Innovations in home design are welcome not only as a means to diversify in a pleasant manner already familiar environments, but also as a method of achieving greater practicality and convenience, which is especially important in kitchens. New materials feature greater endurance and resistance. Innovative materials for newly built homes and for renovations feature granite and marble. Granite features very high on the list of modern materials, especially for granite worktops and for kitchen cabinets, as well as for bathrooms.
Granite is understandably a favourite material when renovations of kitchens are considered. With the undisputed advantages of resistance to scratching and resistance to heat it is the best material in kitchen ambiences. Granite worktops retain their quality and sleek stain free finish even after repeated cutting and placing hot pans or other cooking vessels on them. In fact, kitchen knives risk becoming dull if repeatedly used for cutting straight on granite worktops surfaces – so hard its surface is.
It is important to maintain granite worktops in good condition by regular cleaning. The surfaces of granite slabs are sealed before processing begins, so cleaning with soap and water is enough to keep worktops and other granite surfaces clean and stain free. To take proper care of granite surfaces, it is recommended to have them resealed after the first year of use, and then repeat the resealing in three to five year periods.
As for stains, although granite does not hold stains, oil spilling can cause a problem, so it is recommended to wipe spilt oil as soon as possible, to prevent any hassles. Furthermore, in general granite is heat resistant, and this resistance is higher with darker granite. After hot pans have been placed on granite worktops, it is important to avoid touching the spot as it absorbs the heat and can cause burning.
In addition to expensive offers on luxury granite worktops, floors, bathrooms, etc., there are also budget offers for granite refacing of counters and cabinets, especially in kitchens. The low cost of such options is due to the fact that the material used is finely ground granite mixed with resin and fitted in molds to form slabs. This method is gaining an increasingly wider popularity, in situations which require economising, as a budget alternative for renovations in kitchens by having granite worktops and cabinet doors refaced with this budget granite. The process of executing orders for kitchen tops, floors, bathrooms, etc. is the same: first measurements are taken, then the slabs are prepared. Customers who order resurfacing of larger areas can ask for discounts, as companies supplying granite resurfacing services offer different incentives. Furthermore, this type of granite sheeting is offered with a lifetime warranty. If a home renovated with such discount granite tops is transferred to new owners, they become entitled to this warranty as well. There is one more advantage with respect to discount granite surfaces: they do not need to be sealed. Otherwise, discount granite surfaces are as heat resistant as luxury granite surfaces.
