There can be a lot of mixed information about how to maintain your stone countertops. Some bloggers may tell you to clean your stone countertops with harsh chemicals, or that quartz countertops can withstand high heat, both of which are risky and can leave damage to your countertops. Take your advice from a professional with over 15 years experience before you take a chance with what someone tells you over the internet and face possible damage with your expensive investment.

 

Clean Your Stone Countertops With Gentle Soap and Water

Make sure you always keep your stone countertops cleaned with simple and gentle soap. It’s best to always avoid use of harsh chemicals, like bleach or ammonia based cleaners. These can prematurely strip and break down sealers that have been applied to natural stone, and other surface polish damage may also occur. Spot cleaning with stronger agents can be done, but make sure to clean with soap and water afterwards.

 

Quickly Clean Colorful Spices to Avoid Stained Quartz Countertops

Brightly colored spices and cooking supplies can stain or be very difficult to remove if left uncleaned for many hours. In my experience turmeric, saffron, and curry powders/pastes seem to be the most prolific for staining. If you stay on top of spills while cooking, or do a soap and water clean up before relaxing on the couch the stains and headache that goes along with it can be avoided.

 

Quickly Clean Acidic Liquids With Soap and Water

Another easily avoided surface issue is etching or scaring from acidic liquids like lemon or lime juice. Etching and scaring on the countertop surface can be quite difficult to repair, so try to stay on top of cleaning these substances up. Along with things that stain, these should always be wiped up and cleaned with soap as quickly as possible.

 

Regularly Seal Your Granite or Marble Countertops

If you have a natural stone product like granite or marble, staying ahead of sealing is an absolute must! There are a lot of different brands and types of sealer out there, they also offer different lengths of time for protection. Many claim to work longer thank five years, to be safe I would avoid waiting this long. A 2-5 year schedule ( depending of countertop material) would work the best to keep your counters protected.

 

Always Use a Cutting Board to Protect the Surface of Your Countertops

Cutting boards should always be used when preparing your meals. This will protect from knives scratching and other substances damaging the surface in a variety of ways. If you want to protect your counters, cutting boards can be a valuable and cost effective ally.

I have seen MANY online and on TV claims that certain types of countertops can survive having boiling hot pots and pans put on them. Unfortunately, it only takes a split second for this practice to ruin the perfect finish of your surface. Quartz countertops are a 100% no-no in this regard, hot pots will almost certainly burn the surface of this material. In most instances this wont ever look the same, even after professional intervention. Granite has a much better track record with hot pots, I would still caution this behaviour. Granite countertops can crack or entirely break apart from this much focused heat, a professional can still fix this issue much easier than with quartz countertops.

 

Avoid Water Damage By Regularly Inspecting Sinks and Silicone

Regularly inspecting sinks and silicone can circumvent much more expensive repairs down the road. If you notice a sink not quite sitting the way it used to, or maybe its completely dropped from the countertop, calling a pro to reconnect it before it damages cabinets or plumbing would save big on time and cash. Silicone that seals in the edges of counters or sinks will need to be redone regularly to steer clear of water damage below. This should be done every 2-3 years in high traffic areas for best results.

 

Keep Your Stone Countertops Secured to Your Kitchen Cabinets

Your stone surfaces should always be left secured to your cabinets unless they are being worked on by a professional. Cracks, breakage and separated seams are much more probable if the tops are cut loose or not installed properly to begin with. Depending on the material and severity of damage, cracks  and broken seams can likely be repaired with a phone call. If you plan on keeping and loving your current stone tops, I recommend leaving the bound to the cabinets until an experienced person is able to remove and re-install them.

 

If it’s too late and this damage has already occurred, the good news is we can likely help you get your countertop confidence back. While some of these are much easier to remedy than others, the best first step is to give us a call or -email to discuss our options for repair or replacement! We can help you repair your stone countertop in Victoria BC and Southern Vancouver Island.

250-893-7304
[email protected]