Granite and Marble Countertops- a Comparative Study

We generally use both granite and marble for making kitchen countertops. However, if you are a home owner, you would often wonder which one is better for your home. When you are planning to install the right countertop for your home, comparing the features of marble and granite will help you make the right decision. Let us take a look at both of them and see how they are different from one another. 

Pros and Cons of Granite and Marble

Both granite and marble are natural rocks and of top quality to make them last for a very long time. When you opt for any one of these natural stones for your home, you are adding value to your home.  Both granite and marble come in different colours. Marble countertops give you the feeling of richness and elegance.  When you place marble on the floor or countertop, it can last you for a lifetime. The best features of these stones are that no granite or marble slabs look alike. With both of them, you can achieve a sense of uniqueness and originality once they are installed in your home.

Stains and Scratches- Marble versus Granite

When it comes to stains and scratches on both marble and granite, you will find that marble is more soft than granite and vulnerable to stains and scratches faster. In case, you drop a beverage on a marble countertop, ensure that you wipe it off instantly to prevent staining and etching.  The liquids that stain marble countertops are alcohol, citric acid and oils. Even water containing minerals can leave stains on marble countertops if they are high in concentration.  Marble countertops are also susceptible to scratches if you use a knife or any hard object. Marble countertops require a lot of maintenance. Besides the maintenance, marble countertops need deep cleaning and sealing.

Compared to marble, granite is the most resilient stone. It is hard to scratch granite with a knife. You can only scratch a granite countertop with a diamond that is the hardest stone in the world. Granite has the ability to handle abuse and extreme heat and still maintain its beauty and elegance. The stone is not susceptible to degrade with long term exposure to water unlike marble. This means you do not have to worry about etching and staining at all- you can keep both of these menaces away for a very long time once you seal granite and the stone becomes less porous.

Thus it can be generalised that if you are choosing a countertop with high traffic, you should opt for granite over marble. 

Maintain Granite and Marble Counter tops with The Marble Man

The Marble Man is one of Australia’s leading natural stone restoration companies that takes care of marble and granite countertops. The professionals are skilled and experienced in all kinds of sealing and restoration work for your costly countertops. To contact them, please visit their Website.

When to Contact Natural Stone Repair & Restoration Professionals in Australia

Limestone- after polishing by The Marble Man

Natural stone surfaces in your home, office or commercial establishment provide beautiful floors, countertops, fireplace etc. all the way enhancing the look and feel of the interior decor. You have made a costly investment with marble, granite or other natural stones; now what’s needed is to maintain those stones properly so as to get many years of amazing cuteness and style. A maintenance schedule has to be in place for cleaning and regular inspections of the stones to check stubborn stains, hard water spots, and cracks etc.           

The attractive appearance and durability of marble and many other natural stone tiles will remain for a lifetime if you follow standard maintenance practices. Ensure to completely remove sand, dirt, and grit which cause maximum damage to your natural stone tiles.

There are plenty of do-it-yourself methods described in the internet world to clean stones, and remove stains, mould & mildew etc., but many of them may eventually spoil the beauty of natural stone. For example, we have seen many stone care articles recommending the use of bleach, but actually bleach can damage your stone and grout lines, causing fading or discoloration. Use only quality products as recommended by authorised stone care professionals.

For daily cleaning of natural stone, add a few drops of liquid stone soap (PH neutral cleaner) into warm water and apply that cleaning solution using a soft cloth to remove stubborn dirt from the stone surfaces. Never use harsh chemicals to clean grout and caulk. It’s also advisable not to try any sophisticated cleaning or repair procedures by yourself or with the help of an unskilled person. What you can do is dust mop the floors and other stone surfaces regularly. 

And always call stone restoration specialists in Australia to do weekly or fortnightly stone cleaning. These stone professionals will check for stains, mould, cracks etc. while doing the routine cleaning and inspection of stone surfaces. They will do wax removal, grout cleaning, sealing, polishing etc. in a professional way as and when required.

For cleaning stone floors, professional stone restoration providers use chemical cleaning, abrasion based cleaning and heat based cleaning- sometimes these specialised cleaning processes are also used in conjunction to get the desired result. So, when they use such specialist procedures to clean dirt and stain marks, it’s clear that your daily dust mopping or DIY tactics are not sufficient to keep the stone surfaces in good shape.

The Marble Man, started in 1992 by Shaun Roberts, current owner & MD, provides professional stone restoration services in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Sydney, Canberra, Newcastle, Northern NSW and other areas throughout QLD, NSW and Victoria. The company has individual home owners to big brand hotels and commercial buildings as its clients.

The Marble Man stone professionals use latest technology and only branded equipment and products for stone restoration works. Call the MM team today on 1300 627 626- They will send a police checked and verified technician to inspect your stone tiles at your convenient time and give you a free stone restoration quote. Visit the website to know their comprehensive portfolio and customer feedback.  

How to Fix Breakages or Cracks on Your Natural Stone Benchtop or Floor Tiles

Are you worried because of a cracked marble countertop or a granite tile? Once the stone surface has split apart, it’ll never regain the original shape even after repair. However, stone restoration professionals assure you that with the help of latest technology in stone repair they can do it the best possible way and avoid replacement of the cracked stone tile.

Guarantee on Natural Stone Repair

To give you assurance about quality work, The Marble Man in Australia offers a 7-point guarantee. They apply latest technology glues epoxies and diamond abrasives and use NANO treatments while repairing marble tiles, granite countertops, stone benchtop and vanity etc.

Whether it’s a hairline crack or breakages, stone experts can repair it with a touch of perfection. It’s true but you need to make the wise decision of selecting a stone repair company that has high reputation. If you call cheap service providers it may end up with spoiling the stone and then finally replacing it.  

The epoxy used for fixing marble or granite cracks is to be mixed with stone pigments in order to get ideal color matching and thus avoid easy detection of breakages after repair.  Sometimes the issue may be slab movement at the fireplace, countertop or other areas which requires repairing of seams expansion. This is sophisticated stone repair work and need to be handled by specialists only.

Now let’s discuss some tips to easily maintain your natural stone surfaces and extend their life period.

How to avoid the discolouration in the grout?

• Change the shampoo: Read the ingredients mentioned in the shampoo bottle. If it contains dyes and colourings mentioned in the bottle, then choose a new shampoo which is natural with no colourings in them. Dye is not good for your body health & family health and it also stains the bathroom.
• Prevent using harsh cleaning chemicals: Harsh chemicals would work well to remove the stains, grout may look cleaner, but they remove the water repellence property of the grout. Bleach is also bad for tile and grout.
• Mix vinegar with water in the ratio of 1:2 and use that solution to clean the grout. A soft brush with little elbow grease would give you excellent result with this solution.
• Use Squeegee: It is preferable to use a squeegee with the suction cup and mount it on your shower, so that it would be handier to use whenever you need it.  You can use it after each shower and this will allow minimum water to be on the grout, tile and doors and dry. Thus there will be very minimum deposit of salt from the water.

Find out if the damages to your stone surface can be repaired or not by taking a snapshot and sending it to The Marble Man stone repair team. You can also call them on 1300 627 626 and they’ll come to your place for inspection and give you an obligation-free stone restoration quote. 

Preventative Stone Care Tips for Your Marble, Granite and Other Natural Stone Surfaces

People using natural stones are mainly worried about the maintenance requirements, but the fact is that natural stone countertops or floors need no more care & maintenance than natural wood products such as tables and chairs.

It’s better if you know your stone surface well and the maintenance needs it requires. A stone restoration specialist can guide you the precautions to be taken to avoid stains, wear and damage. Ask the stone care professionals about the daily and long term maintenance practices to be followed, and also the time schedule for resealing, repolishing or deep cleaning of stone surfaces.

Preventative care is what mostly needed for natural stones like marble, granite and travertine. Make sure that your stones are properly sealed with a penetrating sealer before installation. This will prevent staining to a certain extent and also will reduce the build up of moisture. Presealed stone surfaces are easier to clean too.  Topical sealers are not recommended because they do not prevent moisture to accumulate under the surface and sometimes affect the look of the stone.

Here Are Some Precautions and Preventative Care for Your Costly Stone:

Even though granite countertops are not susceptive to normal stains and scratches, they are prone to staining by oil and acid. Ensure to wipe up any spills on the countertops as soon as possible, and then clean the surface.

Don’t place acidic or chemical products such as wine, juice, vinegar, milk, tea or coffee on marble and limestone surfaces as these can etch or stain the surface. Use coasters.  Staining or etching can also be caused by high alkaline products such as aftershave, soap, shampoo and perfumes.

Grit on shoe can scratch a stone surface, so avoid using shoes on natural stone surfaces. Also use doormats which will gather dust and grit from shoes and slippers.

Use felt or any such soft pads under chairs and other furniture to avoid scratching. While moving furniture items, it’s advised to lift them rather than dragging to prevent scratching.

While cleaning natural stone, ensure to use Microfibre Mop or a cotton cloth to avoid scratching. If you want to use scourers, depend only on professionally recommended scouring products such as the Scrub-a-dub; other scourers can scratch the stone surface and spoil the glossy finish.

Natural Stone Cleaning

The best preventative measure for stone floors is regular cleaning with neutral PH cleaners such as S-P Cleaner, Stone Deep Clean, Brilliance or Renue. Wax based sprays are not to be used as they leave a build up on the surface. Dirt and grit on the marble or granite surface can affect its polished finish. Use recommended cleaning products only and do regular cleaning to preserve your beautiful stone surfaces. 

Marble and granite in the bathrooms are affected by soap scum. This is to be prevented by regular cleaning using a squeegee for shower walls. Also rinse vanities and natural stone sinks with hot water whenever possible.

For any queries on natural stone maintenance, you can contact The Marble Man who is regarded as the No.1 stone care company in Australia with over 20 years of experience in the field.  Call now for a Free Quote on 1300 627 626.

Get that Impressive Christmas & New Year Looks for Your Home with Shining Natural Stone Surfaces

Natural stones used for benchtops and flooring are not as hard as a rock; they are elegant but delicate material and should be taken care of in a proper way. Natural stones such as marble and granite can transform an environment with their stunning beauty and design variations, provided you give them proper maintenance. For this, always depend upon a credible stone restoration specialist in Australia who knows different varieties of stones and their correct maintenance procedures.

The Marble Man is a professional natural stone repairing and restoration company that services several places across Australia, with more presence in the QLD and NSW regions. They can handle all natural stones such as marble, granite, travertine, onyx, terrazzo etc., and do polishing, sealing, stone repair, grout repairs, chip repairs, re-surfacing and sophisticated cleaning with steam or chemical washing.

Their highly skilled technicians can polish your marble or other natural stone kitchen benchtop, bar top or vanity and regain their natural finish for the great occasion of Christmas and New Year. The Marble Man Polishing and Restoration works ensure that:

• All dull stains, scratches and etch marks on the stone surfaces are completely removed
• The pristine polished finish to the natural stone is restored
• Your kitchen and reception area will be lightened up because the polished and cleaned natural stone surfaces will look like new again.

Your guests will be impressed to see well cleaned and glittering bathrooms! Also as there are more members using the bathroom, there are chances that the stone surface may get spoiled. For this you’ll have to call The Marble Man to seal the stone surfaces in the bathrooms. Their sealing procedure starts with professional cleaning using quality detergents and rotary scrubbers to remove all inbuilt dirt and stains on the stone surface. Then the Sealing work starts on the second day applying two coats of special penetrating sealant.

Professional stone sealing ensures that no liquids and dirt are penetrated into the stone surface. In addition to preventing scum build-up, mould growth is also greatly reduced after sealing as water won’t enter beneath the stone tiles. The bathroom will be easier to clean after the sealing.

Even if you haven’t properly maintained your stone surfaces for a long time, The Marble Man can give extra life to your worn and damaged stones employing latest technologies and stone restoration techniques in the industry. They ensure that your natural stone products give added elegance to your home decor during this festive occasion.

The Marble Man has been relentlessly serving home owners, hotels and other business establishments for the last 20 years or so and can provide you daily stone maintenance tips. They also offer a wide range of safe home products for stone cleaning. This will help you to keep your floor tiles and worktops looking fresh and new. Natural Stones are long lasting materials and will remain amazingly beautiful for a long time if you follow the routine maintenance practices.

The Marble Man professionals are up-to-date with hands on, practical training on natural stone restoration processes and new technologies emerging in the industry. They service:  SYDNEY | CANBERRA | NEWCASTLE | CENTRAL COAST | BRISBANE | GOLD COAST | SUNSHINE COAST.  You can also call them for a free quote on 1300 627 626.

Some Useful Guidelines for Tile & Grout Cleaning and Natural Stone Maintenance

Bathroom cleaning is an important task and is necessary to keep it hygienic. The ingredients of commercial cleaners are often harsh chemicals that can disturb the delicate PH balance of your natural stone surface. These strong chemicals will also affect the stone’s mineral layers and destroy the overall look and feel.  Some cleaners also have lemon or vinegar composition which are acidic and can etch the surface. Thus it’s clear that even though commercial cleaners do clean your bathroom, they can affect the tiles and grout. This will necessitate frequent repairing or even replacing the tiles with the passage of time.

Recommended cleaning products such as stone soaps and cleaners are PH balanced and designed to gently penetrate porous surfaces of natural stones and lift in-grained dirt. If you want safe and effective bathroom cleaning, you should call for professional stone repairing and cleaning services.

Grout Sealing   

Sealing the grout is a must to safeguard it from damages. Sealing helps the grout looking its best and last longer. After thorough cleaning of the tile and grout, leave it dry and then apply the sealer. You can use either penetrating sealer or membrane sealer. Penetrating sealers get absorbed into the grout and require to be applied once in 3 years. Whereas the membrane sealers protect the tile and grout by forming a barrier and they need to be refreshed once in two years. While applying the sealer, follow the grout lines and apply using pen like applicator. If the tiles are glazed you can spray or brush the sealer over the surface. After it gets dried apply the second coat.

Natural Stone Honing 

Water ring and spots: It commonly occurs in marble and other natural stones due to etching or hard water minerals such as magnesium and calcium that are left behind when water gets evaporated forming spot or rings. Professional honing can restore the stone from this water rings and spots.

White stun marks: They appear commonly in certain type of marbles which are tiny explosions of the stone. The marks are caused by pin point pressures which may be due to blunt pointed instruments or women’s high heels. They are difficult to remove and may need honing or grinding by stone restoration specialists. 

Stone Polishing and Diamond Grinding

The best and optimal method to restore the stone is mechanical abrasion which is also called as diamond grinding. Stone restoration done with diamond grinding will retain its fresh look longer than the same done with other methods like honing powders, sanding screens and paste polishes. It may cost you more initially but can be done once in 4-6 years instead of 1 to 2 years with other methods.

High quality granite is very resistant to damage, but the stone will chip if hard or heavy object hits the weak corner. Cracking can also result if there are errors in installation or fabrication. Some stones that are sold as granite absorb cooking oil easily and it darkens the surface significantly. Only through poultice you can remove these stains. Stone containing calcium gets etched and whitened by acidic substances like vinegar, citric juices etc. These stones are marked as granite but true granite doesn't get acid etching. The sealers also get damaged by these acidic substances.   

Christmas Time Cleaning & Restoration Tips for Natural Stone Surfaces

It is important for you to clean and repair your natural stone surfaces before Christmas celebrations to make your home neat, tidy and impressive for the great occasion. You will have distant family members and friends coming around and it is your part to show the affection by a warm and clean welcome!

Christmas time stone cleaning and polishing should be planned in advance so that you do not end up being in a long queue. Our stone restoration schedule is almost full with pre-Christmas orders; there are just a few slots left with. So hurry now to order your stone cleaning or repair works on time for Christmas, and avoid the rush at the last minute.

Some of the stone maintenance works we do are:

• Marble, Granite, Travertine, Onyx, Terrazzo and other natural stone restoration.
• Natural stone Repair works.
• Stone Cleaning, Polishing, Seal & Maintenance.

Christmas is the right time to give a polished, shining perfection to your:

• Benchtops
• Floors
• Showers
• Walls and
• Table Tops

Some of the Repairs we carry out on stone benchtops are:

• Cracks
• Scratches
• Chips
• Stains
• Measurement & Adjustments

We have different types of stone sealing methods using “Wet look enhancing sealers; Penetrating sealer for marble, limestone, travertine; Penetrating sealers for natural granite; Penetrating sealers for sandstone; Penetrating sealers for concrete” as per your requirements. Sealing can be carried out on Kitchen Bench Tops, Vanity Benchtops, Bathrooms and  Floors.

At The Marble Man, we use all the latest techniques available in the stone restoration sector including: Honing, Grinding, and Buffing.

We can inspect your natural stone surfaces, and our expert team can propose a customised stone restoration procedure for scheduled restoration, sealing and regular maintenance. Even if a local provider has spoiled your costly natural stone surface, don't replace it before consulting The Marble Man- sometimes our skilled technicians can repair it professionally.

Here are some all-time and also Christmastime cleaning and maintenance tips for your natural stone-

• Avoid spilling glues, pastes etc.on the marble floor while decorating Christmas trees.
• Always use coasters under glasses with alcohol or citrus juices, which will etch natural stone surfaces.
• When you notice a spill, immediately blot it up.
• Natural stone surfaces are to be cleaned regularly with warm water and a neutral cleaner using a nonabrasive clean cloth, sponge or mop.
• Ensure to rinse and dry the stone surface after cleaning.
• During Christmastime, there will be more foot traffic in the house and so protect floor surfaces with non-slip mats or area rugs. Stone countertops are to be protected with coasters, trivets and placemats.
• Place felt pads underneath tables and chairs in order to avoid scratches on stone floors.  
• To avoid hard water or soap scum build-up, make sure to dry or wipe the water from shower walls immediately after you use it.  

Thus, with the above stone care tips and ideas, you effectively can get your home sparkling for Christmas. This is sure to prolong the natural life of your stone surfaces.

The Marble Man has over 25 years of experience, servicing many places in the QLD and NSW regions including: SYDNEY | CANBERRA | NEWCASTLE | CENTRAL COAST | BRISBANE | GOLD COAST | and SUNSHINE COAST  

We are the most trusted and credible natural stone repair & restoration Company in Australia. Our stone professionals are trained and licensed in the latest equipment and technologies. For affordable stone cleaning and maintenance works before Christmas, contact Themarble Man on 1300 627 626.