Granite is a fan favorite material for kitchen countertops. It is extremely strong and it is considered to be the strongest natural stone. But there will be times when you have to replace or do some sort of repair on granite countertops. But the real question is, when? To find out, keep on reading.
When Granite Starts To Look Old, Despite Regular Polishing
Granite countertops need regular polishing to restore the way they look. They have a shiny, lustrous and magnificent appearance, which needs to be preserved. This is where sealing and polishing comes into play. You need to do polishing and sealing on granite countertops for a number of reasons. Sealing is necessary because granite is naturally very porous and it has a tendency to suck up any liquid from the surface into the rock. This can cause the rock to lose its strength and become brittle over time, and eventually it will break.
So, to prevent this from happening because granite is supposed to last for decades, you need to apply a sealant on the surface of the granite to make it waterproof. Sealing needs to be retouched every 6 months to a year. Polishing on the other hand, is necessary to keep the lustrous appearance of granite preserved.
When Cracks Appear
Some cracks can be fixed, but then there are some cracks, which cannot be unseen even after trying every single option to conceal them. This is the point where you need to replace this countertop because the crack is just too obvious and there’s nothing you can do about it. What needs to be done now is that you can either replace the tile of granite which is cracked, or if your previous countertops were granite slabs, then you need to replace the entire slab, because there is no other way going around, if the countertop is a slab.
This is why a lot of people prefer granite tiles, because they are easy and inexpensive to replace as compared to granite slabs. But, if there is a crack beyond repair, then you need to replace it.
After Every 15 Years, You Need A Refinish
Granite is a long lasting material and it needs to be maintained every couple of years to be preserved in a good shape. So, after every 10 to 15 years, a refinish on the countertops becomes necessary. Refinishing can be done in a couple of ways. The first option is oil painting your countertops. This is a great and inexpensive way to change the look of the granite countertops and paint them in any color you want.
The other way is to go for laminate countertops. What this involves is basically putting another layer on top of the existing countertops with adhesive, which makes the process a whole lot easier and less expensive, than replacing all of the granite countertops. Replacing granite countertops, as a whole, can be quite expensive and you need to evaluate a budget before you can do anything about it.
Resealing, Refinishing, Repairing And Replacing
Now that you know when exactly to replace, refinish or repair your countertops, let’s talk about what exactly is replacing, repairing, resealing and refinishing. Resealing is basically the process of applying a sealant on the surface of the granite to make it waterproof again. This needs to be done either every year or when the sealant starts to wear off.
Refinishing is the process of renewing your existing granite countertops with either paint or laminate. This is done, when the countertops seemingly look fine, but they have lost their lustrous appearance. Repairs are done on granite countertops when cracks or seams are formed on the surface. The cracks and seams, if small, can be filled with a colored adhesive or filler. If the cracks or seams are beyond the point of repair, then comes in replacing, in which you replace the damaged countertops with new ones.
Conclusion
To know the tell-tale signs of when your countertops needs a replacement or repair is very important. From the above signs, you can tell whether or not your granite countertops need to be repaired or replaced. And always get repairs or replacement done from reputable granite companies Potomac.