Granite is a gorgeous stone and it is one of the most beautiful kitchen countertop materials. But, the biggest downside of granite countertops is its maintenance. Here’s everything you need to know about granite countertops and why sealing them is important.

The Countertop Might Stain

One of the biggest disadvantages of not sealing your countertops is that fruits, vegetables, and any type of fruit can easily stain the beautiful stone. You don’t want that to happen. To preserve the beauty and natural color of the stone, it’s a good idea to seal them, so that nothing can stain them further.

Stains can be very hard to remove, especially in natural stones, because you have to take a lot of care so that you don’t ruin the countertops while trying to get rid of the stains from the countertop’s surface.

Water Damage Can Ruin Them

Water is the biggest enemy of natural stone countertops and granite is no different. Water can damage the countertops and it can be a huge hassle to deal with damage from water. It’s better to waterproof these countertops, especially those which are porous, so that water doesn’t seep into the surface of the countertops and ruin the stone for good.

Water can also lead to fungus and molds in the countertop and if you live in a humid environment, then you might want to consider sealing your countertops so that it doesn’t become a breeding ground for bacteria and molds.

It May Crack

Natural stones are porous. It means that they have open spaces, which might be invisible to the eye but any sort of moisture or liquid can easily seep into the surface and cause damage. Apart from the physical damage, it can also crack the countertops.

If something like water seeps into your countertops and expands on freezing, then it can lead to the formation of cracks in the countertop and this can totally ruin the countertop. So, it’s better to spend a little money and get them sealed, rather than spending a fortune getting new countertops.

Discolored Countertop

Water doesn’t only lead to damage, weakening, and formation of molds in the countertops, but it can also cause extreme discoloration on the surface. If the water coming from your taps and supply is hard and has harsh metals and chemicals in it, then it can easily discolor the countertop, because of the presence of these metals.

Granite is an extremely fragile material and it needs to be properly taken care of, otherwise, the results might be detrimental. The discoloration is more or less permanent and there’s nothing you can do other than replacing the damaged countertops with new ones and that can cause a huge dent in your wallet.

Holes In The Countertop

Natural stones are not only fragile, but they are also quite susceptible to reacting with other substances. Things like cleaners containing chemicals, which are extremely volatile, can greatly damage the countertops and can lead to the formation of sizable holes in the countertop.

This is a huge issue because things like bleach and acids present in cleaning solutions can react readily with the top surface of the granite and it can damage the countertop. That’s why sealing the countertops is a good measure to take, because it will save the countertops from getting ruined.

The Countertop Can Fade

Last but not least, if you don’t seal countertops, then you can see a significant difference in the way your countertops look. Even if not a lot of time has passed, it can look faded and out of life. Sealing adds a layer of protection which also protects the color of the countertop and prevents it from fading away quickly.

This is why sealing is very important, because it will add to the longevity of the countertop and you will be surprised at how much longer these countertops last and how good they look with sealing.

Conclusion

There you have it! If you don’t want your countertops to be prematurely ruined, then it’s best that you seal them in order to give the countertops an extra layer of protection. Sealing is easy but if you want avoid issues, get help from granite installers Rockville for sealing your countertop.