Granite , Marble and Onyx Care and Maintenance
Chemico® and Windowlene® are good products to use for daily cleaning of granite. Marble and onyx should ideally be cleaned with natural stone cleansers. To prolong the need for resealing granite, use a wax-based product approximately twice a week.
Due to their porous nature, all of these stone types can stain. Granite slabs that are light in colour with a fine grain are more prone to staining, so it is best to clean off stain-prone substances as soon as possible. Should your marble, granite or onyx countertop get stained, follow this procedure:
- Create a paste with plaster of Paris and Jik®
- (Fabricators: plaster of Paris can be replaced with aluminium powder.)
- Cover and seal the area with plastic such as Gladwrap®
- Leave the covered paste for 24 hours, then remove.
Marble and onyx are very sensitive and should be resealed every 6 months: Akemi® is an excellent sealer that you can apply yourself. High-gloss marble provides the most resilient finish, as it creates a less porous surface than usual. Your supplier will be able to tell you whether your preferred slab has a high-gloss finish. Granite needs to be resealed less often if you have been regularly polishing it with a wax-based product.
• Do not sit, stand or kneel on your counter.
• Do not cut directly on the surface as scratching will occur.
• Do not drop heavy objects onto the surface.
• Using a trivet for resting hot objects away from your surface is recommended.
• Do not use abrasive cleaners.
• Do not forcefully scrub any area of the countertop.
• Do not allow water to pool around sinks and faucets areas for prolonged periods of time.
• Do not cut directly on the surface as scratching will occur.
• Do not drop heavy objects onto the surface.
• Using a trivet for resting hot objects away from your surface is recommended.
• Do not use abrasive cleaners.
• Do not forcefully scrub any area of the countertop.
• Do not allow water to pool around sinks and faucets areas for prolonged periods of time.
