Countertop Care & Maintenance

Natural Stone

We suggest these simple tips to keep your newly installed natural stone product looking brand new for many years to come.

  • Clean up spills immediately. This is the most important thing to keep in mind when caring for your countertop. Always blot up spills rather than wiping them. Blot the stain with a paper towel then wash the area with warm water. Finally, dry the area with a soft, dry cloth. Remember, the quicker you clean up the spill, the less chance of staining.
  • Dust your countertop often using a dry clean cloth. Don’t use oily or a waxy polish on your cloth as it may leave a residue or film on the top. That type of polish could possibly stain your granite over time.
  • Clean your countertop often with water or a pH neutral stone cleaner. Always use soft cloths instead of any abrasive pads. Never clean with abrasive or acidic cleaning products such as lemon, ammonia, vinegar, or Windex. Never clean with dishwashing liquid or other heavy soaps. These types of cleaners can leave a streaky residue on the surface and stain the granite over time with repeated use.
  • Don’t sit or stand on your countertop. While they are very durable, countertops installed on cabinets are not designed to bear heavy weight. Special care should be taken around weaker points in your counter top such as sink, cooktop areas, or unsupported overhangs.
  • Any material that is stuck on your countertop, such as dried paint, glue, tape residue, or food, can be scraped off by using the flat side of a razor blade.
  • Use trivets, coasters and cutting boards always. Cutting directly on a granite surface is not recommended. While most granites will not scratch doing this, metal from the knife may be left behind in the granite. Granite is much harder than the metal in a kitchen knife and will destroy the edge of the knife. Likewise, marble, travertine, and onyx tend to be softer materials and a knife will scratch that surface.
  • Any heavy impact could chip or crack your stone. Try not to drop heavy objects on your stone.

Special Note on Marble, Onyx, Limestone, and Slate

These products are a softer stone than granite. This makes them more prone to etching, chipping, and cracking. Use coasters under all glasses, particularly those containing alcohol or citrus juices. Many common food and drinks contain acids that will etch or dull the surface. Don not place hot item directly on the stone surface. Use trivets or mats under hot dishes. Use placemats under china, ceramics, silver, or other objects that can scratch the surface.

Quartz

Caring for your Quartz countertops is simple and easy:

  • For everyday cleaning use a soft sponge or cloth with warm water
  • or stubborn greasy stains a gentle liquid cleaner like Mr. Clean, Fantastic, 409, etc. and a non-scratch scrub pad is recommended
  • Do not use abrasive cleaning agents like regular Comet, Ajax, Soft Scrub, SOS, Magic Eraser, or any products with pumice, etc.
  • Never allow your countertop to come in contact with drain cleaners, paint thinners, acetone, or products containing hydrofluoric acid, methylene chloride, trichloroethylene, or any products containing very high or low levels of PH.
  • Do not use sealers or wax products on your quartz
  • Quartz products are heat resistant but not heat proof. Always use a trivet or hot pad when placing hot items on the countertop. Sudden or rapid changes of temperature or sustained heat may cause to countertop to crack or discolor

Do not let stains lay around for long periods of time. Quartz is a non-porous surface making it very unlikely to get a permanent stain, but it is not stain proof.

Recommended Care Products

The following products are what Tile Market of Delaware will be using on your stone during the production and installation process. We have tested many products over the years and have found the following to be among the best available on the market today. We recommend that you use only the following products to care for your stone for many years of hassle free care. We also carry a selection of other stone and quartz troubleshooting products. Please see showroom or website for other products.

Natural Stone Cleaner

STONETECH® Revitalizer® Cleaner & Protector

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Quartz Cleaner

STONETECH® Quartz & Tile Cleaner

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Natural Stone Stain Remover

STONETECH® Oil Stain Remover

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Natural Stone Sealer

STONETECH® BulletProof® Sealer

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Stone Quick Reference Guide

Type Classification Absorption Scratch Resistance Chemical Resistance
Granite Magmatic or Metamorphic Rocks Low-Medium High High
Quartzite Metamorphic Crystalized Sandstone Low Varies Varies
Limestone Calcite Based Rock Medium Low Low
Marble Recrystalized Calcite Limestone Medium Low Low
Travertine Calcite Based Rock formed from Hot Spring High Low Low
Onyx Recrystalized Calcite Limestone Medium Low Low
Soapstone Talc Based Sedimentary Rock Medium Low High
Slate Metamorphic formed from clay Low-Medium Low High
Available Finishes Polished Honed Brushed Flamed Leather/Antique
Granite x x x x x
Quartzite x x
Limestone x x x
Marble x x x x
Travertine x x
Onyx x x
Soapstone x
Slate x
Recommended Finishes Kitchen Food Prep Bath Non-Food Prep
Granite Polished Polished/Honed Polished/Honed
Quartzite Polished Polished/Honed Polished/Honed
Limestone Honed Polished/Honed Polished/Honed
Marble Honed Polished/Honed Polished/Honed
Travertine Honed Honed Honed
Onyx X Polished Polished
Soapstone Honed Honed Honed
Slate X Honed Honed

Care & Maintenance Do's and Don'ts

Do's
  • Clean up spills in a reasonable amount of time
  • Only use warm water or a pH neutral cleaner or stone soap for a daily cleaning
  • Seal porous stone every 1-3 years with Laticrete Bulletproof sealer
Don'ts
  • DO NOT use any chemical-based cleaner with bleach, ammonia, or acids
  • DO NOT use dishwashing liquid for cleaning your stone - it will darken and stain overtime
  • Keep acidic or alkaline products from contact of marbles, travertines, onyx, and limestone
  • DO NOT cut on top of natural stones - metal from the knife blade may be left behind!
  • DO NOT sit or place large amounts of weight on the cutouts, overhangs, or suspended tops
  • DO NOT let oils (cooking oils, butter, etc.) sit on top of stone - it may cause staining