Granite may be strong and resistant but it’s not indestructible. It’s a big investment and with little care it can last a lifetime. Damage is inevitable though and being able to make repairs at home could save you a lot of money so here’s a number of things you can do in case your granite counter top is damaged.
Granite kitchen counters are the most susceptible to damage therefore it pays to be alert. Even a grain of sand can leave marks so, rather than sliding things across, try to pick them up. Make sure your family members do the same. Many marks will disappear if you simply scrub with a wash cloth applying some extra pressure. Tougher, darker marks left by hot pans can be removed with super fine steel wool.
Your granite countertop manufacturer can provide you with a brand of stone cleaner which you can use for really tough marks. Make sure you apply a sealant at least once a year to keep the polish. Again, your manufacturer will tell you what brand to use. Sometimes sharp tools can cause nasty scratches that will not go away with scrubbing. In such cases you need to polish or refinish the surface. This involves scouring the surface with an abrasive that is made of a material harder than granite-usually diamond. Usually you would have to start off with a coarse abrasive, very gently scouring the sides of the scratch and then over it. Gradually move on to finer and finer abrasives till you’ve got the same polish again. You will have to be very careful and patient since the stakes are high-you don’t want to make your granite countertop worse.
The damage you would want to avoid most would be cracking or chipping of your granite kitchen counter. If you drop a heavy iron utensil on your granite countertop it can crack or chip if dropped on an edge. In case that happens you need to attend to it immediately as there is every possibility that the crack or chip will get worse. This can be fixed by filling in the crack with adhesive. The trick is to make the adhesive blend in with the veins of the granite and to colour it to match the base of the stone. While colouring the stone is not difficult, make it blend in requires patience. Blending is best done when the adhesive is just setting. After it has set you will have to finish up with polishing.
Etching or discolouring will often occur on granite kitchen counters. Etching is caused when an acid or other highly corrosive material comes in contact with the granite. The good news is that granite is highly resistant to etching which is more common in marble due to its high calcium content. If your granite countertop does etch, all you will have to do is polish it using the method mentioned above
Comments on this entry are closed.