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Should You Choose a Granite Vanity Top?
Selecting granite for your vanity tops near Baltimore will add a sense of richness and elegance to your bathroom. With its natural beauty and a broad variety of colors and patterns, granite remains the popular choice for kitchen and bathroom countertops . Granite vanity tops are attractive, stylish, and can add value to your home.
Granite can be one of the pricier countertop materials available, but when cared for properly, it can provide a lifetime of beauty and function for your vanity. Granite is resistant to scratching, and when properly sealed, the required upkeep is minimal. Ranging from subdued hues to rainbows of color and depth, your choices for granite countertop material are nearly endless.
Discount Granite Express provides skilled craftsmanship and exceptional service for granite countertop installation. Our goal is to ensure your complete satisfaction with our work and our products. Contact us today for a free estimate or to learn more about our services.
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Granite Counter Maintenance: Preventing Scratches, Stains, and Other Damage
When you are seeking new kitchen countertops that will provide your home with the ultimate in luxury and style, you may want to plan a new granite countertop installation. As one of the top kitchen materials available, granite countertops are a durable and attractive choice for your home design. After your countertop installation in Baltimore is complete, it will be up to you to perform proper care and maintenance for your granite countertops. By taking the steps needed to maintain your granite slabs, you can help them remain in beautiful condition. Here is a quick look at some of the essentials of granite counter maintenance.
Seal Your Countertops
One of the most important steps of granite counter maintenance is to seal your countertops on a regular basis. When your granite countertops are first installed, your technicians will take the time to apply a protective seal to the surface of your granite. This sealant will cover the natural porous surface of the stone. To help make sure that your countertop remains intact, you should take the time to seal your granite counters at least once a year.
Use Approved Cleaning Solutions
Along with sealing your counters at least once a year, you will want to clean your granite countertops using an approved cleaning solution on a daily basis. Cleaners that are too harsh or abrasive can cause scratches, stains, and other unsightly issues on the surface of your countertops. A gentle cleanser, such as a mixture of water and dish soap, is all that you will need to keep your countertops clean and looking great.
Clean Stains Immediately
A final step of countertop maintenance is to clean up stains as soon as they occur. If you leave spilled substances to sit on the surface of your countertops for too long, you can create a permanent stain on the surface of your granite. To clean up staining substances, you can use a paste that is made of baking soda and water to soak up the spill.
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Are Marble Countertops Right for Your Home?
Updating your kitchen countertop or bathroom countertop in Baltimore with marble is a great way to improve the functionality and aesthetic appeal of your home. However, you may be wondering if marble or another type of natural stone countertop is the right choice for your home. This video offers some guidance to help you make the right decision.
For some families, such as those with active, young children, marble may not be the right choice. While it is very durable, it is more susceptible to stains and other types of damage than granite countertops or quartz countertops. If you are ready to replace the countertops or vanity tops in your home, talk to your countertop fabricator about which option will be best for your home and lifestyle.
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Touring This Year’s Most Popular Countertop Materials
Are you thinking of replacing your kitchen countertop near Baltimore ? When you choose to remodel your bathroom or kitchen, one of the biggest decisions you’ll face is your new countertop material. Today, you can have a countertop designed from copper, stainless steel, tile, cement, zinc, recycled glass, or plastic laminate to name just a few of your options. Here, we’ll discuss three of this year’s most popular bathroom and kitchen countertop materials: soapstone, granite, and quartz.
Soapstone
A natural stone made mostly of mineral talc, soapstone gets its name from its smooth, soap-like texture. This stone is usually seen in hues of gray which darken over time and sometimes have quartz graining. Soapstone is durable and resistant to heat, stains, chemicals, and bacteria, making it ideal for kitchen countertops. This material is softer than other stones, making it vulnerable to scratches and nicks, but soapstone is also chemically neutral which protects it against damage from acidic foods like lemons and tomatoes.
Granite
Known for its unique grains and variety of colors, granite is a stone riddled with character and natural beauty. With so much variety, the price range for granite can be broad. Granite is commonly seen in browns and creams, but more exotic colors include blues, greens, reds, pinks, and blacks. Costs increase depending on how rare a stone’s color or type is, and how difficult it is to work with and cut. Granite is also favored for its durability, being scratch resistant and nearly invulnerable to wear when properly sealed. Once you find a slab that you would love for your granite kitchen countertop, buy it and secure it as yours because it’s one of a kind.
Engineered Quartz
Among the most customizable options for countertops, engineered quartz can be found in almost any color or shade, and can be made with a variety of patterns and finishes. The material is composed mostly of natural quartz and is mixed with resins and pigments. Because of its high quartz content, engineered quartz is similar in durability to granite, and is also non-allergenic, non-toxic, and easy to maintain.
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Color Ideas for Granite Countertops
When you are doing a kitchen renovation, one of the best ways to improve your space is to add a granite countertop to it. Granite is a natural stone that is very durable, and it will make your kitchen look brand new again. However, when it comes to choosing a granite countertop in Baltimore , you may struggle to pick which color you want since there are a variety of choices. Here are just a few of the many colors that might look great in your renovated kitchen.
White
One of the first things you will notice when you look at a granite countertop is that it is never one solid color, so a “white” granite countertop will not actually be pure white. Instead, it will be white and feature flecks of stone throughout the surface of it. This will really help it pop when you pair it with cherry wood cabinets. Natural stone countertops in white will also make smaller spaces appear larger than they really are.
Black or Gray
Are you looking to make your kitchen look more contemporary? If so, a black or even gray granite countertop is probably the best way for you to go. If you decide to go with a black countertop, you should consider making your kitchen cabinets a lighter color to provide some contrast to the room.
Brown or Beige
If you don’t like the look of dark countertops but still want the contemporary appearance that they provide, a brown or beige granite countertop will likely do the trick for you . You can pair either color with slightly darker cabinets and achieve a very modern and elegant look.
Red or Blue
If you plan on moving within the next few years, you might not want to go with a bold granite countertop that is red or blue. It could scare some potential homebuyers away. When you pair one of these colors with light cabinets and a neutral paint color, though, it will be very dramatic. You will definitely make a statement with your kitchen’s new countertops.
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Styling Your New Bathroom Countertop
Once upon a time, people didn’t put a whole lot of thought into which bathroom countertop they installed in their home. Bathroom countertops were often created using cheap materials that didn’t hold up for very long. Discount Granite Express is here to show you that you can install bathrooms countertops in Baltimore that will give your bathroom a high-end look and fit in with the feel of the rest of your home.
These days, you can customize your bathroom any way you want and add a bathroom countertop made of almost any natural stone . The same granite slabs that you are used to seeing in kitchens can be used to create beautiful bathroom countertops. We specialize in creating one-of-a-kind vanity tops using many different stones like granite and quartz. You can pick out the stone, the color, and even the edges that are cut into the stone. It will completely change the look of your bathroom during your next renovation, and you will be blown away by the large selection Discount Granite Express has to offer.
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How to Clean Granite Countertops
Investing in a granite countertop is a great way to improve the look and feel of your kitchen, but once you have one installed, you’ll need to keep it clean. Fortunately, taking care of a granite countertop in Baltimore is not difficult at all. Watch this video to find out a few tips for cleaning granite countertops from the owner of a cleaning service company.
Like most countertops, you can clean granite countertops simply by using a sponge and a few drops of dish soap on a regular basis. This will keep them clean and kill the bacteria and germs that gather on granite kitchen countertops. You can also use products made specifically for cleaning a granite countertop as well as other natural stone countertops. Look for these products and use them often to help your granite maintain its shine.
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Choosing the Right Edge for Your Countertop
Before you purchase a new kitchen countertop , you should carefully consider what kind of stone you want it to be made out of and what color will complement the rest of the room. But you should also think about what kind of edge your natural stone countertops in Baltimore will have, because different edges can give off completely different looks. Check out some of the edges that will be available when you look at new kitchen countertops.
Squared
Do you want your kitchen countertop to look modern and clean? A standard squared edge might be best for you. There’s nothing fancy about a squared edge as it’s easily the most basic of the countertop edges, but it will allow you to make a strong statement with your natural stone countertops. It’s also the most affordable option, which is why it’s one of the most popular edges .
Eased
While a squared edge creates very distinct lines in a kitchen, an eased edge rounds those lines off and softens everything just a bit. It’s a very small and subtle change, but it can make a space feel much more warm and inviting. It also eliminates sharp corners throughout the kitchen, which could be a big benefit for many parents.
Bullnose
An eased edge may round off the top edges of your kitchen countertop, but it will not get rid of the lines in your kitchen completely since the bottom of your countertops will still feature straight lines. The bullnose edge takes things a step further by rounding off the entire edge of the countertop. It’s a terrific idea to install this kind of edge in a more traditional kitchen.
Ogee
Some people might not immediately notice the difference between a squared edge and an eased edge, but there’s no mistaking the ogee edge when you see it. It has a curved edge that adds a great design element to the mix. Like the bullnose edge, it looks best in a traditional kitchen and works especially well on kitchen islands.
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Keeping Your Granite Countertops Clean
If you love showing off your granite countertop in Baltimore , it is wise to do what you can to keep it in top condition. Regular maintenance can extend your granite kitchen countertop’s working life and allow you to enjoy it for as long as possible. One simple form of countertop maintenance is routine cleaning. Here is a brief overview of some of the steps you can take if you are concerned with keeping your granite countertops clean.
Accidents happen, and you will probably spill something on your granite countertop at some point over the course of its working life. This is not the end of the world, especially if your countertop is sealed. Be sure to clean up spills and food scraps as soon as possible, however, so that they do not have time to soak into your countertop. Mix a mild dish soap with warm water and apply the solution to your countertop with a washcloth. It is imperative that you stay away from harsh cleaners, as more abrasive and acidic cleaners will more readily break down your seal. Although it is not necessarily crucial, you can also disinfect your granite countertop using a mixture of water and isopropyl alcohol.
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The Homeowner’s Guide to Kitchen Countertops
Your kitchen countertops near Baltimore can make or break the look of your kitchen. Fortunately there are many materials available; from granite slabs to quartz countertops, it should not be difficult to find the perfect option for your home. The right choice in countertop can improve the cosmetic appeal of your kitchen as well as increase the overall value of your home, and these factors are important if you plan to sell your house in the future. Keep reading if you are interested in taking a brief look at a homeowner’s guide to kitchen countertops.
Materials
Two of the most popular kitchen countertop materials are granite and quartz. While both of these materials can liven up your kitchen, they come with slightly different advantages. Quartz countertops come in an expansive array of colors and patterns, while granite is slightly limited. However, granite countertops can still look beautiful when incorporated into the right design. Both of these materials are durable and long lasting, but granite countertops should be sealed in order to resist stains. Quartz does not need to be sealed and tends to be a bit harder than granite. If you are interested in a low maintenance countertop that can look great in various situations, quartz may be your best bet.
Aesthetic
Kitchen countertops can tie your kitchen design together and enhance the overall look of your home. Although granite does not offer as wide of a range of options as quartz, it can still complement certain aspects of your interior design. Black or dark granite may be an excellent choice if your existing kitchen design is on the modern side. This type of countertop can offer a sleek yet unique look that gives your kitchen a dose of character.
Resale Value
The right kitchen countertops will not only allow you to enjoy your kitchen again; they will also make your home more valuable. This is an important point to consider if you have thought about selling your house or if you are leaving that option open for the future. Beautiful kitchen countertops can even serve as a selling point for your home.