Anyone got granite tops?

hotcookie101

We are in the process of planning a kitchen refurb :j:j:j

I would like to get granite tops for the run around cooker and sink. I keep reading different things about them-how careful do I need to be? I've read wine will ruin them, lemon juice is kryptonite etc.... Is it true?

Also-we have very hard water, and get watermarks around the sink-does anyone have the grooves cut in for drainage and if so-how do you get limescale off? Can I use Viakil (its what I use on my shower screen and taps-nothing else seems to touch it )

Thanks

(PS was thinking of wood for the opposite run-would that look weird having 2 types of worktops? They don't connect-the granite would be an L and the wood straight, they would be separated by a door.)

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

I've had the same granite worktops for the past five years and they have'nt a mark on them.
No stains,scratches or anything else,they still look brand new.
I've got buttermilk units with a very pale cornflower blue granite (Blue pearl they call it) so you can imagine you might expect them to stain but they realy have'nt.
They've had the lot on them oils,red wine,lemon juice,blood,bleach you name it,its been there.
I've cut stuff up on them and they're fine,no cuts or scratches.
As everyday care goes I only ever wash the granite down with washing up liquid and warm water and about once a year I use a stone cleaner followed by a silicone polish (this seals them) which when dried I polish up.
I've had the same stone cleaning kit since I got the units and the bottles are still are a third full so economical.
The whole process is very simple and seals the surface to prevent staining,just takes about an half hour to do.
Must admit we have hard water but the grooves on the draining board have never been troubled with limescale though.
I'd recommend granite to anyone,I only wish I'd got mine sooner.
Nothing to stop you mixing your worktops either,lots of people do it and its your kitchen so have what you fancy.

ikati5

I am a full time housekeeper in a very large house with a huge Mark Wilkinson kitchen with island and a large utility room, all granite. I spend a lot of time cleaning and polishing the granite tops.

In the kitchen the main problem area is the base of the taps, it has a window behind it and it is totally dull in comparison to the rest of the granite. This is caused by very hard Hertfordshire water. We have had several chips in the front edging filled by the installing company and when I asked their advice about limescale they recommended a very fine wire wool, which I find does nothing!!

You absolutely cannot use viakal it is an acid and is too abrasive. I have used vinegar which is effective but not recommended. As for the grooves in the drainer I havent found anything that will get this off.

The kitchen is a beige and black design and it is not too noticable but the utility room is black high gloss and the grooves have a white powdery look to them which has so far proved impossible to remove, it has been installed less than a year.

When the granite is freshly polished with a specialist polish, usually silicone based, it looks great, when it has been subjected to teenagers over the weekend it shows every mark, particularly cup rings!

hotcookie101

I'm planning on a lighter coloured one (hopefully) beigey-yellowy-brown. Currently have black granite look laminate and hate the dark look....

The 2 replies show my quandary-one says lemon juice/acid ok, the other-its evil! aargh... Am def going for it, its just how careful we need to be

taxsaver

Hi Hotcookie,

I would suggest that you repeat your post in this thread:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1742805

The OP still regularly visits it and is extremely knowledgeable and helpful.

[Deleted User]

I had granite for 6 years in my last house and I wish I had granite again. I loved it and it remained shiny and sparkling from beginning to end. I used lakeland granite cleaner about once a months. In between just water and a micro fibre cloth.

ps, I am a doer ie I cook, bake and make preserves, so it was very well used

ikati5

taxsaver wrote: »

Hi Hotcookie,

I would suggest that you repeat your post in this thread:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1742805

The OP still regularly visits it and is extremely knowledgeable and helpful.

I have just read the first post description and ours is definitely slab granite, It was selected and bought as a huge piece and we have the offcuts...

I find it high maintenance

ikati5

this is from the granite worktops post....Think of Absolute Black granite in the same way you think about owning a black car.

It doesn't mark any more than any other colour, but it shows the marks more readily.

If you're going to want the surface to look pristine every day, you're going to have to clean it morning and evening every day - and probably in between.

There is nothing inherently wrong with this material, it simply shows marks/dirt far more than pretty much any other colour.

pigpen

You shouldn't use bleach on it as it erodes the polished top layer leaving it dull.

Washing up liquid and hot water is plenty.. abrasive cleaners an scouring pad type things shoul be avoided as they scratch too.

a squeegee is an absolute must.. scrub with cloth and w-up liquid.. squeegee off excess.. = one beautiful shiny worksurface!

I have never used anything oher than the above and it is still perfect... my Ex is a stonemason and my life would have been even more miserable than he made it had I not taken good care of it lol.

unpolished surfaces need a lacquer to keep them from absobing all manner of rubbish.. linseed oil is used on my black marble fire surround and slate flooring and beeswax on my cream limestone fire surround.

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

Just a word about acids on granite,it won't actually harm it it just takes the shine off.
As I said in my earlier post I use an stone cleaner once a year,this is an acid.
It can be used neat or diluted depending on how dirty your tops are.
After that the silicone polish seals in the surface and shines it up a treat.
It's only obvious that black granite will show up every fingerprint etc because thats what anything black does.
I have a black range and it's a nightmare,one ends dusty again before I've finished polishing the other end.
My own particular granite,the blue pearl which is a lovely pale blue never looks marked and it just gets a wipe down and if its lucky a quick buff up when I find the time.
Also mine has never chipped or cracked either.

zippychick

as this has dropped down the OS board ive moved it to the inmyhome board

ZIP