How Do I Know My Granite is Sealed?

Keeping a seal on natural stone is essential for it's maintenance. A good sealer will defend against stains and mold by preventing liquids from penetrating the stone's surface. If the sealer wears away or is degraded by substances such as bleach or lemon juice, how can we make this fact apparent to the naked eye?

There is a simple test to discover if a stone is properly sealed or not, and it is virtually free.

Using a spray bottle, squirt plain water onto the surface of granite, marble, travertine, or any natural stone surface.

Beaded water on sealed granite does not soak into stone.

If the water beads on the stone and does not soak into the stone at all, the seal on the stone is good. Water will bead when it cannot soak into the surface beneath it.

Unsealed travertine. The left side of this tile has been
soaked with water.

If the water eventually soaks into the stone, leaving a slightly darker mark where the water has soaked in, you have unsealed or improperly sealed stone. The best action at that time is to find the proper sealer that is suited to your purposes and seal the granite, marble, travertine, etc.

For an extensive granite selection on the central coast of California, please go to www.nssgranite.com and browse our marble and granite slabs.

For the best prices on marble, travertine, and granite sealers, please go to www.nssgranitetools.com today!

Granite Vs. Tile Countertops

What is more economical; a granite slab countertop or a tile countertop?


Resale Value
The kitchen of every home is an important investment. Resale value of the home can greatly affected by the materials installed into this one crucial room. Materials possessing elegance and durability will always be worth more, and the granite slab kitchen carries both such qualities.

Quality of Materials
It's true, initially tile materials cost less than a granite slab. The value retained in tile, however tends to degrade rather quickly. Tiles are thinner than granite slab, measuring only 3/8 of an inch, making tile more susceptible to damage during everyday use. A dropped utensil, a heavy weight, or even settling of the house can result in cracks and chips in tile countertop surfaces. One or two chipped tiles can degrade the look of a kitchen quickly.

Slab countertops hold up far better. Granite slabs are either 3/4 of an inch or 1 1/8 inch thick, holding themselves together more strongly with graduating thicknesses. The edges can be laminated once or twice, presenting 1 1/2 inches or more of some of natures toughest material! Chips can be filled and made to look invisible, and a settling house has much less of a chance against a monolithic slab countertop when it comes to cracking.

Grout Maintenance
Grout between tiles is another factor that tends to degrade in a tile kitchen countertop. Since kitchens are usually filled with harsh and acidic substances like food and cleaners, the seal on grout can wear away quickly and without warning. Once it's seal is gone, grout is highly susceptible to stains and mold. The substance most often chosen to fight stains and mold is bleach, and bleach actually serves to worsen grout's breakdown. For these many reasons, homeowners tend to lament the upkeep of grout between tile in the kitchen countertop.

Granite slab countertops have no grout. They may need a couple of seams to join solid portions, but for the most part granite presents a smooth continuous surface that is highly resistant to stains, scratches, mold. No grout cleaning is necessary with slab countertops, and that is a big relief to anyone who has to keep a kitchen clean!

Beauty and Durability Combined
Solid granite surfaces also allow for the play of natural stone movement to carry across entire countertops. Nature's art can be either breathtaking or subtle, depending upon the granite slab picked, and it will always be unique from one slab to the next, and from one kitchen to the next. With each granite slab kitchen as unique as a rare gem, the value of every home bearing a granite kitchen increases and remains high in equity.

Homeowners choosing tile for kitchen countertops can save money at first, but over time tile countertops will degrade in look and need to be replaced. Granite, however, is forever. The value of a home will remain steady with granite in the kitchen.

To see a great selection of marble, travertine, and granite slabs on the central coast of California, please visit us at www.nssgranite.com. Or pay us a visit in person at 425 N. Frontage Rd. in Nipomo California, 93444.