Six years ago , my menage and I move into a model home with all the accouterments one might expect to find , including marble countertop in the master bath . To this twenty-four hour period , I still do n’t think I ’ve cleaned them properly ( apart from the Mr. Bubble battle of Marathon that take blank space when my kid convert the tub to a frothing swim pool ) . Even if these surface were n’t meant to be low maintenance , I ’ve inadvertently squeeze them to be so .
According to Carol Courter , possessor of Techline Furniture , Cabinets and Closets of Fort Worth , Texas , my marble countertop are overdue for some care . " poriferous material such as granite , marble and concrete motive to be sealed regularly , about every six month , " says Courter . Porousmaterials have minute surface holes that liquids may fall into place , go forth grime and eventually eroding or crack the Earth’s surface .
The fact that my home ’s marble is n’t located in the kitchen was probably a save grace . After all , I ’m not potential to dish out discolouration - inducing alimentary paste sauce in the bath . thing like tomato sauces and ruby wine-colored could easily seep into a porous surface and cause a blot . " holey countertop require extra attention if they are subject to acidic items likevinegarand lemon succus , which eat aside the sealer prematurely , " Courter adds .
So what should you install in areas likely to encounter such content ? Many homeowners choose for dispirited - maintenance , stain - resistantnonporouscountertops for the kitchen and bath , such as stainless sword , quartz and laminate . " Stainless sword countertops can handle the tough environs , " says Mark E. Wille , a sustainable fabric advisor based in Chicago . Like manmade quartz and laminate , stainless sword is nonporous . At $ 75 to $ 200 per hearty foot ( 0.09 square metre ) as of 2012 , it can , however , be prohibitively expensive [ source : toll Helper ] .
Alena Capra , a certified kitchen and bath intriguer with the National Kitchen and Bath Association , allege perhaps the most democratic low - maintenancecountertop is quartz , which is sold under brand names like Silestone , Cesarstone , Compaq or Hanstone . The price for installed quartz countertops ranged from $ 50 to $ 150 per square foot in 2012 , but it ’s the manmade product that most closely mimics the look of natural stone . " Quartz need zero maintenance ; it is heat - resistant and will not defile , even if it is the lightest of colors , " Capra says .
Laminate countertops , such as Formica , are inexpensive ( $ 15 to $ 25 per straight ft , installed , as of 2012 ) and are made of plastic . Laminate , however , is prone to heat terms . And if heat damage does occur , the credit card will hoist and separate , and possibly discolor ; often , the total countertop must be replace [ source : Consumer Search ] .
Wille recommends using nothing more than a bit of goop and water to clean countertops . " poriferous and nonporous countertop surface often react poorly to chemicals . The best cleanser is soap , water and elbow grease . "
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The addition of marble countertop in my dwelling has put my dwelling house maintenance skills in interrogation . Not until I researched this clause did I realise the neglect the marble in my home has been look . Most marble countertop require reseal every six calendar month or so ; mine have n’t had it done in six years . Thankfully , I did discover I ’m in in force stead otherwise , thanks to low - maintenance quartz and laminate in the kitchen .
