Cleaning

In this continually changing landscape of health concerns, it’s more important than ever to stay informed on best health practices — especially when dealing with food-prep surfaces such as your countertops. When it comes to natural-stone surfaces in particular, there are more considerations in terms of cleaning, disinfecting and caring for than with other materials….

If it was good enough to make up the majority of the Colosseum’s structure, we think it’s a safe bet travertine is up to the task in your home. That’s not to say this tough stone is maintenance free, though. While it has mostly stood the test of time structurally in Rome, keeping this natural…

If there is one thing that we’ve learned from MTV Cribs, it’s that the bedroom is where all the magic happens (seriously, they all say that). If there are two things we’ve learned, the second would be that natural-stone showers are a staple feature of just about every celebrity mansion since at least the year…

The sodium bicarbonate powdered compound more commonly known as baking soda was first produced in the year 1791 by a French chemist, and one of its first applications outside of the laboratory was mentioned by the British author Rudyard Kipling in the early 1800s as a product used by fishermen to prevent early spoilage of…

Travertine is one of those natural stones that happen to be more popular than most people realize. In fact, some people think marble and limestone are synonymous with travertine, and this isn’t completely inaccurate. Both marble and travertine can be considered limestone because of the high concentration of calcite minerals, but their geological formation processes…

Granite flooring and countertops look great, particularly if the stone has been honed and polished to a glossy finish, but when a cloudy film forms on the surface, you get the opposite effect. With haziness and cloudiness on granite surfaces, there are various levels of causes and severity. In most situations, this is something you…

When it comes to proper maintenance of natural-stone or engineered flooring and countertops, selection of cleaning products is crucial. Unlike solid surface, laminate, and ceramic construction materials, quartz and natural stone are more sensitive to the chemicals found in common household cleaners. For this reason, Granite Gold® offers cleaning products specifically formulated for natural stone…

In a memorable episode of the reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kylie Jenner mentioned that her office featured a marble shower, which wasn’t actually shown until she posted a photograph of it on Instagram. While a marble shower in an office may seem to be over the top, light-colored natural-stone surfaces are…

After choosing natural stone for your kitchen floors and countertops, it’s only natural that you’d consider extending this choice to your backsplash sections. The rationale behind backsplashes is more than aesthetic. You want to protect the walls from everything that can splash onto them during meal preparation, but you also don’t want to compromise the…

Not all types of natural stone are created equal. For example, igneous rocks are formed by plutonic and volcanic processes that start out as magma before numerous minerals solidify and crystallize by means of pressure or cooling down. Sedimentary rocks such as sandstone are formed by detritus, precipitation, and chemical reactions. Metamorphic rocks such as…

Natural stone on outdoor spaces such as courtyards, garden paths, and entryways will always add a touch of elegance to a home. However, this kind of upgrade requires a certain level of maintenance to protect your investment from being damaged by the elements. Environmental stains caused by dust and acid rain are major concerns in…

Proper maintenance of natural-stone flooring boils down to realizing that Mother Nature created and nurtured the beautiful surfaces of your home, and now it’s up to you to care for them. The finishing process stone tiles go through prior to installation isn’t natural. The polished limestone floors that adorn your foyer didn’t look like that…

The beauty of natural stone makes it one of the most popular materials for bathroom countertops, but it’s still susceptible to surface stains, particularly from makeup and personal hygiene products. Even the least porous natural stones such as slate, granite, and soapstone can be stained by lipstick, mascara, and other types of makeup if not…

Soap and water is one of the most common household cleaning mixtures, but it cannot be recommended for natural-stone surfaces. Despite having gone through millions of years and heavy geological processes of formation, natural stone such as marble, granite, and travertine won’t react well to many of the substances that make up common household cleaning…

Thanks to their timeless elegance, natural-stone shower spaces can add significant value to residential properties, but only if homeowners resolve to render proper care. Walk-in showers made of marble, granite, limestone, and other types of natural stone can look like new for decades as long as they’re adequately maintained. The stone tiles and wall panels…

Homemade cleaning solutions featuring vinegar have become very popular in recent years because of their natural appeal. Even though a significant amount of the white vinegar found on supermarket shelves these days is synthetic, which means it’s a carboxylic acid produced by a chemical process that happens to be very similar to the biological process,…

Daily cleaning is one of the keys to keeping natural stone looking great. If you’re new to stone care and aren’t sure how to clean granite and other types of natural stone such as marble, sandstone, travertine, and slate, proper stone care begins with choosing the right cleaning products, and Granite Gold Daily Cleaner® is…

Bathhouse ruins in places such as Caracalla, Bath, and Wiesbaden are certainly magnificent, but they would look even better these days had ancient builders been able to develop a sealant formula. Marble and travertine, the most commonly found materials in ancient bathhouses, happen to be very porous and absorbent, which means they’re susceptible to water…

The sophisticated look of marble tiles in the bathroom can add significant value to a property and enhance the overall bathing and grooming experience, particularly when exotic stone such as creamy Carrara marble is used. When it comes to showers and tub surrounds, marble isn’t difficult to clean if you know how to do it…

-When you go online to look for advice on removing wine stains, you will likely find more than two million websites offering advice, tips, and numerous methods to handle this household situation. Spilled wine is something that happens far too often. This ancient fermented beverage is known to ruin favorite garments, sofas, rugs, and carpets,…

As ancient and durable as natural stone is, it’s not impervious to substances such as oil, grease, and wax, which can break through the protective seal of tiles and cause stains and damage that could be permanent if they are not handled properly. The reason granite, marble, and other types of natural-stone tiles are vulnerable…