Your best marble countertops are precious because of its rich beauty and timeless elegance. This great luxurious beauty is coupled with careful cleaning and maintenance which you have to embrace in choosing marble countertops.
Uncover some of the important details about this natural stone before finally installing marble countertops for kitchen and bathroom remodeling.
The Basic Things About Marble
Understanding the physical and aesthetic features of marble and stone is a good start before choosing this for your kitchen countertops and vanity tops.
Composition
This natural stone is typically made out from carbonates, that is, calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate. These compounds are highly vulnerable with acidic solutions such as vinegar, soft drinks, acetone, and other related liquids.
When it comes into contact with these acidic substances, the tendency is creating etch marks on its surface. However, etch marks can be easily remedied by slight sanding or buffing.
Rich Color and Bolder Patterns
Marble stones come with different colors and textures but the most notable appearance is its polished surface.
For small kitchen and bathroom remodeling, the best choice is white marble countertops. It creates a spacious and airy feeling inside your small area. Likewise, you will have to use fewer lights in the area because its reflective polished surface magnifies the brightness of your modern lightings.
Prone to Stains
This natural stone is innately porous which makes it vulnerable to stains. If you want to have a good non-porous trait, you can go for engineered marble countertops.
Good Heat Resistance
Similar to granite and soapstone, marble countertops have good resistance against heat. Then again, we still encourage our homeowners to use hot pads when placing hot pans on top to avoid breaking the sealant film on its surface.
Cleaning Marble Countertops
Now you have a good insight into the pros and cons of the different types of marble countertops. Here we are going to outline some of the important tips and steps for cleaning and the maintenance of your marble stone.
Materials to Prepare
The usual materials you need to prepare for cleaning your marble include soft microfiber, dish soap solution, warm water, and a spray bottle. You can also buy commercial marble stone cleaner in stores.
The Process
1. Dilute your dish soap solution with warm water and mix thoroughly. Then place the solution inside your spray bottle.
2. Spray a small amount of this solution into your marble countertop and wipe it with soft microfiber.
3. For light disinfection, you can spray a small amount of alcohol and wipe dry with a soft towel.
How to remove oil-based stains
When cooking oil or grease flows through your marble countertop, it must be easily wiped out or else it can darken its surface. To clean this kind of stains, you can dilute a solution of acetone or ammonia and spray some amounts on the surface. After, wipe dry with soft microfiber.
How to remove organic stains
It is inevitable for stains coming from organic liquids and substances to stain your marble kitchen countertop. To remove these stains, you can use 12% hydrogen peroxide or place some drops of ammonia over the stains. Then wipe it dry with a soft towel.
Removing Mildews
If mildews or any other biological stains are present in your marble countertops, you can use a dilute bleach solution. Apply a mist on the stained area and wipe dry with a soft towel.
Stains from Ink
You can have a light or dark-colored ink stains on your marble countertops. For dark-colored ink stains, you can use acetone. Grab a cotton ball and dip it into the acetone, then wipe it over the stained area.
For light-colored ink stains, you can use a diluted solution of hydrogen peroxide. Spray a mist of this solution on the stained area and wipe it off with a soft cloth.
Water-ring marks
To remove this stain, you can use steel wool with a rating of 0000 and lightly scrub it on the stained area.
Stains from Paint
Grab a clean cloth and dip it into a lacquer thinner, then scrub it on the stained area. For heavier paint stains, you can use industrial-grade paint stripper but that can etch your marble countertops. Nevertheless, you can re-polish it after removing the paint stains.
Conclusion
We at KNC Granite provides stunning stone countertops made from granite, quartz, and marble. Our seasoned technicians will efficiently help you from planning, fabrication up to installation stage.
To get your free quote, contact us or visit us on Facebook anytime.
Our years of experience, modern tools, and annual training will guarantee your satisfaction in getting the best countertops.