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Tips on How to Move Granite Countertops

So you have gone to the granite stores and identified a granite slab you love, and you have confirmed it will look in your home. You have even paid for it, and now it’s time to move it.

Although granite slabs are tough and easily resist scratches, burns, and other forms of abuse, they are prone to cracking if you don’t handle them with care.

For the countertops to reach your home in one piece, you have to move them with caution. To help you out, here are tips on how to move granite countertops.

Have the right moving equipment

The equipment and tools you use for your work will heavily influence the countertops’ safety during transit. The cool thing is there are plenty of safety equipment you can use for your work. They include:

A-frame

The A-frame is wood fashioned and bound together in an “A” shape and it makes it possible to transport large countertop slabs leaning. You need to transport the countertop in a leaning position because the countertops can crack if you transport them flat or horizontally.

Moving straps

To prevent the countertop slab from shifting or wobbling during the move, you have to tie it to the A-frame, and there are no better tools to do this than moving straps. There are all types of straps online and offline you can go for.

When making the purchase, avoid cheap straps as they are often weak, and don’t provide a tight hold. Remember, your countertops are worth thousands. Do you want to secure a thousand-dollar slab with a two-dollar strap?

To avoid accidents, invest in a high-quality strap that will securely hold the countertop in place and give you peace of mind during transportation.

Moving blankets

Moving blankets provide cushioning to the countertops, so the hits aren’t too hard on the countertops. The blankets are a must-have if transporting more than one countertop at a time.

If you can’t find the moving blankets or they are out of your budget, use bubble wrap as it will work just as well. As you are using the padding materials, ensure you hold them in place, so they don’t fall off during the move.

Carrying clamps

The purpose of the carrying clamps is to provide a strong grip to the countertops’ sides, so you have a handle from which to carry the countertops from.

Gloves

Granite can easily slip from your hands, so you can’t trust your hands when carrying the countertops. Regardless of where you are carrying the countertops to, you want gloves with a strong grip to have an easy time moving them.

Extra help

Carrying the countertops isn’t a one-person job, regardless of your physical might. To avoid injuries, risk of damage and have an easy time moving the slabs around, get help from other people. For example, you can get extra hands from the countertop store you are buying the countertops or ask your friends to help out.

Move the countertops using the right techniques.

You might be having all the right equipment, but if you aren’t carrying the countertops properly, you risk damaging them. To help you out, here are tips to remember as you are carrying the slabs:

  • Carry the countertops vertically. Not flat or horizontally.
  • Don’t drag or push the countertop as you will crack it. To ensure this doesn’t happen, have a few extra people help you lift it.
  • Move the countertops one way—don’t have rest stops on your way as you increase the pieces’ chances of breaking if you keep stopping in different areas.

Hire a professional moving company

While you save money moving the countertops by yourself, it comes with plenty of risks. To protect yourself from the risk, let a professional moving company handle the work.

Besides the company moving the countertops safely, it also will most likely be insured, so when an accident happens, you don’t worry who will compensate you for the loss—the insurance company will do it.

A great place to find professionals to move your granite kitchen countertops Reston is from the store you are buying the countertops. As a rule of thumb, ensure the company you are hiring is experienced enough. You don’t want to entrust your expensive purchase to noobs, do you?

How to Bring Back Shine to Granite Countertops

You installed granite counters in your home because you want the sleek elegance that the counters bring to the table. Unfortunately, with time, acidic substances etch the countertop surfaces causing them to appear dull and faded.

Faded countertop surfaces can’t give your home the elegant appeal you have been working hard for, can they? Fortunately, you can restore the shine of your countertops and bring back the lost glory. Wondering how to bring back shine to granite countertops? Here is how to do it:

Use dish soap and other soap-based cleaners

If your countertops’ dullness is due to a buildup of soap film, you can easily get rid of the buildup using dish soap and other soap related cleaners. The soap will also remove stains brought about by hard water.

Use polishing powder

Do your countertops have grease stains or mild etching from acids in foods? These stains are tough to remove, so to remove them you need a tougher material such as polishing powder.

Buy a polishing powder designed for natural stone countertops, then mix it with water to make a paste. You should then apply it to the problematic areas using a soft cloth.

Some powders might need to be left on the counters overnight, so follow the instructions keenly. While these powders are effective at getting rid of the stains, be cautious when using them as many of them have been shown to damage granite counters.

Treat with acetone

If you don’t want to use the polishing powder due to its etching capabilities, use acetone to get rid of oil, grease, soap scum, and other thicker residues.

Use a soft cloth to apply the acetone to the dull areas. Since acetone works as a solvent, it’s highly effective at dissolving the thick greasy stains leaving you with shiny countertops you will be proud of for a long time.

After scrubbing the countertops with acetone, rinse the surfaces with warm water.

Reseal the countertops

It’s common for the countertops to lose their shine when the sealer coat is etched. If the surface of the stone underneath is still in good condition, you can easily bring back the shine by resealing the countertops.

For best results, use a sealing product recommended by the installer or manufacturer. Also, remember to clean the surfaces before applying the sealer.

After cleaning the surfaces, use a rag or spray bottle to apply the sealer on the surfaces, giving them an even coat. After the sealer has dried, apply another coat to provide more effective protection for your countertops.

Refinish the countertops

If your countertops are badly faded, chances are they are deeply etched from acidic substances. To remove the etched surfaces, refinish or re-polish the faded areas. Since granite is hard, you need specialized equipment such as a grinder or stone polisher to achieve this.

Unless you have the necessary skills, let an expert handle the work.

Keep the shine

Once you have restored the countertops, work at keeping the shine. One way to do this is to ensure you don’t use any abrasive or acidic cleansers.

You should note these include household cleaners, so be ultra-cautious when using the cleaners. Before you use any cleaner on your surfaces, always confirm whether it’s acidic content and if high, don’t use it.

Keep acidic foods such as lemons, tomatoes, limes, and alcohol away from your countertops. If you have to place them there, ensure they are in a bag.

When spills happen, granite contractors, recommend you get rid of them as soon as possible. You should note that even water can get into the deeper layers of the stone and stain them when you allow it to stay on your surfaces for a long time, so regardless of what spills on the countertops, move with haste and get rid of it.

After cleaning the countertops, dry the surfaces thoroughly to ensure no water or cleaning product remains on the surfaces.

Finally, use coasters, hot pads, trivets, and cutting boards every time you are cutting anything on the countertops. This is to protect the surfaces from heat damage.

Can Water Stain Marble?

Can water stain marble? Yes, it can, but in rare cases when the city water or well water is acidic. Marble is made of calcium carbonate and it reacts with the acidic water leading to transparent or chalky dull spots.

You should note that pure water will not stain or damage marble countertops.

While water deposits can stain your marble, it happens in extremely rare cases. In 99% of the cases, the water stains are as a result of the stone coming into contact with acidic things such as fruit, coffee, juice, sauces, dressings, alcoholic drinks, and many others.

While the “water stains” seem like they are as a result of water penetrating to the inner layers of the stone, they aren’t. Instead, they are a result of etching or corrosion of the countertop surface due to the reaction of the countertop with the acidic substances.

Since the etch marks look similar to water deposits, many homeowners term them as water spots.

How to remove water stains from marble

To be clear, when we are talking about removing the water spots, we are talking about removing the etch marks from the countertops as they are the causes of 99% of “water stains.”

To remove the etches you should begin with wiping the marble surfaces clean then cover the stain with enough polishing powder then spray water over the polishing powder 2-3 times with a spray bottle to dampen the powder.

When in place, dampen a towel and use it to scrub the polishing powder over the etch mark for 20 seconds to 1 minute. If doing it right, the etch mark should begin to rub away.

When rubbing your marble with the polishing powder, don’t apply a lot of pressure to avoid scratching the marble surface.

A great way to go about it is to rub the countertops quickly at a high frequency until the etch mark is gone. Only apply pressure on the countertop if the mark fails to go away after 20 seconds.

After removing the etch mark, spray the marble cleaner over the surface then clean the marble surface with a clean towel. You should then dry the surface completely once clean and free of extra polishing powder.

In most cases, the etch marks will go away from doing this once, but if you do it and the stain doesn’t go away, repeat the process the second time. If this still doesn’t work, contact a marble professional to help you out.

Can you prevent your countertops from etching?

Yes, you can, but you can’t prevent the etching 100%. The best you can do is maybe 90% prevention and you do this by applying a chemical coating on the countertop.

If you have a high use area such as a hotel or bar, the coatings are a great idea but you are discouraged from using the coating on your home countertops. This is because the coating can:

  •  Change the look of the stone, making it look plastic
  •  The countertops may require additional special maintenance
  • The coating can wear easily than the stone, giving your surfaces a cheap look
  • The coating can sometimes be difficult to apply correctly or require expensive professional application.

For your home, avoid the coating and take good care of your marble surfaces. This calls for you to:

  • Seal the countertops with a high-quality sealer at least once every year
  • Clean the surfaces with non-acidic cleaners. The best materials to use are sponge or soft cloth with hot water and a specially formulated marble cleaner.
  • Avoid soap as a regular cleaner as it has been shown to lead to a dull film covering the surface when you use it for a long time.
  • When cutting or placing items on the countertops, use cutting boards, trivets, and coasters. These items will protect the surfaces against scratching and direct contact with juices that can etch the surfaces.

Trivets prevent your countertops from coming into contact with the hot pans, hence prevent scratches and possible scorching.

Since marble is softer, it often requires more care than other tougher stones such as granite, so if you don’t like giving the countertops a lot of attention, ask your local granite countertop installers to install the countertops in your home.

How To Remove Stains From Marble

One of the major downsides of marble is its porousness. Since it’s natural, marble easily soaks in liquids, making it susceptible to stains and scratches. Some people have the notion it’s hard to remove marble stains, but this isn’t the case.

While there are some stains that are more difficult to remove than others, removing stains from marble countertops isn’t as hard as you think.

Do your countertops have stains and wondering how to get rid of them? Here are tips on how to remove stains from marble:

How to remove oil-based marble stains

Oil-based stains are brought about by milk, butter, cooking oil, grease, hand lotion, and other oil-based products. The products easily get through the porous marble structure, leaving persistent stains that darken the marble surface.

On the countertops, these stains appear yellow or light brown.

To remove the stain, you need to draw out the oil from the marble surface. To do this, clean the area with a soft, liquid cleanser mixed with ammonia and acetone. If this doesn’t work, use a poultice made with a combination that includes mineral spirits.

Leave the poultice on the surfaces for a day or two then rinse with warm water. Dry the surface properly then repeat the process if necessary.

How to remove organic stains

Organic stains are one of the most common stains on marble surfaces. The most popular organic stains are rings left behind by cups and other household substances. These stains can be light brown to dark brown.

The cool thing is, while the stains are common, they are easy to remove. Mix a few drops of ammonia with 12% hydrogen peroxide and spot clean the affected area.

If removing the stain from a darker colored marble, be cautious as the hydrogen peroxide can cause the marble to lighten.

How to remove rust stains

Flower pots, metal furniture, nails, screws, and metal cans are some of the things that can leave stains on your marble surfaces. Rust stains are usually brown or copper-colored, and they are often difficult to remove.

If you identify the rust stains early enough, you can remove them with the help of a soft wire brush that reaches into the crevices without damaging the polished surface.

If it’s late and the stain has set in the countertops, you will need a poultice and chemical treatment with a rust remover to remove the stain.

If you try the above tricks and none works, get in touch with a professional who will assess the situation and recommend the way forward.

How to remove water stains

Like organic stains, water stains are also quite common. These stains are often as a result of leaving a water glass on the marble surfaces for a long time. The stain will also come about due to hard water buildup around showers and sinks.

The beauty is it’s easy to remove water stains. You can remove them using regular marble cleaner or using a grade 0000 steel wool.

How to remove soap scum

Soap scum builds up within the countertop’s pores and voids, leading to stains. Fortunately, it’s easy to remove soap scum stains. Simply add half a cup of ammonia to a gallon of water and wipe the surfaces clean with it.

When making the mixture, be cautious of using too much ammonia as it might dull the marble surface.

How to remove ink stains

Ink stains result from markers, pens, wine, and even highlighters. These stains can be water or alcohol-based and you can remove them using lacquer thinner. If the stains are persistent, try removing them using a marble poultice that will soak up the pigments from the stain within a few days.

Prevent stains from coming about

Prevention is always better than cure, so you should work hard at preventing the stains from coming about in the first place. How do you do this?

Seal your marble surfaces at the time of installation then make it a habit to reseal them once every year. You can seal the surfaces by yourself but for best results, let granite installers or other professionals help you out.

You also should use coasters under glasses and cups and avoid metal containers from coming into direct contact with the marble surface. You also shouldn’t let alcohol or citrus sit on the surface.

How to Remove Hard Water Stains from Granite Countertops

Granite is tough and can withstand plenty of elements, but if you live in areas with hard water, your granite can develop hard water stains giving your counters a dull, ugly look.

To restore your countertops to their former glory, you need to get rid of the stains. How do you do this? Here are tips on how to remove hard water stains from granite countertops:

Why does hard water stain granite?

With all the granite toughness, the last thing you expect is for something as simple as water to stain it. If you are like other homeowners, you have your granite counters in the kitchen or bathroom. These places have water all the time, so the hard water is always in contact with your counters.

Hard water contains magnesium and calcium. When you allow water to sit on your counters for a long time, the water evaporates, leaving the hard deposits behind. Over time, the deposits accumulate, and you end up with dull, whitish stains on your countertops.

Although hard water stains don’t harm your countertops, they get harder to remove with time.

How to remove hard water stains from granite countertops

How you remove the stains varies depending on the type of stains you have. To help you out, here are tips on how to remove them:

Removing light stains

If there are only a few stains, you can remove them using a mild detergent and water on a sponge. You can also use a cleaning product tailored for cleaning granite.

The cool thing with light water stains is they are easy to remove. If the sponge doesn’t clean the stains, use a brush with soft bristles or a toothbrush. You should put the cleanser on the stain, then gently scrub it with your brush to lift the mineral deposits.

Once you are done, rinse the countertops with clean water and dry with a towel.

If you don’t want this, you can use a designated granite cleaner. Let the cleaner sit on the stain for at least 30 minutes to loosen the minerals, then gently scrub the counters with a soft brush. Finally, rinse and dry the counters once the stain is gone.

Removing slightly stubborn hard water stains

If you have tried the above tricks and none is working, try out the baking soda. Create a baking soda paste, apply it to the hard water stain, and gently scrub it with a soft bristle brush.

Once you are done, rinse it with fresh water and dry the countertops with a towel.

Getting rid of stains around faucets

It’s normal to have water rings around the base of the faucet. If your countertops have the rings, bring out the big guns—a putty knife or razor blade.  Ensure the knife’s edge is flat against granite, then remove the mineral deposits by pushing the blade against the stains.

Be cautious when doing it and ensure you apply gentle pressure, so you don’t make gouges in the stone surface or damage the sealant.

If you are doing the right thing, the buildup will flake off, and all you need to do is wipe it with a sponge, rinse the countertops with clean water and dry them with a towel.

If you try removing the stains with the putty knife, but you make little progress, use a sharp, clean razor blade. Like with the knife, ensure the razorblade is level with the granite, then work slowly while loosening the mineral deposits.

Besides taking care not to damage your countertops with the sharp edges, take care not to cut your fingers.

How can you prevent stains from coming about?

Although it’s hard to avoid granite stains, you can reduce their chances of forming. How do you do this?

Protect the sealant

Granite is naturally porous, and when you don’t protect the sealant, the sealant comes off, increasing the chances of stains forming.

Stay away from acidic cleaners.

You should never use acidic cleaners, even natural ones such as lemon or vinegar, as they etch the surfaces giving the stains easy access. You also should steer clear of steel wool and other abrasive materials that can scratch the surfaces.

Reseal the countertops

Even with the best care, it’s common for the seal to wear out. To keep your countertops protected, reseal the counters at least once a year. You can do the resealing or hire expert granite installers to help you out.

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