Countertop TLC & Seal
Take CARE Of Your Countertops And They Will Take Care Of You!
Our countertops take a lot of abuse. It’s where we put our raw food and just about everything else – the bottoms of our purses, our kids school work, the dog’s leash; “You name It & It’s on it”. Not to mention they can be really expensive to replace. Doesn’t it make sense to take care of them? Marble and granite countertops are durable, attractive, and can carry a hefty price tag initially. We believe it is money well spent to keep your marble and granite countertops in good condition.
How We Make Your Countertops SANITIZED And SHINE!
Our TLC & Seal service begins with inspecting the surface for any problem areas; chips, cracks, opened seams or failing caulk or grout along the backsplash – A real hot bed for fungus and bacteria. Bacteria and mold can begin developing in just 24 to 48 hours, all it needs is moisture and a food source. Kitchens and Bathrooms are notorious in being a hotbed for both.
Next, we clean and sanitize using medical grade disinfectants that won’t harm the surface of your stone. We have 3 different types of disinfectants, so there isn’t a surface that we can’t sanitize. This will eliminate any viruses as well as Salmonella, Botulism, and E. coli.
How often do we hear reports of E. coli on fresh fruits and vegetables, in raw meats – even in ice-cream? Professionally sanitizing your surfaces will keep your countertops free of nasty germs and viruses that can harm you and your family.
During the cleaning process, we also remove hard water deposits, latent minerals on the surface, embedded grease, oils, and other food deposits.
Now that the surface has been cleaned and sanitized we repair any lose or opened up seams, missing grout or caulking.
It’s now time to seal and protect your countertops. To do that we apply two, “Wet on Wet” applications of our penetrating sealer; StoneBlock. This will help to reduce stains from water and oil, make the surface easier to keep clean, and reduce future mold and bacteria growth on the surface.
Finally, we polish and buff out your tops to their original beauty. That’s why we call this our TLC & Seal Service; We want you to LOVE your kitchen again.
Chip, Scratch & Crack Repair
Whether you have natural stone, man-made stone or engineered stone (granite, marble, onyx, soapstone, quartz, quartzite, concrete, terrazzo, Silestone, Zodiaq, etc.).
We begin by prepping the area – both the area to receive the repair as well as the surrounding areas.
Chip Repair – Each repair is a little different as you’d expect but we start by cleaning out the area, custom mixing the color or colors, and then using the fill material to fill in the damage. Some surfaces require using a polyester resin, some a UV reactive filler, and still others could use extremely low viscosity adhesives that penetrate deep down into the surface. Once it has cured out, we then begin to work the surface to blend it in and make it look like a natural inclusion in the stone.
Scratch Removal – Sometimes we can remove scratches or even etch marks with polishing compounds that are like a jeweler’s rouge if they are not too deep. If it takes more than that, that’s okay, we have lots of different types of diamonds that will allow us to Diamond Polish and/or Compound the surface and make that damage go away entirely.
Crack Repair – Sometimes cracks are caused because of how a piece was fabricated (made) or how it was installed – After being in business since 1983, we’ve seen just about every crazy thing you can imagine. We’ve fixed a number of countertops, table and furniture tops, antique busts, and a number of other things too as well as a few historic restorations.
It’s important to note that a repair is exactly that, a repair. It’s often a much less expensive option than replacing the entire piece. Like a kitchen countertop for example or the entire kitchen if that damaged section can’t be matched. Take a look at some of our repair work so you can see what might be possible.
Seam Repair And Flattening
Seam Repair – We begin by removing most or all of the old seaming material. We then custom tint seam filler to one standard color OR to as many colors as possible, depending upon the type of service we are providing. We carefully place the material into the seam, allow it to cure and then begin tooling it off and making it all blend in together.
Seam Flattening – Speed Bumps are good for slowing down traffic in the neighborhood and keeping the streets safe for our kids and those out exercising. Speed Bumps don’t belong on your countertop.
If when you wipe down the top and you feel the seem as your cloth passes over it, that’s not right.
True – it’s unsightly and really annoying – but it’s more important than that. That little uneven spot on your counter, it holds dirt, grim, grease & oil, and tiny pieces of food. Yuck!
The good news is WE CAN FIX THAT! We begin by carefully inspecting the area and determine the best approach. We then use approximately 11 different, highly specialized diamonds/compounds/pads that will allow us to remove that and blend the area back into the surrounding area and make that seam nice and smooth like it’s supposed to be.
Opening Adjustment – Sometimes when you change a sink or an appliance or something else; that new “Thing” won’t fit the old hole or opening. We can carefully measure out the area that needs to be enlarged and then precisely cut the top to allow for your new installation. Most of the time we are able to blend it in and make it look like it was part of the original fabrication.