Granite Countertops—Removing Hard Water Build-UP
On occassion, we get asked about build-up around kitchen, or bathroom faucets. The build-up is actually hard water deposits, which can occur over time, depending on the water available to your home. Some consumers are concerned, and often ask, “How do I remove hard water build on my granite?” Well-the process to remove the build-up, is pretty straight-forward, and easy to perform. All you actually need is a razor blade, and some steel wool.
The pictures below outline the process:
Verde Marinace granite vanity with water build-up around faucet
Use a razor-blade tipped at a slight angle from the horizontal to remove/scrape away the hard water deposits
To get the final residue, go over with a “000” (or finer) steel wool.
Water deposits removed.
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Granite on August 19th, 2010 by Barb | | 0 Comments
Your Kitchen—The Heart Of Your Home!
For many families, the kitchen is the heart of the home. It is where families come together, not only for meals, but also for homework, conversing, preparing food, and gathering with friends and family members. That’s why today’s consumers not only want their kitchens to be functional, but also warm and inviting. Many consumers are opting for more open spaces that include a center granite island, or granite peninsula that includes an area for seating. And…why not? Granite works great as a focal point for the room, and is extremely durable and easy to maintain. Oh—and it comes in literally hundreds of colors options. Whether you like a light tone, dark tone, or maybe one in between, there is a color for everyone and every decor.
If you are thinking of remodeling your kitchen, make sure you include granite as an option for your countertops. At PGC, we are here to help with any questions you may have along the way.
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Granite on August 18th, 2010 by Barb | | 0 Comments
When It Comes To Fabricating Countertops—Precision Counts!
For those of you out there that follow my blog, you may recall my last post, “Let’s Get It Right The First Time!” Well—I wanted to share a few photo’s of a recent job we fabricated and installed doing just that. This particular job included a large island fabricated from Desert Limestone Caesarstone and included angles, curve work, and mitered edges to achieve a 6 cm thickness.
Following are a few photo’s:
Prep work
Prep work
Prep work for edge lamination
Seaming the sink area in the island
Installed island
Installed island
If you are looking for a fabricator to fabricate and install your kitchen, or other project, including those with intricate curves, angles, or mitered edges, please give us a call. Rest assured—we can handle the job.
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Granite, Industry News on August 16th, 2010 by Barb | | 2 Comments
Granite Countertops—Let’s Get It Right The First Time!
When it comes to granite fabrication, at PGC, we cut curves, sink holes, and cut-outs, but…Not Corners! Well—we actually cut corners too, but not when it comes to quality. Our motto has always been, “Let’s get it right the first time,” which is something we are very proud of. Too many fabricators, these days, are cutting cutting corners when it comes to quality, and the unfortunate thing is that the everyday homeowner doesn’t know it. The general public, for the most part, is uneducated when it comes to stone and they are being taken in by “hack shops” offering a low price. Although many fabricators, and others in the stone industry, thought some of these hack shops would go out of business with the turn in the economy, this has not been the case.
In fact, according to, “Stay the course; don’t compete with the hacks,” an article found in the August 10, issue of Stone World eNews, by Michael Reis, “As it turned out, the hacks started to thrive in most markets. When homeowners would re-do their kitchen or bathroom, they did so with one eye on their dwindling back account, and sensible people started buying solely based on price. As a result, some amazingly bad granite work was being done.” Yikes! We know first-hand, as we’ve taken numerous calls from customers who decided to go with some cheaper fabricator, but ended up getting burned.
While we always do our best to try and educate our potential customers, as to what makes PGC different from other fabricators, unfortunately—in some instances, it is not still not enough. If you are looking for a granite fabricator for your project, you may want to check out the Hall of Shame, that shows some really poor work. Then—perhaps, you can decide for yourself, if spending a little more is worth it to you, or not.
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Granite, Industry News on August 10th, 2010 by Barb | | 2 Comments
Recipe: Southwestern Salad
Here’s a tasty recipe my nephew’s wife, Rachel, shared at our cabin a few weekends ago. While it is pretty easy to make, it does require some chopping prep work of veggies, but is well worth it.
Southwestern Salad
1 bag romaine lettuce
1-2 packages pre-cooked grilled chicken such as Hormel
1 small green pepper (chopped)
1 samll red pepper (chopped)
1 small orange pepper (chopped)
1 small can corn
1 samll can black olives
1 ripe avacado (cubed)
1 container feta cheese crumbles
Ranch dressing
Open bag of lettuce and pour in a large bowl. Add chicken, chopped peppers, can of corn, olives, avacado, and feta cheese. Toss and serve with Ranch dressing.
Options: Add a small can of black beans, or chopped red onion.
Enjoy!
Barb
Posted in Cooking in your kitchen on August 6th, 2010 by Barb | | 0 Comments
