FAQs - Granite Leaders Chicago

Can You Put Hot Pans on Granite Countertops?

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Vyara in Blog, FAQs, Granite Countertops Chicago

This is a commonly asked question among potential customers, and since I don’t know as much as the installers, and also have a terrible memory, I’m constantly asking this question myself.

That’s part of the reason for this post – the other part is that surely we can just start directing people to it when they ask.

As I write this, I again realize I don’t know the answer. Thus, a trip to Google.

Pots and pans are usually made of high-grade steel or metal, and they are very good head conductors. When placed on top of a granite countertop, hot pots and pans can damage its surface. If this is done on a regular basis, the granite countertop can give in to the high temperature and get black burn marks or gashes.

Where else but kitchen-counter-tops.net would have such a phenomenal answer.

There you go, friends – the answer is “kinda”. Do it in a pinch, but really you shouldn’t.

Take a look at all of our granite countertop offerings here in Chicago.

Granite vs Marble For Your Countertops

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Vyara in Blog, FAQs, Granite Countertops Chicago, Marble

Here in the Chicago area, I’ve personally watched the ongoing battle by the consumer to pick between these two materials.

Since I am 100% biased, let me tell you granite countertops are better..

For some reason marble has an “image” as the more glamourous material, but granite honestly looks just as nice and is far more durable.

When I say far, I mean it.

Granite you can do almost anything to, but because marble is a more porous (hole-filled on a molecular level) stone, it’s much more susceptible to damage from heat, water, and acidic substances in many foods.

If you’re in one of the wealthier Chicago suburbs and have multiple kitchens, maybe get those marble countertops for the third kitchen that’s just for show. If you plan to actually use the countertops, go granite.

Now, here’s a treat – that picture up top is the granite as it sits before cutting. Right out of the quarry, so to say.

This video is a little old-school in style, but there’s some interesting footage of how granite goes from quarried stone to potential kitchen countertop.

Granite Countertops In Your Face

Posted on March 16, 2010 by Vyara in Blog, FAQs, Granite Countertops Chicago, Marketing

(I’m in love with pictures of granite quarries. Amazing.

In the battle between posting pics of kitchens or pics of quarries, the quarries are winning.)

There’s about to be a substantial shift in the world of Granite Leaders and Waterjet Leaders, and I’ve been pouring over a number of potential slogans for what’s to come.

One that’s struck me as the absolute worst is the one in the title of this post.

Let’s read it again:

Granite Countertops In Your Face

What does this phrase even mean?

I’m guessing I could say that to 50 people here in the Chicago area, and not one would consider looking into new granite countertops based on that slogan.

On a logistical level, the amount of strength required to lift a granite countertop up and stick it in someone’s face is inconceivable, anyway.

The other one bouncing around is, “GRANITE ALL NIGHT”.

Again, I’m left only to wonder what I’m doing in this position at the company – please go submit for an estimate and buy something, so I can feel better about what I’m doing.

Oh, and follow on Twitter also – no transaction needed.

How Are Granite Countertops Like TV’s Lost?

Posted on March 9, 2010 by Vyara in Blog, FAQs, Granite Countertops Chicago

In my ongoing quest to learn everything possible about granite, I asked myself the simple question referenced in the title of this post: why does granite have color?

Some Google searching yielded the answer – granite is actually made up of a bunch of different minerals, including quartz and something called “K-feldspars”.

Quartz is actually colorless and simply reflecting the colors of the minerals surrounding it in the rock, and these K-feldspars are actually what generate the different colors in granite, and thus your granite countertops.

This is a bit like the TV show Lost – we now have an answer to why granite has color, and that answer is another question: why does K-feldspar have color?

Even moreso, does it matter? Or should this company just be happy to travel around Chicago installing granite countertops, unable to supply sufficient reasoning as to why they have color?

In closing, don’t worry about a thing – K-feldspars is a new word for me, as well. Were I a geologist, probably not my first choice for naming a new mineral.

(And yes, in case you were wondering, my granite piece from last week is still there – it really seems as if it’ll last forever.)

Granite Is Forever, Like Diamonds

Posted on February 23, 2010 by Vyara in Blog, FAQs, Granite Countertops Chicago

Occasionally I’ll go around to our competitors’ websites and poke around to see what they’re up to.

For example, this morning I checked out Ann Arbor Granite’s FAQs to see if they know more about granite countertops than I do.

Being that they’re in Ann Arbor and we’re in Chicago, I don’t think they’re technically competitors, but I assume you get the point here.

Anyway, this was the first question:

Q: How long will granite last?

A: Your new countertops will last forever. Granite is already almost a million years old when it is quarried from the earth.

This is a powerful answer, to be sure.

Not only is it likely true – especially the second part – but the first sentence is about as definitive as one can get.

Forever.

I asked the guys back in the shop how true this was, and they agreed – forever is how long those countertops will last for.

Now, I’m not challenging anyone on this – I believe them 100% – but I need to test it.

As such, I’ve borrowed a piece of granite and will be holding onto it forever to see what happens. I’ll keep you updated.

Don’t forget to follow me (and thus Granite Leaders) on Twitter!

(Also, that picture is from a Google search for “old granite.”)

Why Granite Countertops Anyway?

Posted on February 9, 2010 by Vyara in Blog, FAQs, Granite Countertops Chicago

chicago granite countertops Why granite for your countertops and not something like marble, engineered stone, butcher block, ceramic tile, or even stainless steel?

Unless you’re running a restaurant kitchen, I’m not sure why you’d want that last one, although I suppose “steel” as a theme might make for an interesting home decor choice.

To answer the question, granite is quite simply the second hardest stone known to man, after diamond. Assuming the latter is out of your price range for outfitting an entire kitchen, granite is your absolute best choice.

(That said, if you happen to know anyone with diamond countertops, please send pictures – thanks!)

Anyway, in addition to durable and tough, granite also polishes beautifully, never fades, and for all intents and purposes is free from needing general maintenance.

It can also withstand high temperatures, so you can freely spill hot liquids all over it and then clean it up just as easily. To top it all off, it’s resistant to bacteria.

There’s really no better choice, and while other stones offer these benefits to some extent, testing has shown repeatedly that granite is far and away superior – enough that it would show significantly, were you to chart such a thing.

Twitter and Granite

Posted on January 25, 2010 by Vyara in Blog, FAQs, Twitter

Last Thursday we mentioned the Twitter Feed we’ve started up, and surprisingly got a little feedback from a competitor asking what that was all about!

(Here’s another link to our Twitter, by the way.)

Anyway, the question asked was “why Twitter for granite countertops”?

The short answer is that the social media spaces are growing really quickly, and word-of-mouth is what powers business on them. Our business is great for word-of-mouth, so we’ve decided to dive in.

We’ll try and keep you (and our competitors) in the loop as to how it’s going…!

(Also, this was a sink/countertop install we did here in Chicago.)

Granite Countertop Colors

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Vyara in Blog, FAQs

Great question we got the other day while scouting a job:

How many different color choices are there for granite countertops?

The answer is there are literally thousands, and they’re available in varying amounts. Some are more common, some less so.

Some may never been found again – it all depends on what comes out of the ground.

This is a terrific site we found that explains the most common colors, variations, and availability.

Where Does Granite Come From?

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Vyara in Blog, FAQs

A common question we get is about the origins of granite itself, and how it’s mined or quarried.

Quarried is far more accurate.

Basically, granite is a natural rock that is blasted by very, very precise methods. The pieces of granite you see used for kitchen and bathroom countertops are just as solid as they appear – those are one piece.

As one can imagine, they can’t just be blasted haphazardly from the Earth then.

This is an extensive write-up on the various methods and techniques used to pry that granite from its home in the Earth.

Of course, it’s further cut and polished before it sees your kitchen, and that’s what we do.

Granite Countertop Repairs

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Vyara in Blog, FAQs, Granite Countertops Chicago

We received a good email from a potential customer recently, and it’s an inquiry we get a lot from people – we’ve reprinted the question here.

Q: I know granite is extremely durable, but surely there must be occasions when it cracks or becomes damaged – can it be repaired?

A:The first thing to do here is determine whether you have an actual need for repair. Granite can have natural veining or what are known as spider cracks – nether of these are a repair situation. Just the natural nature of the stone.

Consult with us and we can certainly tell you – a high-res picture in good focus should be good enough. In the case of a definite crack, we will fill with resin to match the color and appearance of the granite.

It won’t be perfect, but it’s a situation where you’ll be the only one that ever knows the crack was there. The only “true” repair back to perfection is to replace the entire piece.

As opposed to cracks, scratches can be ground out and resurfaced, although the cost can be expensive, as its a labor intensive process.

In any case, the best thing to do is protect your countertops, durable as they are. That’s a post for another day.

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