Granite Fireplace Surround

 

A great way to tie in your kitchen to the living room is to do the fireplace surround in the living room in the same color as the kitchen countertops. You can also choose a different color to help accentuate that they are different rooms. Either way, granite around the fireplace is a beautiful touch to any room. Many of our customers just do the hearth, when the fireplace is elevated.

Sorry my pics are sideways, couldn't figure out how to get them rotated :)! I'll have to work on that!

Sealing Your Granite Countertops

Light and medium colored granites should be sealed yearly. We recommend that our customers pick a date, like New Years, and re-seal their countertops. This process can be quite simple, or difficult, depending on the state of your stone.

Step 1. Clean the stone with a washcloth and mild soap.
Step 2. Scrape any rough parts on the stone with a razor blade to scrape off old food, or water deposits. Be careful to not scrape parts where crystals may be loose, you don't want to scrape crystals out of the stone.
Step 3. Use acetone to wipe down the stone. Make sure you use gloves, and keep the area well ventilated.
Step 4. Use the Granite Sealer (of your choice). This should be applied in a 2' by 2' area only. Wipe the sealer on with one white cloth, and wipe the sealer off with a dry white cloth in a buffing motion until all the sealer is removed from site, and you only see a shiny top. Repeat until the whole countertop is complete.
Step 5. Let the countertops set for 6-7 hours

If you let the sealer sit too long, or you don't buff it off thoroughly, it will leave a dull finish on the stone which is VERY difficult to remove. But if you follow these steps, you should have beautiful countertops for years to come!

If you are nervous to do this yourself, you can always call us to seal your countertops for you. Sealing of countertops is generally charged per sq. ft.

Granite for your Kitchen!

 A trend I have been noticing is people putting granite or quartz of different colors in the kitchen. For instance, the stone on the outer walls of the kitchen may all be in a solid stone color, and the island in an exotic granite or marble. This is a fun new look, and allows the customer to be very creative! I am just cutting the stone for my showroom, and will be utilizing this fun trend. Using a dark brown Cambria Quartz, and beautiful Lapidus granite for the island. When doing this, you can also use different edge profiles.

The above picture shows a lapidus island, similar to the one I will be putting in the showroom, but the other countertops for this trend would be in a solid dark chocolate quartz to tie in the chocolate of the island.

Stay tuned for pictures of the new showroom stone next week!

Exotic Granite Countertops

Golden Lapidus

Jupurana Bordeaux

Tyramasu Granite

Ocean Fantasy

River Bordeaux

As business has picked up, we have completed some beautiful granite countertops! We would like to share some photos of some June jobs completed. Interesting to note is that people are beginning to buy exotic more expensive colors. During the recession, our customers almost all only purchased discounted or basic colors of stones. We have seen a change this year to customers choosing more expensive stone and being more concerned with getting what they want, then getting the least expensive color of granite.


Also, we are doing more whole houses, including tubs, steps, vanities, and fireplaces! Granite in a home is a great way to make it very custom and natural.