Return to the Building a Home Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
Help, Granite -Quartz Dilemma!
| | |
Posted by emilynewhome (My Page) on Sat, Nov 7, 09 at 10:31
| Builder offers sealed granite or a very, limited selection of Omega Stone (quartz).
I prefer quartz for the easy maintenance as we are sloppy cooks. I like to occasionally use Clorox Clean Up on my sink and counter tops.
The quartz selection offered is not like the multiple samples at Home Depot or Lowes, instead the 3 choices are an off white, a grey and a beige, all with tiny specks of black,grey and brown. They are very bland but are low maintenance.
The granite sample we're considering goes well with the cabinets and flooring. The granite manufacturers strongly advise against any use of chlorine bleach products
Have any granite owners, abused their granite by use of chlorine or spills of lemon juice, wine or vinegar? What happened to your granite? Did it etch, fade, discolor?
Cosmetically the sealed granite (Ming Gold) looks great, but seems to need too much babying and care. The quartz choices are bland but easy care.
Please help me make a decision!
|
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Help, Granite -Quartz Dilemma!
| | |
| What you hear about the need to seal granite is often false or exaggerated information put out by competing solid surface counter top manufacturers. Many dense polished granites not only don't need sealing, the sealer will not penetrate the surface and you end up having to clean it off. Many so-called stains are actually damage to the polished surface of the stone that a sealer could not have prevented. So, if the stone you are considering is soft (travertine or marble, etc, with a honed or matte finish, you might slow down the penetration of a liquid by using a sealer every few years. Frankly, I don't know why anyone would consider such a surface in a kitchen. I've never done anything to my granite and it looks as good as new. But I stained multiple samples before I bought it just to be sure. Samples of travertine and marble were ruined immediately and the supplier was annoyed that I didn't return them but I couldn't do anything to the granite using everything I could find in my house. So, find a supplier of good dense polished granite and get the color you like. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Granite sealer guide
also
| | |
| If you are concerned about sanitation, soap and water on polished granite is fine and a dilute mixture of white vinegar and water is even better but such acidic cleaners should never be used on calcareous stones such as marble, limestone, and travertine. Acids may also react with trace elements in some granites so testing a sample is a good idea. Sealers would not necessarily prevent such reactions but I've never heard of that happening. Quartz countertops are usually made of quartz stone particles with an epoxy binder. The manufacturers say they are less porous and more resistant to stains than real stone but they will never specifically mention polished granite. Frankly, I've never seriously considered it for a kitchen and no client has ever asked for it. The solid surface counter top market is like other markets with the introduction of relatively new engineered products that mimic natural materials, where the new synthetic material is manufactured by one company who has a large advertising budget and there is only a trade organization to defend the natural materials against exaggerated manufacturers' claims. The CaesarStone rep calls me once a month but no one has ever called me about granite, see what I mean. If you go to a high quality granite yard the beauty of the stone is staggering and IMHO nothing man made can compare with it. I don't recommend asking to see the most expensive granite, it's the stuff of dreams. Mother Nature still rules. |
Here is a link that might be useful: granite cleaning tests
RE: Help, Granite -Quartz Dilemma!
| | |
| I have a light quartz at my new house but had a dark granite at my old house. It is my understanding that the sealer is what gets degraded by bleach, not the stone. I was told not to use amonia on my granite, but I did use it regularly with no problems (actually the first 6 months I babied it and it got a hazy look from the soap so I started used blue windex on it to get rid of the haze and kept using it after that). I also wiped it down with diluted bleach ocassionally without any problems--wipe it down and then dry if off immediately. But there is no "standard granite" so you need to get a sample of what you are considering and test it--leave your test materials on it overnight because that is what can happen in real life. Dark granites, I think, are pretty indestructable. Light "granites" are more risky and I know some are delicate than others. Our kitchen gets heavy use and vinegars, tomato juice, grape juice, cherry juice, beet juice, easter egg dye and all sorts of things get spilled on it---I wanted light countertops so I went with quartz so I would not have to worry about stains. Granite is prettier than quartz. But quartz has its advantages too. Both are good countertop materials. |
RE: Help, Granite -Quartz Dilemma!
| | |
| Emily, I'll give you a heads up. Our granite now (Giallo Veneziano) has been bullet-proof. Haven't sealed it since the day it was installed 3 years ago, I am a hard-core cook (have done catering), and we have a large family with 5 boys (!), a girl, 2 grands, and my parents live with us. The granite is not babied. BUT, this is not the granite the builder installed. We purchased this house after the original buyer backed out after losing his job-he had made the choices and Ming Gold is what was here. We were in the house exactly 3 weeks and had it all ripped out and replaced! It was awful. It wouldn't take the sealer, apparently, and every single thing that was set on the counter left a mark,. Since there was no way I could follow my young ones around holding a dish towel under their milk glasses and I won't even go into the mess my almost 80 year old mother makes cooking a pot of sauce, I frantically called the builder who came, witnessed and agreed. I only paid the upgrade between the 2 levels of granite and he took care of all the labor. The fabricator said at the time that Ming Gold was fairly new to them and they had just started installing it. After seeing mine, he said he wouldn't be recommending it. I still have a slab in my garage that they left from my beverage bar. Anyway, make sure you check it out in advance. Get a sample and go to town on it as Macv said |
RE: Help, Granite - Quartz Dilemma!
| | |
| For the record, I have used Windex on mine, I caught my daughter using Clorox Clean-up (I don't usually use that on granite), we definitely have had lemons on it, many tomato sauce spills (see above re my mother), wine, etc. I wipe it down and it looks new. I've been lucky and it is fairly light-it's a gold with garnet, brown and taupe |
RE: Help, Granite -Quartz Dilemma!
| | |
| Many stones are sold as granites, some with more or less durable materials. Many granites are nearly indestructible, but some are not. Get (recent) samples of the materials you are being offered and take them home and torture test them with red wine, lemon juice, hot sauce, vegetable oil, etc. Leave on the samples for 20 minutes and see what happens. If you have any staining or dark spots, it's an absorbent surface and shouldn't be in your kitchen. |
RE: Help, Granite -Quartz Dilemma!
| | |
| The active ingredient (other than surfactants that break down the surface tension of water) in many household cleaners is Sodium Hypochloride (bleach) whether "with bleach" is included in the product name or not. Many companies have added "with bleach" to their product's name now that Clorox has done so. There is really no reason to use any products that contain bleach or scouring granules on a granite counter top. These products can harm not only the counter but your skin and eyes. Dishwashing liquid and warm water are perfectly adequate for proper sanitation in a home and you can occasionally use diluted white vinegar if you are compulsive about sanitation. The danger from bacteria is not from a washed counter top but from working with food on the same surface that has been touched by raw meat. So, the secret is to use a separate plastic cutting board for meats (you wouldn't put meat directly on any kind of counter top anyway) and to clean up meat residue immediately with soap and water. Do not use products containing Ammonia with products containing Bleach because several different harmful chemical reactions can occur depending on the proportions and quantities of the two chemicals. Don't store them in the same place and keep them out of the reach of children. These are not people friendly chemicals even though they come in pretty bottles. Here is a list showing the percent of Sodium Hypochloride in common household products: Clorox Clean Up Gel Kitchen Cleaner .5-2
Clorox Clean Up Cleaner with Bleach 1-5
Clorox Clean Up Spray with Bleach 1-5
Clorox Germicidal Bleach Professional 5.25
Clorox laundry bleach products 5-10
Comet with Bleach Liquid Cleaner .5-1.5
Comet with Bleach Liquid Gel Cleaner .5-1.5
Comet Multi-Room Liquid Gel Cleanser with Bleach 1.47
Comet Kitchen Cleaner with Bleach 1.47
Lysol Plus Bleach 2.5
Lysol All Purpose Cleaner with Bleach 2.5
Lysol Disinfectant All Purpose Cleaner with Bleach 2.5
Lysol Disinfectant 4 in 1 All Purpose 2.5
Lysol Disinfectant Mildew Remover with Bleach 2.5
Soft Scrub Liquid Gel with Bleach .5-2
Soft Scrub Anti-Bacterial Cleaner .5-2
Soft Scrub with Bleach Cleaner, Fresh Scent .5-2
Soft Scrub Scouring Cleanser with Bleach .5-2
SOS Heavy Duty All Purpose Cleaner with Bleach 1-5
Fantastic with Bleach 1.47
Fantastic All Purpose Cleaner with Bleach <5
Palmolive Liquid Gel, Lemon Scent 1.2
Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom Cleaner Mildew Stain Remover with Bleach 1-5
Smart Scrub Cleanser with Bleach <2
Tilex Mold Killer & Mold Remover 1-5
Tilex Instant Mildew Remover 1-5
Tilex Mildew Remover with Bleach 1-5
Vanish Mildew Stain Cleaner - Commercial 1-5 |
Post a Follow-Up
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Building a Home Forum
|
|
|
