Monday, October 17, 2011

Granite Countertops - Granite Cleaning, Granite Restoration

Granite Cleaning and Restoration

Granite is a excellent material for floors and kitchen countertops. Granite is an igneous rock, meaning that it was formed with heat and pressure deep within the Earth’s crust. The minerals inside the granite appear as small flecks throughout the stone. There are many  types of granite. Some have veining and look similar to marble. Granite, being a dense-grained, hard stone, can be highly polished in a variety of other ways. Granite is available in a broad spectrum of colors. Granite can be found right here in the U.S. and also from the mountains of Italy, India, Brazil, China. Granite’s durability and beauty make it one of the most popular natural stone choices available.

Granite Kitchen Countertops


Granite is the perfect material for kitchen countertops. While synthetic surfaces can scratch and melt under hot cookware, granite resists heat and scratching. Granite is relatively most bacteria-resistant because it is not porous. Granite is durable and retains its color and is not affected by lemon juice, coffee, tea, alcohol, or red wine. It is also scratch resistant and easy to clean with mild soap and warm water. Because granite naturally comes in a variety of colors and is strong, durable, and stain resistant, it is  ideal for kitchen countertops, food prep surfaces, table tops, floors, cladding, paving, and curbing.



Sealing Granite Countertops



Granite countertops should be sealed with a high quality stone sealer. Ask your contractor if your granite is already sealed or if needs to be sealed. Have it professionally sealed during installation. Stone surfaces then need resealing about once a year. This you can do yourself or you can have a professional seal the granite for you. Sealing your granite surface is relatively easy and inexpensive to do yourself. To seal a granite surface, clean the granite with a mild detergent that does not contain ammonia. When cleaning granite, avoid using Windex or other products with ammonia or solvents. Ammonia will remove the sealer. Solvents will do the same. Allow the surface to completely air dry for several hours. Next apply a high quality stone or granite sealer according to the manufacturer’s directions. Wipe off the excess as per package directions.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Costs of Marble Floor Installation

Getting a marble floor installed professionally usually starts around $9 -$20 a square foot including materials and labor. That translates to $900 -$2,000 for marble floor installation in a 100-square-foot area. Rare and expensive marble floors including sought-after light shades, engraving, hand-painting or special finishes cost from $10 -$40 a square foot for the marble. Installation can add another $10 -$50 or more per square foot. This would make for a total of $2,000 -$9,000 100-square-foot area.

What 's Included in Marble Floor Installation?
Cleaning and leveling of the subfloor
Because marble flooring is porous, it can be stained. 

Additional costs:
There can be extra charges for furniture removal and replacement; ripping out and disposing of old flooring material; repairing or replacing a damaged subfloor; and removing and then re-hanging doors. You may be charged around 20 cents extra per square foot to remove old carpet, another 20 cents per square foot for moving furniture, $15 for moving each appliance, $35 per toilet or more.


Because sand and grit can scratche marble flooring, daily dust-mopping is recommended for high-traffic areas. Most well-maintained residential marble floors will need to be professionally honed and polished in 2-4 years. Marble floors that have been damaged ususally require multiple grindings before polishing, which increases the cost per square foot.