspect of granite is the resistance it has to heat. You have the freedom to take hot dishes directly out of the oven and place them on the granite without fear of damaging your countertops. No other countertop material can make that claim so enjoy the value of your solid granite countertops.
Your new countertops have been treated with a penetrating sealer, which protects the stone
from staining. It bonds to the stone and acts as a repellent to prevent absorption, yet it lets
the stone breath and release moisture. It protects against both water and oil based products.
It is recommended that new sealer coat be applied anually.
It is important to clean all spills and keep unwrapped foods from being on the tops for
extended periods of time as the oils and minerals can eventually work through the sealer and
can stain your top. Under normal conditions this is never a problem.
Clean stone surfaces with a mild soap or liquid dishwashing detergent and warm water, use a
soft cloth. Too much soap will cause streaks and leave a film. Rinse the surface thoroughly
with warm water and dry with a soft cloth. Do not clean the surface with products containing
lemon, vinegar, acids or abrasives.
Use a paper towel to blot up spills as quickly as possible. Use a soft cloth to dry the area
completely.
An example of a potential stain would be to leave a grease spot on the granite surface over
night. Overtime the grease will eat through the protective sealer and cause a stain.
The five most common stains are:
1. Organic-coffee, tea, food, cosmetics, red wine
2. Biological-mold, mildew, fungus
3. Metal-rust, iron, copper, bronze
4. Ink-pen, magic marker
5. Oil-tar, grease,cooking or skin oil
Do-clean surfaces with a mild soap or liquid dishwashing detergent using a soft clean cloth.
Do-rinse surfaces thoroughly after cleaning, then dry with soft clean cloth.
Do-blot up spills with paper towel immediately.
Don't-use vinegar, lemon or other acidic cleaners
Don't-use cleaners containing abrasives
NATURAL STONE CARE TIPS
Like so many of Nature's creations, every piece of natural stone is unique. So each natural stone
countertop, mantle, wall or floor is distinctive and matchless.
Within each piece of stone lies the history of one particular place on our planet. Today's limestone
floor for instance, was once a mass of tiny sea creatures, then an ancient seabed, and after
millions of years of uplift, a mountainside where the limestone was discovered in our day.
Natural stone is quarried on all seven continents. Huge 50,000 pound block of stone, minivan size,
are cut out from the mountain and sliced into slabs and tiles. Surfaces are then polished or
honed to enhance the stone's brightness and give its natural colors a mirror-like depth.
Although your new countertop may resemble a semi-precious jewel, we've make it remarkably
easy for you to preserve its beauty.
People often assume stone is "stain-proof." However, all stone is porous to some degree. If
natural stone is not properly treated with a protective sealer, water, oils or other liquids can
easily penetrate the stone, leaving stains.
Once your stone is properly sealed, it's protected from daily spills and dirt. However, you can
degrade sealers and damage stone surfaces if you clean stone with most general purpose cleaners,
acidic and alkaline solutions, abrasives, ammonia or bleach.
Look deeply into a beautiful piece of marble and you find yourself looking at the frozen remains of
eons of time....
At Emporio Marble & Granite Inc. , we're awed by the beauty of natural stone. And we're committed to
making it as easy as posible for you to live with marble, granite, limestone, travertine, slate or
other natural stone. We want to help you maintain its pristine beauty for a lifetime.
Oils are particularly damaging to stone surfaces. So, make sure to wipe up cooking oils in the
kitchen and cosmetics in the bathroom. Acids can etch or dull stone surfaces and degrade
protective sealers. Take special care with citrus drinks and alcohol, as well as perfume,
toothpaste and mouthwash.
especially under glasses containing alcohol or citrus juice. Use trivets under hot dishes and
placemats under china, ceramics, silver or other objects that could scratch your surface.
or products containing vinegar, bleach, ammonia, or abrasives on natural stone.
except for those specifically designed for use on natural stone.
Working with these robust yet delicate products requires very skilled tradesmen.These skilled tradesmen manufacture and install the products to your specificationsin commercial and residential appliction.
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