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Countertops Help

Is It Okay to Install Marble Countertops Even Though I Don’t Have Marble Floors?

Marble countertops are gorgeous—and the last thing you want to do is install flooring that takes away from that. For many, that means they can’t install anything but marble flooring to partner with their marble countertops—but we’re here to derail that train of thought and let you know that there are plenty of flooring options that bring out the beauty of your marble countertops.

In this article, we’ll share a few things to consider when picking the type of flooring after you install marble countertops.

Color Tone

Let’s just say you chose Carrara marble for your countertop. From a distance, many slabs tend to look gray—and this means you should choose a floor that has hints of gray to complement the color scheme of the marble.

Determine whether your marble slab has a warm base or a cool base. You can do that by taking a closer look at its undertones—if it has purple or blue undertones, it has a cool base. If the undertones are yellow or red, the base is warm. Once you know the base, you’ll more easily find complementary flooring.

Color Selection

Let’s still work with the Carrara example. There are quite a few colors that work with this type of marble, including white or black. A few other choices you might not have considered for flooring are navy blue, chocolate, gray/beige, taupe, dark yellow, olive green, or even light pink.

Remember, if your marble slab has a cool base, stick to flooring in a color that is cool as well. For example, if your marble is a cool white with cool gray veining, stained red oak flooring might look a bit out of place. Instead, go for a black-stained wood—because it’s cool!

Texture

You can get your marble countertop polished or unpolished. Whatever finish you choose, make sure that your flooring has the opposite. If you place a shiny tiled floor below a shiny marble countertop, the room will seem cold and sterile. Instead, choose a matte wood or tile so the shine of the countertop has a chance to stand out. Or if you’re looking to install marble countertops with a honed (unpolished) finish, try a high-lacquer wood floor.

Pattern

While there are plenty of opportunities for floors to complement marble countertops, make sure that the pattern of the floor doesn’t compete with that of marble. Avoid flooring that holds a similar pattern to the marble’s veining.

So if you have widely spaced veining on your countertop, try not to use tile that’s in the one-to-three-foot range or wide planks of wood, because the lines in the floor might look like they’re trying to copy the veins in the marble. Instead, try out small mosaic tile, subway station tile, or smaller planks of wood. On the other hand, if your marble’s veining is close together, feel free to use larger planks of wood or flooring with a wider-set pattern.

Designing Your Space

At WS Granite Tops, we care about your project as a whole, and we’re already here to offer sound advice. For more tips and tricks on remodels and renovations, contact us today.

What Kind of Backsplash Should I Install with My Granite Countertops?

Backsplashes are surfaces that protect your paintwork. Many people install them behind their oven or near the sink. In this article, we’ve compiled a few ideas regarding backsplashes for your granite countertops.

Subway Tiles

The best way to make your granite countertops stand out is by choosing a backsplash on the neutral side—and one of the best neutral choices are white subway tiles. They provide a universal look that gives off a sleek and modern appearance, calming down the sometimes busy patterns that come with granite countertops.

Subway tiles are easy to wipe down and clean, and most come in a pretty shade of white that encourages the presence of natural light in your kitchen. The plain tile also helps your granite countertops act as the centerpiece of the room—which is exactly what you want!

Subway tiles are affordable, widely available, and easy to install. While they might not be the most unique choice for a backsplash, they are quite classic.

Moroccan Tiles

Moroccan tiles are a great choice that will stand out in your kitchen. They’re bold and bring a sense of warmth with them. You might think that they clash with granite countertops—and that is possible. But it’s just the right amount of contrast that makes them stand out.

Using this type of backsplash is a great way to encourage color in your kitchen. Even if you choose a Moroccan tile with a plain white or cream base, you can find ones with subtle patterns that catch the eye and make the room interesting.

If you’re not ready to commit to every tile having a pattern, you can always choose to place a Moroccan tile at every second or third tile and keep the rest plain.

The color that these tiles provide makes your kitchen feel friendlier and more inviting, and they’re also a great way to express your personality! If unique is what you’re looking for, this is a wonderful choice.

Glass Tiles

Glass tiles create a smooth finish and help the room feel bright and open. Because they range from colorful to transparent, it’s easy to find glass tiles that bring out the beauty in your kitchen.

They are used to make granite countertops stand out, serving as a backdrop for the statement piece in your kitchen. People also love glass tiles because they’re stain resistant and come in all sorts of sizes and ranges of thickness.

Marble

Adding a marble backsplash is the perfect way to create an air of elegance for your kitchen. Because marble and granite are both natural stones, pairing them in such close proximity will give your space an earthy feel, one that allows you to be more connected to natural materials.

If you decide to go with a marble backsplash, it’s better to choose a muted granite slab. If you choose two busy patterns, it can overwhelm even the largest kitchen.

Your Perfect Backsplash

Since your kitchen is the heart of the home, we want to help you make it look radiant. To learn more about choosing the perfect backsplash, give WS Granite Tops a call at (954) 234-2377.

The Best Materials for Bathroom Countertops

Bathroom sink countertops are the jack of all trades when it comes to holding your toiletries and other washroom needs. They are a great place to keep skincare items, soaps and shampoos, and heating and styling tools for your hair. A vanity countertop is a place where everything you need is available—and a part of your bathroom that gives the space its shine.

Bathroom countertops are known for brightening up a bathroom and turning a dull space into something that’s appealing to the eye. Replacing old and dingy bathroom countertops with something modern doesn’t just increase the visual appeal of the bathroom either. It can also increase the resale value of your home as a whole. It’s a great investment that will return just as much as you put into it, if not more.

In this article, we’ll go over our three favorite materials to use for bathroom countertops and the pros and cons of each.

Quartz

Quartz countertops are made of engineered stone, meaning that there are certain additives included (polymers and resins) that make them a bit less than natural. Just because they don’t qualify as natural stones doesn’t mean they’re of any less quality, though.

The additives create a nonporous surface for quartz countertops, meaning you never have to seal them.

Pros:
  • It’s a very tough stone.
  • It doesn’t require sealing.
  • It’s resistant to moisture, stains, and bacteria.
  • There are all sorts of patterns, colorations, and edge profiles to choose from.
Cons:
  • It doesn’t fit in everyone’s budget.
  • Honed and textured finishes will show fingerprints (but these marks can be easily wiped away).

Marble

Marble gives off an air of sophistication, which is a great look for the bathroom. Since marble has become more widely available, its price point has gone down, and it’s more affordable for the everyday person who wants a classy bathroom. There are tons of color variations for marble slabs, and each one is unique.

Pros:
  • It’s long lasting.
  • It doesn’t chip or dent easily.
  • It can be polished for a high shine, or honed for a matte finish.
  • It’s adaptable to all sorts of bathroom styles.
Cons:
  • It’s somewhat vulnerable to stains, scratches, and etching.
  • It needs to be periodically resealed, as it is a porous stone.

Granite

Granite is an extremely popular choice for bathroom countertops because it’s durable, versatile, and easy on the eyes. There is also plenty of variation when it comes to choosing a slab.

Pros:
  • There are tons of patterns, ranging from subtle to bold.
  • It’s very durable and scratch resistant.
  • It requires minimal upkeep.
  • It’s heat resistant.
  • It’s long lasting.
Cons:
  • It needs regular resealing.
  • It may chip if a heavy object is dropped on it.
  • It’s a very weighty material that professionals must install.

Your Bathroom Countertop

Your bathroom countertop is just as important as the one in your kitchen. To talk more about your project, get in touch with us at WS Granite Tops.

Will Bleach Products Affect the Color of My Stone Bathroom Countertops?

Even if they have good intentions, a good number of homeowners use cleaning products that could damage their bathroom countertops, and that includes products like bleach.

While bleach and other such harsh ingredients are good for cleaning other areas of your home, they should definitely be avoided around natural stone countertops. In this article, you’ll find explanations on which substances to avoid and how to properly clean your bathroom countertops.

Cleaning Products to Avoid

Here’s a list of cleaning products that might work well around the rest of your home but should be avoided at all costs when it comes to your stone bathroom countertop:

  • bleach
  • Windex containing ammonia
  • Clorox
  • Pledge
  • Lysol
  • Formula 409

Let’s get into why those products should be avoided.

Bleach

Bleach is one of the worst products for cleaning natural stone countertops. It can cause extreme staining, and it can also cause the sealant to wear off much faster than it would normally. Bleach might be a great disinfectant, but it will dull the finish of your stone countertop—in extreme cases, it can even change the color entirely!

Windex (and Other Glass Cleaners)

You might think that if Windex can polish windows and mirrors, it should be able to polish your countertops too. But that is not the case. Much like bleach, Windex can cause extreme discoloration on natural stone. Glass cleaners of all types can create a dull finish on your countertop, and they might even dry in an uneven, patchy manner that isn’t anything close to attractive. Even more, they can strip the sealant off your granite in the same way that bleach can.

Clorox

Clorox is loved by many because it has the ability to clean almost anything—but the key word here is “almost.” Clorox should not be used on natural stone countertops because it contains ingredients that cause damage, like bleach and citric acid. You should not use Clorox wipes either because they contain the same ingredients.

Pledge

Pledge is known for its lemon scent, and that’s actually the reason why natural stone countertops don’t agree with it. That lemon scent contains citric acid, and that substance can cause damage to your natural stone countertop’s sealant.

Formula 409

Formula 409 is a common bathroom cleaning agent, but we do not recommend using it on your stone countertop because it can cause damage and discoloration. Much like the other items on this list, it should be avoided.

Cleaning Your Stone

So, what can be used to clean natural stone countertops? The answer is surprisingly simple. You can either buy a specialty granite/marble/etc. cleaner, or you can use mild dish soap, warm water, and a soft cloth.

For more information on how to clean your countertops the right way, get in touch with us at WS Granite Tops.

Are Granite Countertops Durable?

At WS Granite Tops and around the nation, granite is one of the most highly sought-after countertop materials on the market. People are drawn to it because of its stunning aesthetics, low maintenance, and durability.

But even though people commonly hear about how durable granite is, they want to know just how it measures up on a scale of toughness, which is why we put together this article on the durability of granite.

Granite Maintenance

Granite’s low degree of required maintenance has a hand in its durability. Unlike other natural stones, you don’t have to walk on tiptoes around your granite countertop.

With this stone, there are no complicated cleaning routines or expensive chemicals to buy. Granite is perfectly happy being cleaned with simple, mild dish soap, a soft cloth, and warm water.

Durability

The reason granite can withstand so much is that it’s formed under extreme heat and pressure underneath the earth’s surface. With beginnings in a place like that, it’s no wonder that it doesn’t blink an eye at hot pots and pans. Our customers start to understand just what makes granite so durable after they learn that it’s actually magma that has melted, cooled, and hardened.

Granite is very unlikely to scratch; the only things that can scratch granite are diamonds and other granite.

How to Encourage Durability

While granite is a naturally durable stone, there are ways that you can make sure it remains as durable as possible:

Pick a high-quality slab.

A quality slab of granite feels smooth to the touch. The less pores and pits that your granite slab has, the more durable it will remain over time.

Choose a quality finish and sealer.

The better your first seal is, the longer you can wait to seal your granite again. Don’t be afraid to ask us about the sealers that we use on your countertop!

Wipe up spills fast.

Granite is not as susceptible to stains as other natural stones, but if dark liquids or acidic substances sit on its surface for a long time, stains could occur. Wipe up your messes as soon as they happen

Pick a good cleaner.

Soap and water will do the trick, but if you want to go for something fancier, choose a quality granite cleaner.

Seal regularly.

Without sealant, granite is more likely to absorb liquids and sustain damage. In order to maintain its durability, seal it regularly. Talk to us about the sealing routine that you should follow with your slab.

Granite and Its Durability

The answer is yes—granite countertops are very durable. And you can help them become even more durable by taking care of them the right way. To learn more about granite countertops or to schedule a consultation, get in touch with WS Granite Tops today.

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