Klondike Contracting » granite

Care & Maintenance: Stone Counter Tops

Susan Allison — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:42:59 +0000

In most cases, stone counter tops are not very easy to repair. To avoid having problem with your stone material, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines to prevent any permanent damage.

Your stone countertops are very easy to clean. A mild detergent (soapy water) will keep your stone looking beautiful for a long time. Avoid household products that contain acids, alkalis and other chemicals that will degrade the sealer leaving the stone more vulnerable to staining.

Rinse and dry the surface with a soft sponge after washing.

Avoid exposing your stone counter tops to strong chemicals, such as paint removers, oven cleaners, acids, oil, juices, wine, etc. If contact occurs, quickly flush the surface with water.

Do not cut directly on your stone counter top. This can cause deep and permanent scratches to appear.

Avoid directly dropping heavy or sharp objects on your counters.

Avoid excessive force on top of counter tops , especially around the rim of the sinks.

Avoid flame or applying heat directly to your stone countertops even if it may be a “heat resistant” material.

For natural stones only, to prevent staining stones, we recommend that you re-seal your counter tops every 1 to 1½ years.

Countertop & Flooring Resurfacing

Christina James — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:58:07 +0000

Real stone is striking, but can be expensive and finicky to live with. It requires regular sealing. It can be brittle, porous, stainable, expensive to repair, hard on dishes, and don’t forget the seams! Manufactured quartz surfaces are less fragile and porous but is very expensive (over $100/ Sq. Ft.).

We recommend Granicrete as a new alternative. It has the look & feel of stone but is actually an engineered, light-weight acrylic concrete that is sealed with clear acrylic resin. It can replicate the look of almost any kind of stone, tile, or cultured cement.

Some of its characteristics are:

tough & resilient
overlay system to surface new counters & floors or to resurface existing ones
scorch & stain resistant
non-porous and foodsafe
easily installed without seams
customizable with unlimited colour palette
simple to maintain and clean
quieter and easier on dishes
a fraction of the cost

This overlay system allows you to resurface your counters or floors without demolition and added wastes to our landfill. Further, there is no radon emissions or VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and production is in eco-friendly plants.

You can also use it outside on patios, driveways, pool surrounds, walkways, garage floors, outdoor kitchens, etc.

Aurastone

Klondike Contracting — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:01:40 +0000

Aurastone is an architectural coating used in the faux finishing industry. The Aurastone finishing system is unparalleled in durability, versatility, and aesthetic appeal.

As it is considerably harder than the traditional decorative wall finishes and architectural coatings used by fau finishers, it is ideal for high traffic areas especially in commercial applications or where children are present.

Applying Aurastone is also easier and more cost effective than traditional faux finish systems, which can involve four to five steps to create the desired look. Aurastone eliminates many laborious processes as it only requires two to three steps. Further it is a one-bucket system which means that there is virtually no wasted or unusable product.

Aurastone is a low VOC (volatile organic compounds) product. Further, it also uses a variety of recycled materials as aggregates to create an unlimited number of finishes.

We like it because it can quickly give your laminate countertop the look of granite or marble.