Category Archives: Kitchen Countertop

Facts you Should Learn About Marble Countertops

Marble countertops have many misconceptions built up around them in the Nashville area. Let’s get some facts out and dispel a few of those!

Facts about marble countertops that you need to be aware of

Mable is a natural material

This isn’t a harmful material made in some lab somewhere. This is taken out of the ground by hard working people, with minimal negative impact to the environment. That’s more than you can say for most plastics! While there are cultured marble countertops, they’re not real marble!

Marble countertops are not as expensive as you think

Looking at the long life of your home in Nashville, the ongoing cost of repeated installs of cheaper countertops adds up. A one-time install of a marble countertop in your bathroom can easily offset these costs so that you only pay to install it once.

Another point to look at is that marble countertops are available in a wide variety of price points. You can shop around Nashville a little bit to see this for yourself.

Marble countertops stain and etch too much

While marble countertops will indeed stain and etch slightly, you can care for them regularly and minimize this issue. A little bit of marble polish can go a long way to deal with etching, you can find it at pretty much any decent hardware store in the Nashville area.

You can also choose a honed finish for your marble kitchen countertop. They’re more forgiving as they’re not a perfectly shiny finish that shows everything.

Marble countertops don’t require exotic cleaners

All you really need to keep your marble countertops clean is a little bit of soap, water, and some elbow grease. Bleach, abrasive cleaners and highly acidic cleaners will damage your marble countertops quickly!

You will need some specialty marble countertop cleaners once every year or so. They aren’t exotic, most local hardware stores in Nashville carry them.

Are marble countertops right for my home in Nashville?

If there are still things that you want to learn about marble countertops, call up the team at Stone World. They’re the local marble countertop experts and can help you make the right decision about your countertop material.

The Benefits of Outdoor Kitchens and Granite Countertops

Cooking outdoors is a way of life here in the Franklin, Tennessee area. A good BBQ, a few brews, and there goes a whole Sunday – or a whole weekend! Outdoor kitchens and granite countertops are becoming more popular because of this, here are a few ways that they can help your next summer season go even better, and improve your home in general.

Start with low maintenance granite countertops

With it being outside, you’ll need materials that last. Granite countertops that are regularly sealed can last for years, decades even. Outdoor kitchens and granite countertops go so well together thanks to this longevity factor. Who wants an outdoor kitchen that lasts a season and then needs replacing, or that can’t stand a little bit of Tennessee style partying? No one I know!

An outdoor kitchen frees your indoor kitchen

Having an outdoor kitchen can help free your indoor kitchen up from unwanted smells, as well as the rest of the house. It may taste great, but do you want your whole home to smell like fish? Likely not. You can get around this by grilling your smelliest foods in your outdoor kitchen, utilizing your granite countertop, and go back at night to a home that smells fresh.

An outdoor kitchen as an entertainment area

Having a few of your closest friends in the Franklin, Tennessee area over on a nice summer day is natural. Entertaining them by pulling a few stools up to your granite countertop makes it so you can all hang out as the food cooks. Design your outdoor kitchen granite countertop to have an overhang, creating a bar area for stools.

Adding value to your home with an outdoor kitchen and granite countertops

It’s no secret that most people in the Franklin, Tennessee area love cooking outdoors. This translates to more value being added to your home if you decide to sell it. For bonus points, conduct your home sale with the outdoor kitchen in full swing. I like my burgers with lots of mustard!

Using granite countertops is also of benefit as they’re a long lasting surface. Longer lasting building materials translate into higher resale values.

Designing outdoor kitchens and using granite countertops

For help getting your outdoor kitchen design going in the Franklin, Tennessee area, contact the design team at Stone Worldv. Outdoor kitchens and granite countertops go hand in hand together here in Tennessee, and they’ve had their hands in designing a few!

Green Granite Countertop Cleaners

Choosing the right green granite countertop cleaners can be tricky as the finish on a granite countertop can be damaged. Homeowners in the Middle Tennessee area try to figure out their options for green granite countertop cleaners can check out the list below!

Your own homemade green granite countertop cleaner

Most people like to add a little lemon to their homemade green cleaners – you can’t do this with granite countertops! Lemon is acidic and it will eat away at your sealant. Choose a mild soap and water if you’re going to concoct your own homemade granite countertop cleaner.

Green Works as a granite countertop cleaner

The All Purpose cleaner by Green Works is a great granite countertop cleaner as it doesn’t have any harsh chemicals. It is made from plants and is biodegradable, an important green feature, and has no harmful toxins or allergens that could hurt your family.

Seventh Generation Free & Clear as a granite countertop cleaner

This product is 99% solvent free, but is still powerful enough to remove dirt, grime ,oil, and grease from your granite countertop. Free from chemicals, toxins, and being a biodegradable product made from plants, this is as good of a choice as Green Works above for use as your green countertop cleaner. Whichever one you find first at your local hardware store in Middle Tennessee is how you decide which to buy!

Method All-Purpose cleaner is also a great granite countertop cleaner

The minute most people read “all-purpose” they think of something with lots of bleach in it. This isn’t the case with Method All-Purpose as it is made from all-natural ingredients and is chemical free. Even the bottle itself is made from recycled materials – a truly top-notch green granite countertop cleaner!

Howard’s Naturals Granite & Marble Cleaner may be the best granite countertop cleaner

Howard’s specialty granite cleaner features a non-abrasive formula, is plant based, and has no toxins. You can use it every day on spills, or periodically to help get rid of built up soap residue. It takes a bit more digging to find this in the Middle Tennessee area, but you can order it online easily enough.

Caring for your granite countertops with green cleaners

If you have any more questions about your granite countertops cleaners and green granite countertop cleaners, contact the team at Stone World. If you’re thinking about having them installed, hopefully seeing all of the green granite countertop cleaners will help convince you that they’re the right choice in your home here in Middle Tennessee. The Stone World design team can help you with that as well!

Four Points to Consider as you Choose your New Kitchen Countertop

Homeowners in the Middle Tennessee area who are doing a kitchen countertop remodel have many things to think about. Try not to let yourself get caught up in all of the details and look at these four main points as you consider which material to use for your new kitchen countertops.

New kitchen countertop considerations

  1. The size of your new kitchen countertop

    Size doesn’t matter right? Well, in the design world it sure does! This choice comes down to the actual floor space that your new kitchen countertop will take up, and how thick the countertop itself is going to be.

    Different materials are best at certain thicknesses for different sizes. It would be impossible to assess your needs precisely via a blog post. Your best bet is to consult with a local design expert, such as the team here at Stone World if you’re in the Middle Tennessee area.

  2. How easy you want your new kitchen countertop to be to maintain

    Quartz is the king of no-maintenance, while granite and marble need sealing. Quartz is also non-porous and will not absorb stains, another point in the win column if you want a low maintenance kitchen countertop.

  3. Budget available for your new kitchen countertop

    Your budget has to be considered as we don’t want anyone in the Middle Tennessee area having to take a second job just to pay for a new kitchen countertop! A good design expert will be able to help you move your available funds around so that you get the best kitchen countertop you can, not just the one that you think you can afford.

  4. The look of your new kitchen countertop

    Yep, most people in Middle Tennessee think of this first, so I’m covering it last. You’ll need a stone that works with your design vision as a new kitchen countertop is often the most visible design aspect as they’re so large.

    You’ll also want to consider the finish used on your new kitchen countertop as there are currently five being used in the Middle Tennessee area:

    • polished
    • honed
    • flame
    • antique
    • leathered

    Each offers a unique look for your new kitchen countertop that you should consider.

Buying your new kitchen countertop

Come to the team here at Stone World for the best available selection of new kitchen countertop stone slabs in the Middle Tennessee area!