So you’ve taken the plunge and installed granite countertops in your kitchen, and now you want to know the next step to keeping them beautiful. You’re certainly not alone. America has seen a rising love affair with granite kitchen countertops, and with good reason. Granite is resilient and beautiful, an investment that will give you lasting returns year after year, if you treat it properly, and that means keeping it clean and protected with a good granite sealer.
Some people are frightened away from granite countertops by the perceived complexities of caring for natural stone, but it really isn’t too difficult, as long as you know what to do. Part of what makes granite so desirable as a material for countertops is that it’s naturally tough. It’s solid stone, of course, which makes it much more dense than many other countertop options. It also has a beautiful texture that’s resistant to chipping and cracking, and is easy to wipe clean. However, just because granite is tough, doesn’t mean that it’s invulnerable, and granite countertops will require care in order to hold their natural beauty.
Though most granite is naturally moisture-resistant, it’s also porous. This means that if moisture does work its way into the stone, it can stain it permanently. Colored liquids like grape juice and red wine are a couple of the culprits to watch out for, as well as grease, oils, and fats. Basically, anything that can stain your clothes has the potential of staining your granite. Sealing your granite regularly can head stains off at the pass. Granite sealers prevent moisture from seeping into the granite. Liquid will bead up on a properly sealed granite surface, allowing you to simply wipe it clean.
So you can see why it’s important to regularly seal your granite, but how often is regularly? Well, it depends a bit. One of the other selling points of granite is that, as a natural stone, each piece is unique. That means that different types of granite, mined from different quarries, will have slightly differing amounts of porousness. In general, granite countertops only need to be sealed about once a year, or even every 18 months. More porous granites, however, might benefit from slightly more frequent sealing. A good test is to leave a paper towel soaked in water or mineral oil on your countertop for a few minutes. If the space under the towel is dark when you pick it up, that means that the liquid has seeped into the granite, and it might be time to re-seal.
Before sealing your countertops, it’s important to first make sure that they’re clean and dry. Rock Doctor’s line of specially formulated products for cleaning, polishing, and sealing granite are perfect to care for your granite countertops. Normal household cleaning agents may have acidic content, abrasive materials, or bleaching agents that can damage your granite countertops, but Rock Doctor’s products are specifically designed to protect the natural beauty and durability of granite.
This article was brought to you by Rock Doctor, which offers a line of specially-formulated stone cleaner, stone polish, and stone sealer products. Rock Doctor stone care products can be purchased through a number of fine retail stores, including Wal-Mart, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Bed Bath & Beyond, Ace Hardware, Do it Best Hardware, Hy-Vee, and Wegmans.
