Granite Use

[Byron Trantham]

My wife and I are going install a new granite counter top in our kitchen. After its installed, what precautions do we need to make? Do knives mark it? I've heard that granite is particularly susceptible to red dye. Can hot pots be placed on it? I know we could ask the company putting this stuff in but I wanted to ask people who actually have lived with it. Any warnings will be appreciated.

[glenn bradley]

Granite is pretty and has enjoyed a renewed popularity in the last few years. Like a lot of pretty things it needs TLC. It will chip, scratch, etc. as you mention DAMHIKT. My parents have had Corian for many years and it still looks brand new. There are other synthetics or man-mades that look very nice. If your's is a working kitchen, think carefully. I'm not saying don't get it, it's beautiful stuff, like hardwood floors. Just don't expect it to take a beating.

[Mac Cambra]

You need to seal the stone yearly. Cooking oils and grease will stain the stone as well, remember it is porous. And yes chips and scratches are possible from knives. I think it is relative heat resistant so hot pans are probably okay.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Knives can indeed score the stone. It will however bite back and wreck the edge of the knife. Heavy pans can chip it and cast iron - if rusty can stain it . Rust can stain almost anything even glass.

Heat from post most likely won't ever do anything but you should aske the dealer different granites are different.

Red dye. that's new to me. There's oodles of red dye in those cheap canned tomato preperations.

So far as I know you can oil it with any oil or use any wax.

I wonder how wintergreen oil would do. It's super penetrating - very small molecule.
The smell would be there for a long while I'd guess.

[Owen Gregg]

Hi Byron,

I work in a granite shop. I need to know a few things in order to best answer your question, i.e. What color granite are you looking at getting? I ask because granite is as varied as types of wood.

For comprehensive information, I would advise you to go to the stoneadvice forum and pose your questions there. I've seen people actually cook a steak on a granite top and wipe it clean minutes after with virtually no trace it was there other than lingering heat. I believe that thread, with pictures, is still over there somewhere.

Unless you dig into the stone, or have a particularly porous or fissure-prone stone, you shouldn't have to worry about scratching it. What you definitely should worry about is dulling your knives much quicker than what you would if you used a normal cutting board.

Avoid oils-especially mention to your plumber that his putty will most likely stain the top so he needs to be very careful with it. Again, much of this depends on your choice of stone.

FWIW,
Owen

P.S. Please do not use wax on your tops. This will build over time and make your tops seem to have a hazy or cloudy appearance. Then people pay my boss $75/hr to have me go out and buff it off with a steel wool pad. Be wary of a company telling you to use wax on your tops-it's often a cover up for sub-par work.

[Dan Mages]

My wife and I are going install a new granite counter top in our kitchen. After its installed, what precautions do we need to make? Do knives mark it? I've heard that granite is particularly susceptible to red dye. Can hot pots be placed on it? I know we could ask the company putting this stuff in but I wanted to ask people who actually have lived with it. Any warnings will be appreciated.

In regards to knives. NEVER chop anything on any type of stone. That is probably one of the easiest ways to destroy your knives. Buy, or make, a good end grain hardwood board and oil it regularly.

I have granite tops in my kitchen. It can be stained by oil and water if you do not clean up your spills.

Hot pots are usually not a problem, but I still use trivets or other types of protection.

Dan

[Jim Becker]

Do be sure to seal the granite at the appropriate intervals to avoid staining and I second Dan's comments about cutting on any kind of stone. (The propensity of staining in granite--especially with the honed surface we preferred--is one of the things that made us decide on soapstone instead. Of course, it has it's own quirks, too... )

[Joe Jensen]

I was going to put Corian in my kitchen and in order to purchase I had to attend a $200 all day training class. This made me a "certified installer". The course did nothing but talk me out of Corian.
- don't put something hot on it, nothing over 200 F
- don't let if get direct sun, it will warp
- don't let your customers cut on it with knives, it will score easily
- Don't slide cast iron pots and pans on the surface, it will scratch

We ended up with a green granite and it's been completely maint. free. We've never sealed it and there are no stains. The color varies from medium (almost grey) to dark green. I would never cut on it with knives as the stone would dull them very quickly. We use plastic cutting boards...joe

[glenn bradley]

Byron, you scored! Owen is your man.

[Terry Flowers]

You have received lots of varying advice, but here is mine. I have had a granite to for over 5 years, which has a highly polished surface. Clearly, the propensity for staining must be dependent on the specific stone. We were told by the installer to seal it every 6 months, which we neglectfully never have done (but I mean well and plan to). It has never stained and never scratched. We don't cut on it, but it does get banged with pots, dishes and silverware. No scratches or chips. If it is hit hard enough, any surface can be damaged, but our particular granite is not prone to it.

If you like the look of granite, don't hesitate for maintenance reasons. I venture to say that most granite requires less care and maintenance than any other counter surface.

I would be more concerned about color and appearance. If you are at all concerned about resale value, avoid wild grain and garrish colors. If you are not, just please yourself. In our real estate market, granite is the preferred counter material, and enhances value. On the other hand, an unattractive slab will have the opposite effect, just like 1960s formica tops in avocado green (which we once had and loved).

The other essential is quality installation. A friend hand picked a large granite slab for its beautiful sweeping grain pattern and instructed the installer how it was to be placed. Unfortunately, this was never communicated to the crew, and they cut up the slab such that the grain effect was destroyed.

Best of luck,
Terry

[Loy Hawes]

Citric acid will dull the finish on granite. Another thing to be mindful of.

[Kristian Wild]

As Loy just mentioned, be very careful of things like spilled orange and lemon juice. Apparently if left for a long time it can cause slight pitting of the surface. Besides that, and certain types of grease or oil (depending on how porous it is) it is virtually indistructable.

Kris

[Owen Gregg]

Loy and Kristian bring up another concern the buyer should be wary of, but it can also be easily avoided.

This is simply copied and pasted from a recent reply of mine:

You can check the "Staining Probability" of a type of stone by doing a simple test. Ask for a few samples of the stone, take them home, dust them off, and put some lemon juice and cooking oil on each one.

The company we buy our sealer from tells us this, and in my experience, it is right on the money:

If you notice that where the juice and the oil hit the stone, its surface turns dark immediately, eliminate them as an appropriate candidate. If you notice that the juice and the oil take a little time to get absorbed (a half a minute or better), then you have a stone whose absorbency can be effectively controlled with a good-quality impregnator. If you finally notice that some samples will not absorb anything within, say, half an hour or so, then you may have a winner. That stone will not even need to be sealed.

If you see discoloration with the lemon juice, this tells you that there is calcite mixed in the stone and it is not a good candidate for kitchen countertops-do NOT use it if you are looking for "less maintenance." The oil part of the test will tell you about your need for a sealer, as explained above. Please do not use wax on your stone, it will put a cloudy haze over your stone after it builds for a while. Be wary of any contractor that advises you otherwise, because in the industry, wax is seen a a quick fix for a sub par polishing job.

In the end, the only real long term maintenance is not abusing them, and resealing IF you need to. The absorbency check will tell you this.

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Hope this helps,
Owen

[Bill Leonard]

I do not want to hijack the thread, but I have a question regards granite. I recently came by 77 granite sink punch outs 5/4 thick. I plan to cut them into 8x14 tiles and use as countertops for new kitchen cabinets and new vanities I plan to build. My question for you smart guys: Should I lay the tiles on cement board with thin set and grout the same as ceramic tile or is there some process unique to granite? How do the professionals handle seams on countertop installs? Also, will the cement board support the weight without additional underlayment or should I use 1/2 or 3/4 ply beneath it. As I mentioned the tiles will be 1 1/4 in thick, so additional ply underlayment will drive the countertop to 2 plus inches. Thanks for any advice.
Bill

[Ken Garlock]

Bryan, go with a product that will be maintenance free - Silestone. We have had it in our kitchen for 5 years, and have only had to wipe up spills with a damp cloth. It will not stain, and can take more heat than a granite counter top. Granite is greatly over rated, IMO.