How do I clean my stone?
We use and recommend Stone Tech Revitalizer for cleaning and Stone Tech sealers for sealing. We carry these items in our showroom for your convenience. Please note that stone is easy to care for and can simply be wiped down with a damp cloth. Revitalizer will maintain your stone's shine as well as the seal because Revitalizer has sealing properties to it. Let us know if you need a bottle!
How do I seal my stone and how often?
While there are many sealers on the market, through trial and error, we have found that Stone Tech sealers work exceptionally well. We recommend sealing every 3-5 years with these sealers. Follow the instructions on the bottle but in a nutshell, you can use a trigger spray bottle to spray the sealer on your top; you will want to really wet the top well. Use a heavier duty paper towel (Viva works well or shop towels) and make sure that all surfaces are covered by the sealer. Allow the sealer to sit for 30-60 minutes. Come back and spray the top down again and very thoroughly wipe all remaining sealer off of your tops. The sealer is wetter than water to allow it to penetrate the stone. It is not silicon based so it will not yellow out your stone and it is food safe.
How do I know that my tops need to be sealed?
Select a high use area of your kitchen and pour about 1 T of water on your top. Allow it to sit for about 30 – 60 minutes. Wipe it up; if your stone is dark where the water was, it got wet and it is time to reseal.
Can I use a vinegar and water solution on my tops? Can I use Windex?
Vinegar is a natural cleaner and will not hurt your granite counter tops. DO NOT use on any other type of natural stone including marble, travertine etc. For engineered tops, we recommend soap and water. Windex isn't going to do a lot for your tops; it doesn't clean it well nor will it increase the shine. For that, we recommend a stone specific cleaner that is not silicon based such as Stone Tech Revitalizer.
My tops look dull and like they have a film on them. Why?
The finish that you see on your granite or engineered quartz tops is a mechanical polish that cannot be removed. Thus, chances are that the stone has been cleaned with something that is coating it and this film is what appears dull. While we don't want to sound like a broken record, we again recommend Stone Tech Revitalizer as it will remove all dulling residues, protect your seal and shine your stone! If you have marble, travertine or onyx that appears dull, please call our offices to speak to one of our experts about your situation.
Can I put hot items on my tops?
Natural stone is much more heat resistant than engineered stone. We do not recommend putting hot items on your engineered stone tops because while they are more heat resistant than a laminate counter top, they will still scorch, burn or melt because of the high polymer content of these materials. Natural stone tops can easily take the heat of an average hot pot.
Can I cut on my tops?
Yes, you can cut on your granite or engineered stone tops but you will dull your knives. You can cut on soapstone but it will scratch; however, high grit sand paper can be used to buff out the scratches. We do not recommend cutting on marble, travertine or onyx unless you are perfectly happy to live with the scratches!
My counter top has rough spots. . .is this normal?
Yes, it can be entirely normal. Your counter top is made from stone and while the slabs have been put through a polishing process, pits and rough spots are entirely normal. In fact, while it is possible to fill some pits should they bother you, others are so small that they will not readily hold a fill and it is advised to simply leave them alone. Please feel free to call and speak to one of our expert service professionals with further questions.
I have rough areas on my counter tops, in particular near my faucet. What is this?
Chances are good that you have mineral deposits from your water. The good news is that this is easy to clean. Believe it or not, for granite, you want to take a flat razor blade and use it to scrape the deposits off; make sure the blade is set against the stone at about a 45 degree angle and just scrape away! Next you want to use a stone specific cleaner like Stone Tech Revitalizer to completely clean the top. After that, seal your tops with Stone Tech Sealer; then use Revitalizer to regularly clean your tops. This is a common problem that often occurs on prefabricated tops that have been purchased at big box stores; as these have never been sealed, it can happen rather quickly after install. Call us with any other questions!
My seam doesn't look like the one I saw at my neighbor's house.
Stone slabs are literally just like people. No two are alike! And while this is exactly why consumers purchase stone, it also makes it so that no two seams are alike. Your seam is as unique as your stone but please rest assured that when you purchase your top from Simply Stone, you receive the absolute best seam possible. Please let us know if you have any other questions!
Will stone crack?
It can but it is very rare. . .if stone isn't able to scratch, chip, crack or break, it actually would also be impossible to cut or polish it to fabricate it. Please remember that granite and engineered quartz products are about 8-9 on a hardness scale of up to 10. Diamonds are a 10 which is why diamonds are used to cut these products. They are extremely hard and are, in fact, harder than any other counter top material But they are not impervious; so yes, it is possible to damage them. But it is not likely. And if damage such as a scratch, chip or crack occur, please call us right away. Granite and other types of natural stones are, for the most part, relatively easy for the professional fabricator to repair.
Which is better, granite or engineered quartz?
We do not believe that one is better than the other. . .what is important to one consumer is not as important to another. And this is why we fabricate multiple products to give you, the consumer, multiple choices. In a nutshell, the engineered quartz products never need to be sealed but they are not nearly as heat resistant as granite. Additionally, while it is tough to damage these products, it is not impossible and if they are damaged they are difficult to repair because they are manufactured under high pressures that cannot be re-created in the field. Granite is porous but this porosity is relative; overall it is very tough to stain granite and the average consumer is more likely to cause a heat related issue on their engineered stone than a stain related issue on their granite.
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