Stone Care
We have listed below some stone care tips and disclaimers.
Stone Disclaimers
Porous Material
Although all natural stone is quarried from the earth, granite and marble (and marble’s relatives - limestone, onyx and travertine) are very different from each other. The greatest difference lies in the porosity, softness and durability of marble, limestone, onyx and travertine when compared to granite. Due to the natural characteristics of marble, limestone, onyx and travertine, they require some special care and maintenance.
You need to be aware that marble, limestone, onyx and travertine are calcium carbonate and there is always a possibility of scratching and staining. Any spills should be immediately cleaned up to try and avoid staining.
Marble, limestone, onyx and travertine are very reactive to acidic solutions. Etching occurs when acid in some form comes in contact with a marble, travertine, onyx or limestone surface. Their surfaces are more vulnerable to household acids including vinegar, mustard, ketchup, citrus and a host of other food-related products and household products. These acidic substances cause a chemical reaction called etching, which will remove the polish and eat away at and roughen the surface of the stone. This also makes acid rain a significant problem. They are not ideal stone for outdoor use where they will be exposed to the elements.
Limestone is more porous, softer, and chemically sensitive than either marble, onyx or travertine. It is easily etched by acids, including soft drinks and juice. It absorbs oils and other liquids and is easily stained. So putting limestone in a kitchen, eating area, cooking area or heavily used bathroom is not recommended.
You should never use powdered cleansers or abrasive pads to clean your stone. Even "soft scrub" type cleaners contain pumice, which is powdered volcanic stone, and might damage your stone countertops or floors. Never use any product which is acidic; this includes substances like ammonia, vinegar, bleach or many common liquid cleaners such as Windex. You should always use sealers and cleaning products designed specifically for natural stone.
Using coasters and cleaning up spills immediately will help preserve the beauty of your stone. After regular use, your stone surface will develop its own unique patina and personality. This is one of the natural characteristics of stones such as marble, limestone, onyx and travertine.
Quartzite Disclaimer
Quartzite contains a larger volume of quartz than granite. Quartzite is formed from sandstone and quartz under combined heat and pressure. Under the amount of pressure involved, empty grains of sandstone are stuffed with quartz. This means quartzite is harder. On the Mohs scale of hardness, from 1 to 10 with 10 being the hardest, granite measures around 6-6.5, and quartzite measures at approximately 7-8.
Clients that choose quartzite need to know that there is a flaw that occurs with light colored quartzite that is currently an unsolvable issue in the stone industry. For unknown reasons, several white and light-colored quartzites will darken at the edges of the countertops. It is unknown why this happens or how to prevent it. There is also no way to remove the discoloration in the quartzite. Any client that chooses quartzite needs to know that this discoloration may occur before or after installation. There is nothing Creative Stone can do to remove this discoloration and Creative Stone will not be responsible for attempting to remove or repair the discoloration nor will they be responsible for replacing the quartzite.
The principle flaw you'll find in quartzite is its tendency to etch in certain areas of countertops. Etching, or cutting and scratching into the surface of the quartzite due to acid, water or other substances is common.
Quartzite is very reactive to acidic solutions. Etching occurs when acid in some form comes in contact with areas of a quartzite. The acidic substance can cause a chemical reaction that eats away at the surface of the quartzite. Their surfaces are more vulnerable to household acids including vinegar, mustard, ketchup, citrus and a host of other food-related products and household products.
Due to the natural characteristics of quartzite, slabs require some special care and maintenance. You should never use powdered cleansers or abrasive pads to clean your stone. Even "soft scrub" type cleaners contain pumice, which is powdered volcanic stone, and might damage your stone countertops. Never use any product which is acidic; this includes substances like ammonia, vinegar, bleach or many common liquid cleaners such as Windex. You should always use sealers and cleaning products designed specifically for natural stone.
Clients need to be aware that there is always a possibility of scratching and staining. Any spills should be immediately cleaned up to try and avoid staining. Using coasters and cleaning up spills immediately will help preserve the beauty of your stone.
After regular use, your stone surface will develop its own unique patina and personality. This is one of the natural characteristics of quartzite stones.
Stone Care Tips
Quartz Care
For every day cleaning use a soft sponge or dishcloth with warm water. For stubborn or greasy clean-ups use a PH neutral liquid cleaner such as ordinary dish washing detergent e.g. Palmolive with warm water applied with a soft sponge or dishcloth. For any persistent staining issues, Barkeepers friend of Soft Scrub products without bleach can be applied first to a wetted sponge or dishcloth, and then applied to the countertop surface. Please note that an aggressive use of more abrasive non-chemical cleaners can result in the dulling of the quartz surface. To sanitize a quartz surface, a 70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol solution can be used or a Lysol Disinfectant spray.
Avoid using sponges that contain aluminum oxide (the same abrasive in sand paper) as it may dull your quartz finish. Though most common household cleaners have no effect on quartz, never allow your countertop to come in contact with drain cleaners, paint strippers, acetone or products containing Hydrofluoric acid, Ammonia, Methylene chloride, Trichloroethylene or any product with a very high or very low PH. These types of chemicals may etch or discolor the surface of your installed quartz.
There is no need to seal your quartz countertop. Unlike natural stone products which have porous surfaces, quartz is non-porous, meaning that any sealer applied will not penetrate beyond the surface of the material. Eventually the sealer may start to wear off unevenly in high use areas causing the polish to appear inconsistent.
Always use a trivet or hot pad between your quartz surface and any heat generating device including but not limited to crock pots, deep fryers, hot pots and pans or electric skillets. Sudden or rapid change of temperature or sustained heating, especially near edges and cut outs, may create enough thermal expansion energy to cause your countertop to crack.
Brushed, honed or concrete finishes by nature of their textured surface may require daily cleaning in order to maintain a pristine appearance. These alternate finishes have an increased surface texture and as a result may show more surface markings as a result of normal day to day activities. Markings caused as a result of normal use of the countertop will be only on the surface and should be easily removable by use of any the approved cleaners or cleaner types mentioned above. Over the lifetime of your brushed, honed or concrete finish surface, constant daily use may result in the development of a patina which will be unique to each installation