Your Questions and Answers
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Q. What effect does heat have on stone countertops?
A. For every day use, it has very little effect at all. Hot pots and pans can be placed directly on your granite or marble countertops without changing the appearance of your stone, but one must keep in mind that excessive heat for a prolonged period of time can cause a fracture in your stone.
Q. Does granite stain? Does marble stain?
A. Granite does stain. Marble, for the most part, does not. Granite is more porous than marble so therefore it is more prone to staining than marble, but with proper sealing and waxing a spill can be wiped up before it has a chance to stain, and if it does actually penetrate the stone, the stain can be more easily removed. Marble is less porous so therefore staining isn't a problem with this surface. Marble on the other hand is calcium-based stone and does react with acids, where granite is not, so acids don't effect it. The reaction that takes place produces an etched mark on the surface where it will appear dull. For this reason, granite is a better surface for use in kitchens and marble is better used in bathrooms or fireplaces where it will not come in contact with common kitchen things such as lemon juice or vinegar.
Q. What do I need to do to maintain my stone countertops?
A. Granite, marble, limestone, slate, etc., need to be kept clean and once a year any stone surface needs to be sealed and waxed, in order to maintain it's natural luster and original appearance. It's a very simple process that can easily be done by the customer once a year after the initial installation of their stone.
Q. Does the granite/marble need to have a sub-top?
A. Yes, the physical nature of stone countertops, since stone is cut thin, it cannot support it's own weight. Therefore the cabinets must all have a plywood sub-top spanning the entire length and width of the area to receive stone. Also if there is no cabinet frame under an area receiving stone, adequate support is required to ensure that there is no flexibility so that the stone will not flex and crack.
Q. Since marble etches, what kind of products should I avoid using?
A. Anything with ammonia base, such as Windex. If you need to you Windex to clean your mirror first spray it on a rag, away from the counter, and proceed to wipe your mirror clean. Don't use anything that contains an acid, not even one as mild as vinegar. You will need to have a toothbrush holder (do not lay your toothbrush on the counter), Toothpaste should be kept in a drawer so that it does not leak onto the counter. Keep soap in a soap dish and always wipe up after yourself. The best product to use on your countertop is just water; if soap needs to be used, non-abrasive ivory liquid soap with no dyes or our marble and granite spray cleaner are what we recommend. In addition perfumes should be kept on a tray to prevent any drips or leaking.
Q. What makes one stone cost more than another does? Is it the quality?
A. The price of the stone has little or nothing to do with the quality. Stone prices are determined mainly by availability, meaning where the quarrying location is, how easy it is to come by, and how much of it there is to be quarried. That's what determines the cost to the stone processors. Then the stone is processed, meaning cut and polished, and sold to the wholesalers. Depending on where the stone was processed and how extensively it was worked on determines the price to the wholesalers. For example, all of the slabs of Juparana Fantastico came from the same quarrying location, but were then shipped to different processing yards, yielding slabs that mostly have the same coloring, but some of them may have a nicer polish.
3546 Santa Rosa Ave., Unit G
Santa Rosa, CA, 95407
Phone: (707) 585-1135
Fax: (707) 588-9180
Jill Shrimp
Sales and Designs
Lic# 557858