{"id":1352,"date":"2017-11-21T16:53:33","date_gmt":"2017-11-21T16:53:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/?p=1352"},"modified":"2017-11-30T17:54:15","modified_gmt":"2017-11-30T17:54:15","slug":"stone-countertops-myth-buster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/2017\/11\/21\/stone-countertops-myth-buster\/","title":{"rendered":"Stone Countertops: Myth Buster Blog"},"content":{"rendered":"

1. My kitchen tops are Granite and Quartzite; these surfaces are hard and resist everything!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just because stones are sold under the names \u201cgranite\u201d and \u201cquartzite\u201d does not mean that they necessarily perform like the average granite and quartzite countertops. In other words, some do react (etch) when acid, ammonia, or alcohol is spilled.<\/p>\n

\"quartzite-leathered\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Always stick to neutral stone cleaners such as Lavenet<\/a>. You also want to control calcium deposits around sinks with Crystal Clean<\/a>. Also, don\u2019t forget cutting boards, coasters and trays in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\"18118800_10155274976389600_7760633916730623405_n\"<\/a>
Stone Care Products on Granite Countertop<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. Natural stone is just too difficult to take care of; I\u2019m just going to go with an engineered material instead.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s face it: kitchen tops and our bathroom tops are heavily used, so no matter what material you choose, it will need some sort of maintenance. I\u2019ve seen acid etch marks on natural stone and I\u2019ve seen scratches and dinged up edges on engineered, man-made materials. The good news is: International Stoneworks<\/a> can restore and refinish wear and tear on natural stone surfaces.<\/p>\n

\"22861847_10155860873454600_2189252926953609145_o\"<\/a>
Restored Travertine Vanity<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. I prefer a honed finish over a high gloss on my stone\u00a0countertops because the honed finish\u00a0does not acid etch<\/strong><\/p>\n

Actually, the finish does not determine if the stone reacts to acids. It is the stone itself. If you have a honed marble countertop and you spill vinegar on the stone, the marble does etch, but it may not show as much because the finish around the etch mark is not a stark, high polished contrast. Honed finishes are a great option if you prefer a more matte-look. It also helps to camouflage acid etch marks if you are a messy cook (like me!)<\/p>\n

\"Travertine<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4. I have too many spots and scratches on my stone. I just need to replace it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not so! Stone restoration<\/a> is your solution. International Stoneworks uses fine abrasives and water to re-hone and re-polish<\/a> stone back to the\u00a0original finish. I usually recommend replacement only when the customer simply does not like the color or look of the stone\u00a0\u2013 example if you don\u2019t like green granite, restoration can\u2019t make your green granite into a white marble. However, we can remove many surface imperfections such as acid etch marks, scratches and white calcium deposits.<\/p>\n

\"img_2438\"<\/a>
Before and After: Stone Restoration<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

5. I don\u2019t want marble for my tops because it is too \u201csoft\u201d and my family and I are very hard on our countertops<\/strong><\/p>\n

Marbles\u00a0are\u00a0not necessarily \u201csoft.\u201d Many people say that marble is a \u201csoft stone,\u201d but really what they mean is that it has a tendency to react to acids. Actually, the minerals in marble are not the softest on the Mohs scale<\/a>; it is a common misconception that stone softness has a correlation to chemical (acid) resistance.<\/p>\n

\"linear-marble-vanity\"<\/a>
Marble Bathroom Vanity<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

To state these facts simply, most marbles etch when they come in contact with acids, ammonia and alcohol (etch marks look as if the shine or the finish of the stone has been removed). The wrong cleaner, tomato sauce, even the condensation on the bottom of a glass can all etch marble, so be sure to use coasters, cutting boards, trays and neutral cleaners such as Lavenet<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hope this Stone Countertops Myth Buster blog clears up some of your stone misconceptions! If you have other concerns or more specific questions, drop us a line or don\u2019t hesitate to contact us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1. My kitchen tops are Granite and Quartzite; these surfaces are hard and resist everything! Just because stones are sold under the names \u201cgranite\u201d and \u201cquartzite\u201d does not mean that they necessarily perform like the average granite and quartzite countertops. In other words, some do react (etch) when acid, ammonia, or alcohol is spilled. Always […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[63,62,251,64,24,96],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1352"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1352"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1378,"href":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1352\/revisions\/1378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}