When you think of a feature that can add a lot of elegance and will last for a lifetime under all of the use it can take in a kitchen, granite countertops certainly come to mind. For centuries people have admired granite counters and they are a treasured part of homes all over the world.
Table of Contents
You may be wondering “why choose granite countertops in Fairfax, VA?” To help you answer this question, we have compiled the top four reasons to choose granite countertops in Fairfax, VA. Read this article if you are considering quality granite countertops in Fairfax, VA, and we are sure that you will be able to make the best decision for you.
Natural Beauty
Granite is a volcanic rock which occurs naturally all over the world. It has been prized for centuries because it is extremely beautiful and is one of the most abundant rocks found on earth’s surface.
The large grains of granite are one of the defining characteristics of this rock and give it an interesting and lovely appearance. It comes in many granite colors, but some of the most common are white, red, pink, grey and black.
Granite is one of the most famous rocks because it makes up some of the most storied mountains in our nation’s history. Yosemite Park’s famous peaks are made of granite, as well as the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the president’s faces of Mount Rushmore.
You can find a granite countertop to match almost any design aesthetic, so it fits in with any kitchen that you could be dreaming of. This versatility is one of the things that makes granite a favorite of kitchen designers throughout history.
Granite often has darker grains, with some shiny looking flecks that makes the stone a real eye catcher. You can literally spend hours staring at a granite countertop and see different designs and shapes all of the time.
The stone can be finished in many ways, so you can find a finish that goes with your taste and your design theme. A beautiful finish on a nice piece of granite is a real sight to behold and something that you will cherish for many decades.
Durability
One of the most desirable characteristics of granite is that it is perhaps the hardest stone available for kitchen countertops. This is a really important feature because you will be chopping food, dropping plates and maybe even sitting on your granite countertops, so durability is a high priority.
According to Moh’s scale of mineral hardness, granite can score between six and eight, where one is the softest and ten is the hardest. This means that granite is relatively hard, and can take a lot of abuse and accidents at your service in the kitchen.
For comparison, marble scores from three to four on Moh’s scale. Limestone also scores three to four. Travertine scores four to five. Slate can score from two and a half to four. Soapstone scores a one on Moh’s hardness scale. Diamond scores a ten on Moh’s scale, but you probably won’t be able to find a diamond countertop.
So this makes granite probably your hardest available option for a kitchen countertop. Having a super hard kitchen countertop will really take a lot of worry out of your cooking and you will be confident that nothing will be likely to hurt your prized kitchen countertop.
A Great Investment
Considering the fact that granite countertops will last for a very long time, they are a great investment specially when your planning to have a renovation in your home, that just gets cheaper as the years go by. You will not have to worry about replacing your countertops, really ever, unless of course you change your taste and want a different countertop. When planning to change or remodel you home, this kitchen and bathroom company in fairfax va can help you with it.
If you did ever want to get rid of your granite countertops, you would be pretty likely to be able to find someone interested in buying it. Either to sell to someone else or to put into their own home. Granite will last forever, so it will always have some value to people.
If you ever decide to sell your home, granite countertops are an attractive feature that many home buyers will look for in a new home. You can imagine that when a home shopper sees that your kitchen features granite countertops, their attention will be grabbed and your home may move up on their list of potential homes to buy.
With all of these great qualities in mind, you can see that granite countertops are a solid purchase because their value is not likely to go down too much. Being such a beautiful and durable stone, they are sure to attract interest and hold a lot of their value.
Little Maintenance
One amazing aspect of granite countertops is that they will need almost no maintenance or care. It may be helpful to seal granite countertops, which can be done when they are installed by a granite professional.
Once they are sealed, all the care that granite countertops will need is to be washed with some warm water and mild dish soap. You also may want to dry the excess moisture off after washing if room conditions are not going to allow for fast evaporation.
You do need to be a little bit careful to clean up spills as soon as possible. Acidic liquids like vinegar, lemon juice, tomato sauce or milk may etch granite, which leaves a dull looking spot on the stone. But etching can be corrected with some simple tricks.
To fix etched granite, you can buy an etch removal kit from a home improvement store. Simply follow the instructions on the box and you will be able to cure etched granite. You may also want to seek the help of a stone professional, but that is not normally necessary.
Granite is overall one of the easiest stones to maintain because it is so hard. It is not likely that you will do any serious damage, so major repairs are not likely to be necessary. With granite countertops you can really relax and know that they will need little or no special maintenance.
