Protect Your Investment: Stone Countertops

A quick scan of the real-estate listings will tell you the role stone countertops can play in marketing a home. “Beautiful luxury home with granite countertops,” read a recent listing in Maryland. “Updated kitchen with marble countertops,” related another from Seattle.

Part of the appeal of stone countertops is their permanence. But invincible they’re not, even with the protective sealer that many stone countertops receive before, during, or after installation. To maintain the appearance and value of your counters, follow this advice:

• Know your stone. Natural stone falls into two main categories, according to the Marble Institute of America. Siliceous stone is composed mainly of quartzlike particles, and includes materials like granite, slate, sandstone, and quartzite. Calcareous stone is composed mainly of calcium carbonate, and includes marble (shown), travertine, limestone, and onyx. These stones are more sensitive to acid than siliceous ones.

Being able to identify what material your stone countertop is made of will help you care for it properly. To determine the type, apply a drop of distilled white vinegar to a discrete corner of the counter. If it starts to fizzle, the stone is calcareous; if it doesn’t, the counter is siliceous. (If the counter has been polished or sealed, this test might prove inconclusive. )

• Avoid direct contact. Stone is very durable, but some materials, like limestone, are relatively soft and easy to slice, nick, and scratch, while others, like marble, get discolored more easily. That’s why it’s generally a good idea to use coasters under glasses, especially those containing alcohol or citrus juice; the acid from these liquids will etch or dull many stone surfaces. Also, avoid placing cookware you’ve just taken out off the oven or off the cooktop directly on your countertops; use trivets instead. And minimize scratching by putting dishes and flatware on place mats.

• Act quickly. Wipe up spills immediately with a wet towel or sponge, especially heavy-staining liquids like red wine. In our tests, stains that were allowed to dry overnight proved problematic for glossy and honed stones alike. If the mess is sticky or otherwise stubborn, use a dishwashing liquid and warm water. But avoid cleaning products that contain lemon, vinegar, or other acids, especially if your countertops are calcareous. Rinse the surface thoroughly after cleaning and dry with a soft cloth. Never use scouring powders or creams to clean spills—the abrasives can scratch the surface.

• Treat discolorations wisely. You can remove some surface discolorations with a mild detergent or an appropriate stone cleaner, available at hardware stores, home centers, and stone suppliers. You might need to treat deeper-set stains with a poultice, a pastelike material that you spread over a stain and leave there for over 24 hours. As the poultice dries, it wicks the stain up from the countertop.

• Reseal when appropriate. Even factory-applied sealers wear out eventually. If liquids are migrating into your stone surface, you might needs to reseal it. To test absorption, put a tablespoon of water right on the countertop; if the stone starts to darken after a couple of minutes, it is absorptive and would benefit from resealing.

Impregnator, or penetrating, sealers seep into the countertop, creating an invisible barrier beneath the surface. They are more common than topical sealers, which leave a visible film that might turn yellow under UV light. Penetrating sealers last for several years, whereas topical ones might need to be applied more frequently. Regardless of which sealer you use, make sure it’s approved for food-handling areas and if you’re applying it to kitchen countertops.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Before you decide on a new counter, read our guide to countertops and refer to the Ratings (available to subscribers), which evaluate materials by how well they resist stains, among other performance characteristics.

Photo courtesy of the Marble Institute of America

International Builders’ Show Product Preview: Trex Escapes Decking

In these days of green marketing—and, yes, greenwashing—here’s something you don’t hear from a lot of companies: “This product is made of 100 percent inorganic products.”

That’s how Scott Fedor, senior product manager for Trex, described the company’s latest line of decking, called Trex Escapes. This new decking is made entirely of virgin PVC—it contains no recycled material of any kind, unlike other Trex products. (Plastic and vinyl decking is made of PVC and polyethylene made from recycled milk jugs and detergent bottles. Composite decking is made of plastic resin and wood fiber.)

Escapes comes in 1x5½-inch boards and 1x12-inch sizes for fascia, riser, and trim uses and is available in  Acorn, Glacier (white), Pewter, and Sahara (sand) colors. It is designed to holds its color for an extended time.

Escapes is stain, scratch, and mold resistant and won’t rot, splinter, or warp, according to Trex. The photo here shows how Escapes compares against untreated natural wood when wine and barbecue sauce are poured on the surfaces. The wood absorbed the stains while the Trex decking wiped clean.

We haven’t tested Escapes yet so we can’t verify these results. But we have looked at other decking materials and deck stains.—Daniel DiClerico

International Builders'€™ Show Product Preview: Gem-Loc Premiere Edge

Laminate countertops have gotten better looking in recent years, thanks to the use of vibrant colors and patterns that mimic pricier materials. But their edge treatments have generally lacked innovation. The new Gem-Loc Premiere Edge, made by Loti Corporation, is a unique hybrid alternative to the standard-issue laminate edging with square or beveled edges.

The manufacturer claims Gem-Loc is the first edge material to combine a laminate face with solid-surface edging with rounded corners. The result is a near seamless molding designed to minimize the unattractive black line of square laminate edge treatments. By softening the transition, the edge treatment becomes a design element, rather than an eyesore, says the manufacturer. What’s more, says Loti, Gem-Loc can be color-matched to a countertop from just about any laminate maker.

Maybe most important, Gem-Loc is designed to be more durable and easier to install and than beveled laminate. That’s because the edging is applied slightly higher than the countertop and then filed flush, eliminating the precision required on beveled jobs.

This edge treatment retails for about $6 per square foot. Across an entire kitchen, Gem-Loc should run only $100 more than beveled edges, according to a company spokesperson.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Visit our kitchen-planning guide for expert advice on countertops and many others elements of kitchen remodeling.

Avoid remodeler’s remorse

When you’re an editor at Consumer Reports, cocktail-party chatter often turns to subjects the magazine covers—kitchen appliances and remodeling, HDTVs, family sedans, and the like. So it was last Saturday night when, following the usual pleasantries, an old friend updated me on her search for the perfect countertop. After months of deliberation, she’d settled on honed slate.

“Nice,” I said, thinking how the matte texture and blue-gray tone of that slate would be a perfect fit in her contemporary kitchen.

“Actually, no,” she countered.

Although her local stone supplier had insisted that all of the slate it sells resists staining, my friend decided to conduct her own tests on her four top choices. Acid and many counter types don’t mix, so she put a few drops of lemon juice on each slate sample and let them sit overnight. The next morning, two of the four samples, including her favorite, were visibly stained.

She contacted the supplier, who disputed the results and said he’d run his own tests. The next day he called back, his voice a bit obscured by a mouthful of humble pie: Two of the samples had in fact reacted to the lemon juice. His  explanation was that the slate in question had come from a different quarry, one used primarily in the production of roof tiles.

Disappointed, my friend was back to square one, her desire to find the perfect countertop redoubled. As someone who covers home products professionally, even I learned from the cautionary tale.

First and foremost: Due diligence is the secret to smart remodeling. Our product reports, buying advice, and ratings offer excellent starting points when you’re choosing a countertop, flooring, or the kitchen sink.

But don’t stop there. Whenever possible, get samples of your top choices. Live with them for a few days, seeing how they look under different light conditions. (This is especially important with interior paint.) And if you have any doubts about performance, don’t be afraid to conduct your own tests. “I tell my clients to cut on stone samples, scratch them, spill wine on them, or ink or cooking oil,” says South Carolina kitchen designer Duval Acker, ASID, CKBD. Every home is unique, so you need to create the precise conditions a material will be subjected to.

As for countertops made from slate or any other stone, slabs do differ from quarry to quarry. “There are 6,000 varieties of materials, and every one of them is unique,” says Chuck Muehlbauer, technical director of the Marble Institute of America. That’s why it’s important for you to work with a reputable distributor who really knows the specific stones it carries. The Marble Institute of America recently launched a nationwide accreditation program to help you find a reputable dealer in your area on its Web site.

I’ll be sure to mention this to be my friend the next time I see her.—Daniel DiClerico

Here’s the key to the different counter types in the image above: 1. Quartz (aka engineered stone).
2. Granite. 3. Laminate. 4. Stainless steel. 5. Solid surface. 6. Marble. 7. Ceramic tile. 8. Concrete.
9. Limestone. 10. Butcher block.

Q&A: Which countertop material is toughest?

I’ve seen a lot of limestone and concrete countertops in kitchen magazines, and the counters look great. But can these trendy materials stand up to the beating they’ll take in my kitchen?—Jordan A., via e-mail

These materials will do well in your kitchen, but only if you’re really, really careful. Both of these natural stones scratched, abraded, and dented easily in our barrage of kitchen-abuse tests. Limestone also stained the most among the 10 countertop materials we covered in our August 2007 report. And at roughly $60 to $120 per square foot, installed, these two are among the priciest. (See how we test countertops here.)

A better bet: quartz, which is the fastest-growing countertop surface. Also known as engineered stone, quartz outperformed even granite in our tests, especially in stain resistance. The latest examples also mimic granite, marble, and other natural stone better than before. You’ll even find imitation quartz—essentially an imitation of an imitation. While you’ll pay about the same for quartz as you will for granite (about $45 to $90 per square foot, installed), you’ll never have to reseal this engineered stone like the real stuff.

If you want to spend less, consider ceramic tile or laminate, though you and your family will have to be careful about dropped objects (tile) and scratches and abrasions (laminate). Both cost about $10 to $30 per square foot, installed.

Solid-surface countertops—think Corian and other big brands—offer the variety of quartz, plus you can get small scratches and burns buffed out. But it’s not nearly as tough as quartz or granite and can cost just as much (about $35 to $80 per square foot, installed)—a reason why solid-surface countertops are losing ground in the marketplace.

Some other countertop tips from our experts:
• Create savings. Cut the cost of your countertop by using small, lower-priced remnants instead of a single slab of stone. Also consider using a large, lower-priced run of laminate counters with a small-but-elegant piece of stone on an island or a peninsula.
• Design ahead. Lowe’s and DuPont, for example, offer interactive style guides that let you choose color and material options and place them in different virtual settings.
• Buy at a stone yard. Unlike quartz, laminate, or solid surfacing, stone can vary between slabs and even within the same slab. Instead of basing your decision on store samples, visit the stone yard and pick the piece with the color, graining, and veining you like.—Bob Markovich

Essential information: Before you start work on your kitchen remodel, read our 30-page special kitchen section in the August 2007 issue of Consumer Reports, Great Kitchens for Less. We cover 10 kitchen products that don't match the hype surrounding them, provide expert advice on paying for your project, and tell you where to get the best deals on appliances. And when you need information on appliances, design, materials, project oversight, and other topics related to a kitchen remodel, use our Kitchen-Planning Guide.