The Pros and Cons of Bathroom Vanity Options

The replacement of your bathroom vanity has become essential to your need for more visual pleasure as you occupy it (or them). Perhaps you are undertaking a renovation on your home and the bathroom is the current focus of these efforts. If you are painting the bathroom, certainly you will be going with a color opposite of what your current bathroom vanity matches, therefore you can’t leave that vanity untouched. So, if you find that you may just be in the market for new countertops on your bathroom vanity in the St Paul or greater Twin Cities' area, call on the experts at Minneapolis Granite.

Your choices in bathroom vanity types come from a couple of different options within natural stone. For the purposes of this publication, we will debate the pros and cons of granite and marble.

Granite

Most people prefer granite for their bathroom vanities. Granite is known for its durability, resistance to staining, even those occurring within the bathroom. With a broad swath of the color spectrum represented, granite may just be the ideal choice for matching a bathroom vanity with whatever color scheme you plan on implementing in your bathroom.

Pros:

-Endless options. Styles and colors that fit into any room and decorum.

-Scratch and heat resistant, subtle scrapes from the toe-nail clippers or a scolding from the curling iron will not damage the surface. A proper sealing will keep things looking great!

-Aversion to humidity means those steamy showers will not damage the countertop.

-Granite being granite, the second hardest stone on earth, it will last a lifetime, if not longer.

-Resale value is added to your home by going with granite for your bathroom vanities.

Cons:

-Granite is one of the most expensive countertop choices on the market.

-The potential for damage to occur if not handled properly, guarantees the absolute necessity for the installation of these slabs as bathroom vanities to be carried out by skilled technicians. No do-it-yourself here.

Marble

Elegant and classic, marble is no longer for just the elites. With time has come ease in production and therefore affordability. Marble being a hard, crystalline form of limestone, the streaks of color marble is known for make it a beautiful choice to go along with a room in the home whose main flows happen to involve water.

Pros:

-Long lasting, marble resists most chips or dents that bathroom tasks could throw at it.

-Options do exist with regard to general surface appearance. You can choose a shiny polish or a drier looking matte finish.

Cons:

-Marble is expensive, as is the implementation of any natural stone within your home as countertop.

-The porous nature of marble does make it the bathroom vanity countertop type that is a bit more susceptible to staining, scratching and etching from acidic substances. To prevent staining, semi-frequent sealing is a good idea with these.

Do you want some new bathroom vanity countertops in St Paul or the Twin Cities? Call Minneapolis Granite at 952-746-4690 or contact us and Request a Free Estimate. 

How to Care for Quartz Countertops

Quartz countertops in your Edina home are a great way to add a sense of luxury and elegance in just about any room in your home. They are also practical because they are so durable and so easy to care for and maintain. Here are a few suggestions on how to care for your new quartz countertops so they will last you for many years to come.

When it comes to day to day care for your quartz countertops, make sure you wipe them with some water and a soft cloth on a daily basis. Mop up spills right after they happen so the countertops don’t get stained. If you want to use a cleaner on them, use one that does not contain any bleach and is not abrasive. You should avoid cleaners with ammonia in them as well. All of these products could damage the surface of your new quartz countertops.

Use a hot pad or trivet under any hot items like sauce pans or plates. While quartz countertops are burn resistant, it is still better to be safe than sorry. You don’t want to inadvertently leave any scorch marks on your new counters!

Use the same rule when it comes to cutting anything on your quartz countertops. Always use a cutting board or a similar item when you need to cut fruits, vegetables, meat and anything else that you are preparing. Again, quartz countertops are scratch resistant but it is still best to err on the side of caution when it comes to your counters.

Do not use wax or polish on your counters either. Chances are, you do not have to have your quartz countertops resealed so there is never any need to buy a special sealer. Do not use paint, glue or any sort of similar materials on your quartz countertops either. Even laying down a protective layer of newspaper or a drop cloth will not guarantee that these harmful chemicals could get on your counters and cause permanent damage.

If you are unsure about using a particular cleaning chemical on your counters, call us and ask. We can advise you on what you can use and what you should avoid.

Would you like to learn more about quartz countertops for your Edina home? Call us at Minneapolis Granite at 612-822-3135, or you can contact us to get a Free Estimate.

How to Care for Your New Bathroom Vanity

A new bathroom vanity is a lovely way to remodel your bathroom. And they come in such a wide variety of colors, shapes and styles that it is easy to find the perfect one. Minneapolis Granite can help install a new bathroom vanity in your Brooklyn Park home, and we also have several suggestions on how to best care for it after it has been installed. The ways that you care for it and maintain it depend on the type of stone used for the countertop. Here are a few suggestions on how to keep your new bathroom vanity looking great for years to come.

If your new bathroom vanity has granite countertops, the best way to care for them is to simply wipe them down with water and a soft cloth at least once a day. Granite is naturally bacteria resistant, so you do not have to worry about disinfecting the surface. If anything spills on your bathroom vanity, wipe up the mess as soon as possible after it happens.

The type of granite you get will dictate whether or not it needs to be resealed in a few years. We will seal your granite as part of our fabrication process. And we can advise you on if you will need to have it resealed in a few years. There is also a simple at-home test you can do to see if the granite needs to be resealed. Simply drop some water on your countertop and see if it beads up. If it does, then the seal on your granite is fine. If it does not, then you should contact us about resealing your counters. However, granite only needs to be resealed every couple of years, if that.

For a marble bathroom vanity, it is cleaned and cared for in similar ways as granite. Wipe the counter down on a regular basis with water and a soft cloth. Dry them thoroughly after you are done. There are also special marble cleaning products on the market these days, and you can use one of them if you choose to. Just be sure to test a small and inconspicuous area on your bathroom vanity before using it on the rest of the countertop.

Would you like more information on how to get a new bathroom vanity in your Brooklyn Park home? Call Minneapolis Granite at 612-822-3135, or you can contact us for a Free Estimate.

How to Easily Maintain Granite Countertops in Your Eden Prairie Home

So you just invested in granite countertops, now what? They look great, but you may not be quite sure how to take care of them. Don’t worry! For those living in Eden Prairie, granite countertops are easy to maintain. That’s one of the reasons why you chose them, right? In this blog, we’re going to cover the basics of keeping your granite countertops clean and well maintained.

Granite Countertop Cleaning

You should wipe down your countertops after every use. This helps prevent stains, as well as keep your granite countertops sanitary. No intense scrubbing will be needed for this type of routine cleaning. Just a damp cloth and a little bit of soap will do the trick. Take the damp cloth and gently wipe up your countertops, focusing on any trouble areas.

Cleaning Stains

If you do happen to come across a stain on your Eden Prairie countertops, cleanup is fairly simple. First, you’ll need to gather a few supplies to properly clean your granite countertops in Eden Prairie. Most of the supplies are common household items that you may already have on hand. The supplies include:

·         Small bucket

·         Dishwashing liquid

·         Sponge, or soft cloth

·         Microfiber cloth

·         Natural stone cleaner

Once you get all these together, you’ll be ready to get started on removing that stain from your Eden Prairie Countertops. Fill your bucket with warm water, and add your dishwashing liquid. Mix up the water and dishwashing liquid until suds form. Once your water is nice and sudsy, apply it to the countertop at the trouble area with your sponge. Make sure the entire stain is covered. Then, rinse out your sponge and mop up all the suds. Repeat this process several times. You should notice the stain stating to lighten up. Once the stain is completely removed, apply some natural stone cleaner to add some extra shine.

If you’re ready to have granite countertops installed in your Eden Prairie home, or have a questions about ones that were recently installed, contact us today by calling 612-822-3135 or Contact us Online.

How to Care for Your New Marble Counters in Your Lakeville Home

If you just had marble counters installed in your Lakeville home (or maybe you’ve had them for awhile), you might be wondering how you can keep them looking brand-new. Minneapolis Granite fabricates and installs marble counters; Lakeville is just one of the many towns we work in around the Twin Cities area. And we have plenty of suggestions on how to keep your Lakeville marble counters looking like they were just installed.

About once a week, take a soft microfiber cloth and gently dust the counters. If you want to give them a more thorough cleaning, you can take a clean damp cloth and use a pH-neutral cleaner that is specifically formulated for stone, and be sure to wipe the counters dry. A few big no-nos when it comes to cleaning marble counters: do not use regular, everyday cleaning products and do not use abrasive cleaners. (They can scratch the surface of your counters.) When you are cooking or preparing food, do not leave acidic foods on the surface (citrus, vinegar, etc.) because they can also damage marble counters.

If you spill anything on your Lakeville counters, especially food or liquids that are known to stain, like coffee, clean them up as soon as possible. Use a damp cloth, but try not to scrub too hard because this could also scratch the marble counters.

On a regular basis, you should seal your marble counters. You will know it’s time to do it when water stops beading up on the surface of the counters. Sealing is one of the best ways you can keep your marble counters looking like new.

When you’re ready to have new marble counters installed in your Lakeville home, give Minneapolis Granite a call at (612) 822-3135 or contact us online!

A History of Marble: Burnsville and Beyond

We here at Minneapolis Granite fabricate and install marble counters. Burnsville is one of the Twin Cities areas that takes advantage of our services. We gave a brief history of marble and marble counters, and now we’d like to add a bit more detail to that history.

The Ancient Greeks built much of their civilization on marble and marble counters. Greece contains the largest and widest of varieties of marble found in the world. After awhile, the rest of the world caught on to the Greeks’ beautiful marble-making abilities and started importing Greek marble to create their own monuments, statues, buildings and marble counters. At first, white marble was the most popular, but soon enough the colored marble counters caught on.

White Pentelicon marble is known as some of the world’s purest and most precious marble, and it is quarried in the Penteli mountain region just north of Athens. It is also known as “Marmo Pentelico” or “Marmo Greco Fino.” The columns at the temple at Artemis at Ephesus (which is one of the Seven Wonders of the World) are made of multicolored marble.

Minneapolis Granite takes a great deal of pride in our ability to fabricate and install marble and marble counters in any Burnsville home. Granted, we don’t get our marble counters from the Penteli mountains, but the marble we use for our marble counters is the finest quality we can get our hands on. We pass that quality onto our Burnsville customers to help make their homes a thing of beauty.

When you are ready to have marble counters installed in your Burnsville home, just give us a call at (612) 822-3135 or contact us online. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have about marble counters in Burnsville!

Color Choices: Granite Kitchen Countertops for Your St. Paul Home

If you are looking to remodel your kitchen, you are probably thinking about what color you want for your granitekitchen countertops. St. Paul granite fabricators and installers Minneapolis Granite is here to help! In this blog, we are going to profile the different colors that granite comes in. That way, you can be sure your new granite kitchen countertops in your St. Paul home suit your unique style and personality.

The first thing you should know about granite is that it’s a very hard material and is generally easier to maintain than marble. That being said, it’s hard to say what color is the most popular for granite kitchen countertops in St. Paul. It seems that the most popular color changes over time! So try not to pay attention to any trends. Go with what you like best and with what you think will look the best in your St. Paul home.

One of the best aspects of granite kitchen countertops is that no two pieces of granite will look exactly alike. This means that even if you get the same color granite as one of your St. Paul neighbors, your kitchens will still look totally unique. When shopping for new granite kitchen countertops for your St. Paul home, try to find a picture of the color you want, rather than relying on the name. Granite is called different names by different companies, so when you call Minneapolis Granite to talk about your granite kitchen countertops and to set up an appointment, it will be easier for us to help you if you give us a picture of what color(s) you like the best.

Call Minneapolis Granite today at (612) 822-3135 or contact us online for a free estimate.