Product Review: ProCaliber Products Granite/ Marble Chip Repair Kit

A few months ago ProCaliber Products sent me their Granite/ Marble Chip Repair Kit to try out and review here on our blog. 
I finally had time to test it out this weekend and I'm excited to show you the results!

Photo: MGS by Design

The ProCaliber Granite/ Marble Chip Repair Kit is a professional repair kit for nicks, chips & cracks that can sometimes occur in all natural stone countertops. 
If the scratch or nick is not very deep this kit will probably not work, but it doesn't have to be huge either.  It just has to be big enough for the acrylic to get into it and adhere.

I grabbed a granite sink cut out of Juparana Persa granite that we had in one of our dumpsters. 
The picture below is just showing that overall the piece had a high polish and there weren't any scratches or nicks in it...yet.

Photo: MGS by Design

 The hardest part of this whole review was making a nick in the granite!  I looked all over in our remnant yard and dumpsters trying to find a damaged piece of granite.  No luck. 
So I took the Juparana Persa sink cut out and decided I would just chip it myself. 
Honestly it really wasn't easy! 
I tried a few different methods and nothing was hurting it. 
I ended up using the backside of a hammer and that worked well enough.  I had to dig the chip out a little more with a nail, but I finally made a decent sized divot in the stone. 
I took this as good news though....see how durable granite is!?!

Photo: MGS by Design

 The first step is to tape of the damaged area with masking tape.  (Ignore the smaller nicks in the stone, my hammer missed a few times). 

Photo: MGS by Design

 Next you lightly sand the damaged area (the sand paper is included in the kit) and then clean that area really well with acetone or alcohol.  Make sure there is no dust and it is completely clean and dry before applying the acrylic gel.

The kit includes this handy little applicator.  You just apply a sufficient amount of the Acrylic Gel to completely fill the damaged area.  You want it to be slightly raised, but be careful not to overfill.

Photo: MGS by Design

There is a clear Curing Strip in the kit that you set over the gel and press down on it.   This helps level it out.

Next you turn on the Curing Light (which is also included) and you hold it over the area for about 3 minutes. 

Then you take off the Curing Strip and lightly sand the area again. 

Last step is to polish it out.  They provide a Polish and Microfiber Buffing Cloth that you apply to the area and polish it up.  That's it! 

It really was a quick and easy process.  I did it all while a batch of cookies was baking in the oven.  They were in for 9 minutes, so I know it took me less time than that!

Below is the final result.  Can you even see the nicks?

Photo: MGS by Design

 My opinion?  It really worked great and was quick and easy.
If I look close I can see where the acrylic gel is.  But I would definitely rather see a clear spot than to see and feel the nick in the stone.   And I'm sure no one else would ever notice it.
I would use this in my own home if I ever get a nick or chip in any of my granite or limestone.
And I would definitely recommend this to customers. 
The kit they sent me is $24.99 on their website.  If our company was to come out and do a similar repair in a home we would charge about 5 times that.  While it may not be as perfect as what we would do, it is definitely great for the cost savings.

If you use this repair kit I'd definitely recommend watching the videos on their website first.  The kit does come with more detailed instructions, but the videos helped me a lot.

Be sure to check out their website ProCaliber Products.  Also, the videos are here.

Thanks to ProCaliber Products for letting me try out the Repair Kit!


*ProCaliber Products provided me the Granite/ Marble Chip Repair Kit for free.  The opinions are all my own.

FAQ Friday: How to Prevent Fingerprints on Honed Absolute Black Granite

This question comes from a reader of our blog, Jill.
"I want to put honed black absolute counters in my kitchen but am concerned about the fingerprints.  I am happy to wipe the counters often if I have to if there's a cleaner that will do the trick.  Do you have a one to suggest?  Does a color enhancing sealer show less fingerprints?"

I always suggest using a color enhancing sealer when Absolute Black granite is honed.  Mainly because of the coloring, it's goes pretty grey when it's honed.  By using the color enhancing sealer it brings the black back out.
Here's a picture of a piece of Absolute Black that we honed.  The left side does not have any sealer on it, the right side has one coat of Enrich N Seal Color Enhancing Sealer.  

Huge difference in color right?

You can see more pictures of the power of color enhancing sealer here.

The other reason I strongly recommend using color enhancing sealer is for the fingerprints.  When Absolute Black granite is honed every single fingerprint will show and look like a gross, greasy fingerprint if the granite does not have a color enhancing sealer on it.  With the color enhancing sealer you won't have too big of a problem with fingerprints.

I recommend using Rock Doctor Granite Cleaner or Method Granite Cleaner on honed granite.  It's what I use on the honed granite and honed limestone in my own home.  They both do a great job at cleaning up any fingerprints that do occur and do a great job cleaning the countertops in general.  Bonus....I like how they smell.  :) 

For more information about color enhancing sealer go here.
To read more about honing and other surface textures for stones go here.
You can also read my Stone Care & Maintenance Guide here.

FAQ Friday: How Porous Is Granite? The Candle Wax Experiment.

I posted Part 1 of this story, you can read it here.
I got on sort of a tangent that day and didn't finish the post with the great story that I was planning on.
So today for FAQ Friday I'll finish up that question.

A lady I know, we'll call her Anne, was looking at countertops about five or six years ago. She wanted to do granite and ended up doing granite in her kitchen.
While she was looking though, she ran across a solid surface guy, he sells a product that rhymes with morian, so let's call him Mr Morian.  Mr Morian tried really hard to talk Anne out of granite that day.
He told her how porous granite is and that it breeds bacteria and sealing it is a pain...blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda.  Mr Morian needs to come up with some new material.
But here's the kicker...he then told her how one time someone left a glass candle burning on their granite countertops overnight. Supposedly during the night the glass broke and the hot wax got all over her granite countertops. He said the granite was so porous that the wax went into the pores of the granite, all the way through the granite and spilled inside of their cupboards and ruined her pots and pans.  Let's get this straight, the wax didn't spill OVER the granite and drip down into the cabinet.  It went THROUGH the granite.  Supposedly.
This is the dumbest story I have ever heard. We had a good laugh over it though and it's been one of my great granite myth stories that I have told over and over. So I guess I have Mr Morian to thank for that.

Well, since I like to be a Myth Buster I decided to bust this myth.
I REALLY tried to give them every single benefit of the doubt in this.

First, I decided to use a granite tile instead of a slab. The tile is 3/8" thick instead of 3/4" or 1 1/4" that slabs generally come in.  So less granite for the wax to go through.

 

In this picture it looks like I'm scared that the wax is going to go through the tile since I put a towel under it.  That's not the case.  I put the towel under it because I was worried that the wax would spill over the sides when I poured it on. 

I chose Juparana St Cecilia granite for this experiment because it's a fairly pourus granite.  It's usually resined, but it's not as dense as the blacks.  Also, I wanted it to be a lighter color so if it stained we would be able to see it.  This piece of tile has NOT been resined or sealed with anything.

I bought a cheap red candle at Wal-Mart.  I thought the cheapness and the redness may help it stain the granite.  I really wanted it to stain!

I let the candle burn all day long so it was nice and hot.  I actually hate burning candles in my house, so this shows you the sacrifices I make in the name of science!  :)

I also warmed up the granite a little.  I didn't want the hot wax to get on the cold granite and have it set right up.  So I thought if the granite tile was warm it would help the wax get into the pores.

Then I left the wax there for over 24 hours. I could tell immediately what the outcome was, but to be fair to the experiment I just left it.
The next day I scraped the wax off with a razor blade and......
it didn't seep through at all! Are you shocked? I sure wasn't.
It actually was incredibly easy to get off. There was a little bit of a moist spot at first. It may have been from the oils or something in the wax, I'm not sure. Nonetheless it dried out and you couldn't see a bit of evidence that the wax was ever there.
I took the picture when the moist spot was still there.

Also ignore the three spot stains, they aren't from the candle. I'll tell you about them another day.

Here is a picture of the back of the tile. Just to show their was no wax through the granite.

FYI, that spot on the right is just sticky from an old sticker we had on the back.
So that's it.  Myth busted.

FAQ Friday: Is Sealing Granite a Pain or Can I Do it Myself?

If you can clean a window then you can seal a countertop.
You can buy stone sealers at any stone supplier, home improvement store or online.
Read the instructions for details, but basically you wipe the sealer on and then wipe it off after a short amount of time.
For more information on sealing and cleaning your granite check out my Stone Care & Maintenance Guide.

Photo: Surfaces Granite

Not too bad right?
Don't let the fact that some stones need to be sealed deter you from having the beautiful countertops that you want!

Holiday Reruns: 4 Men 1 Lady

Happy Holidays!  
We hope you are enjoying your holiday season.  We are taking some time off of the blog to recuperate after this fantastically busy season.  Thanksgiving and Christmas are always the busiest time of the year for fabricators, but this year was especially busy!  We are so grateful for the business and we hope it continues strong into the new year. 
We will be posting our favorite projects from 2012 until the new year.  We'll be back with new posts on January 2nd.  
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This year we had so much fun working with Michelle from the blog 4 Men 1 Lady.  She remodeled an older home here in Utah and did an amazing job!  We were so happy to be a part of it.  Originally I posted all areas separately, here they are all together.  Enjoy!

*Kitchen originally posted August 27th.

We were so excited when Michelle from 4 Men 1 Lady hired us to fabricate & install her kitchen countertops!

Photo by Wondertime Photography.  Property of 4 Men 1 Lady.

The first time Michelle called me I was totally thrown off.  I had asked her the name of her blog and knew who she was because I had been a reader for years....but she said she was in Utah and I thought she lived in Arizona....  So I was quite confused.
Long story short, after stalking her blog when I got off the phone with her I figured out she had moved to Utah and I didn't know it.  Then I felt dumb for not telling her I knew who she was.  :)

Photo by Wondertime Photography.  Property of 4 Men 1 Lady.

If you read her blog you know Michelle has great taste, if you haven't seen her Arizona home be sure to check it out here.  It's colorful, unique and well designed.  So I knew her Utah home was going to be even more gorgeous and I was excited to work with her.

Photo by Wondertime Photography.  Property of 4 Men 1 Lady.

She selected Statuary Vein marble with a Honed Finish for the perimeter countertops and grey Soapstone for her island.
Marble and Soapstone are the two types of stones that I get asked the most about.  I can talk about them until I'm blue in the face, but it means more when you hear from someone who is living with them.  Michelle was kind enough to take some time and answer a few questions about her countertops.

Photo by Wondertime Photography.  Property of 4 Men 1 Lady.

Steph: What's your favorite part of your remodel so far?
Michelle: I've loved my kitchen so far! Definitely the best thing about it is the layout.  There is so much to be said about having your living space be a great room.  Everything takes place in the kitchen, living, dining room and as a mother of three busy boys it's great to be able to keep an eye on everyone.  My favorite thing about my marble is the Waterfall Edge.  It is so dramatic.  LOVE IT!

Note: The Waterfall Edge is on the end of her perimeter countertop.  See photo below.  We Mitered the panel piece so that it looks like a thick 1 1/2" piece of marble all the way to the floor.  The actual thickness of the marble is 3/4".  It's probably my favorite thing about her kitchen too!  I'm glad she did it.

Photo by Wondertime Photography.  Property of 4 Men 1 Lady.

Our shop guys did a great job matching the veining of the marble perfectly on the panel.  Here is a picture during construction...

Photo: 4 Men 1 Lady

Steph:  Do you have any regrets using marble in your kitchen?  Does the etching and/or staining bother you?
Michelle:  Hmm.  Good question.  To be honest, I'm a little scared of it.  I've been warned about how high maintenance it is that I try to avoid using it. I haven't had any etching since I'm SOOOO careful what I put on it.  There have been a few times where I've found something like a glob of jelly on the counter and my blood pressure shoots up.  But surprisingly it really hasn't stained.  We did have a family party and a family member put a greasy spoon on the counter.  When I found it I picked it up and noticed that there was a huge grease stain.  No amount of rubbing or cleaning could remove it.  I about wanted to disown that family member and vow to never have another party again.  Stephanie did tell me there was a poultice that could remove it but a few weeks later it eventually disappeared.  Thank goodness.

Would I use it again? The jury's still out.  It is an absolute show stopper feature in my kitchen.  Every time I see it I gasp at it's beauty.  I knew what I was in for before it was installed and I had prepared myself and my family for the extra TLC we would need to exercise around it.  But I do like to entertain and I don't want to feel like I want to disown a family member for leaving a semi-permanent grease stain on my counter and I'm definitely not going to be that crazy women who tells people not to breathe on my marble counters. That's just silly (and insane).  I did put it on the perimeter instead of on the island so it doesn't get as much use just as a result of it's location which is great. I LOVE the look of marble.  If I were to do it again I might use marble as a backsplash instead.

Photo by Wondertime Photography.  Property of 4 Men 1 Lady.

Photo by Wondertime Photography.  Property of 4 Men 1 Lady.

Steph:  Any regrets using Soapstone in your kitchen? Michelle:  I absolutely love my soapstone and would do it again in a heartbeat.  It is also high maintenance in the fact that it needs to be oiled occasionally but that is totally optional how often and if you even want to do it at all.  I sort of like that fact that it changes it's appearance from different shades of gray and black as it dries out.  (Funny because I don't like my marble changing color at all!).  It's also a soft stone.  My 1 year old has dinged it up pretty good in his spot at the bar but for some reason it doesn't bother me.  (Again, ironic because if my marble had dings I might faint).  I really fell in love with soapstone when I saw it at the old Restoration Hardware register counter which used to be at Trolley Square.  The patina and character of the counter was so lovely.  I asked the manager about it and he said they never oil it or do anything to it really.  You could see it had a couple of chip marks but over time they soften and just look like character.  I was sold then and there. 

Oiling soapstone is really not that big of a deal.  I only do once every four months-ish- and I usually do it right before we are walking out the door for a vacation.  That way I don't have to worry about the oil getting all over the place with my boys and it can sit and soak in for days without any interference.

Photo by Wondertime Photography.  Property of 4 Men 1 Lady.

The Statuary Vein marble and the Soapstone were both purchased from Italia Granite in Salt Lake City.  Cory has a great selection of stone and is fantastic to work with.
We (MGS by Design) did the honed finish on the marble.  Not all shops do surface textures on stone in their own shop.  We do and we believe it gives you a better quality product and a better price.

Photo by Wondertime Photography.  Property of 4 Men 1 Lady.

 I've posted pictures of a couple of other things we did for Michelle in her home previously.  If you missed it be sure to check out her gorgeous Calacatta Gold Fireplace here and her Carrara marble mid-century bench here.

A big thanks to Michelle for taking time to talk about her new kitchen!  She was such a pleasure to work with.  Be sure to check out her blog for more pictures and information about the remodel.

*Fireplace originally posted April 2nd. 
 I've been posting updates from Michelle's house (from 4 Men 1 Lady) that we did the countertops and fireplace in recently.
Her gorgeous fireplace is now all finished up!

Here is the 'Before' pic...

Photo: 4 Men 1 Lady

You are going to die over the change!  After tearing out the rock, here is the 'After'!

Photo: 4 Men 1 Lady

Isn't it amazing?
Michelle selected a beautiful slab of Calacatta Gold marble from Italia Granite.
We installed all of the marble and then her mantle was installed on top.

Photo: 4 Men 1 Lady

You can see more pictures of the fireplace here.

* Bench originally posted June 25th.
Michelle from the popular DIY blog 4 Men 1 Lady, recently had us cut and polish a couple of small pieces of Carrara marble for her. 
Check out what she did with them...

Photo: 4 Men 1 Lady

She made a super cute bench for her entryway!
I love how it turned out.

Photo: 4 Men 1 Lady

Be sure to to her blog to see the Before pictures!

*Master Bath originally posted September 24th. Today I have the last installment of Michelle's home (from the blog 4men1lady.com).
We did the marble countertop in her beautiful Master Bath.  
This bath was a HUGE transformation.  Be sure to check out her blog for the 'Before' pictures.  You'll be amazed it's the same home!

Photo by Wondertime Photography.  Property of 4 Men 1 Lady.

Photo by Wondertime Photography.  Property of 4 Men 1 Lady.

 For the countertop she chose a beautiful piece of polished Carrara marble that we had in stock.  The edge detail is the 1 1/2" Mitered edge.

Photo by Wondertime Photography.  Property of 4 Men 1 Lady.

I love the rectangle sink.  They look great but I also love how they function!

Photo by Wondertime Photography.  Property of 4 Men 1 Lady.

Don't forget to go to her blog to see even more pictures of her gorgeous bath!

FAQ Friday: A Solid Surface Guy Told Me Granite is Porous, Is This True?

Yes, of course it is.
BUT it is not a problem like they lead you to believe!
All stone is porous, some more than others, but those pores can be sealed.  When they are sealed properly they will not accept other substances.  Keep in mind, that if something can go in, then it also can come out.  Stains can happen, but most of the time they are a result of a granite not being sealed or an individual using the countertop abnormally.
For example: a grape juice spill left overnight on a light stone will most likely stain, but how many of us leave spills on our countertops overnight?  As long as the granite is sealed properly and you remove liquids and foods in a timely manner, then you should be fine.
Oh, and with a little elbow grease you will most likely be able to get that grape juice stain out any way.

Traditional Kitchen design by Chicago Kitchen And Bath Kitchens By Julie

There are conflicting opinions about sealing granite.  The Marble Institute of America has this to say...


Marble Institute of America Statement of Position On Sealing Natural Stone Countertops  
Most granite countertops do not need to be sealed. Before 1995 there were very few quality penetrating sealers on the market and there were very few cases of staining. Both prior to and after the availability of penetrating sealers, no cases of food poisoning, radon, or food preparation issues associated with treated or untreated granites have been reported. If a homeowner cleans their countertops after each meal, they will rarely, if ever, have staining or cleanability issues with granite. All this being said, many granite countertops receive additional benefit from being sealed. That benefit is the further reduction of moisture migration into an already moisture resistant surface.

Should natural stone counters be sealed? In many cases it makes sense to seal marble and granite countertops with a quality sealer. The product should have a life expectancy of ten to fifteen years and be of an oliophobic (resistant to water and oil based stains) nature. Once properly sealed, the stone will be more resistant against everyday dirt and spills.

In today’s natural stone industry, many species of granite receive a resin treatment at the factory where the blocks of granite are cut into slabs and then polished. The treatment is used to fill microfissures, indentations and other minor characteristics that are found in many natural stones. The reason for the resin treatment is to address what most consumers consider as imperfections, but in reality are “birth marks”. The consuming public gravitates to perfection, defined as no “birth marks,” and so the marble and granite industry tries to fulfill the desire. Both resined as well as unresined slabs will outlast most of our lifetimes. Granite should, and in most cases will, be the last countertop surface a person will buy, providing a strong return on investment. The bottom line: Sealing resin treated countertops may increase the resistance of the already resistant nature of stone (adopted 11/8/06).

Dimension Stone Design Manual, Version VII, page 3-5, 3-6

Photo: HI Consumption

Now for my opionion...
 I personally agree more with The Marble Institute of America than the conventional thinking of sealing granite countertops once per year. The granite in my house is not sealed and I probably won't ever seal it!  I have even TRIED to stain my granite by leaving oil on it for 16 hours and it didn't do a thing. 
At MGS by Design we seal every countertop that we install (unless you tell us not to).  We do this as an "insurance" policy and to make our clients feel more at ease.

I Tried to Stain My Own Granite with Oil.

I have Lapidus granite with a honed finish in my own kitchen.
A lot of people are scared of the honed finish thinking it will stain more easily.

First, the look of honed granite isn't for everyone.  Some people want a nice and shiny surface.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Other people prefer a matte finish.  For these folks, the honed finish is great!

The granite in my own kitchen BEFORE pouring vegetable oil on it.  Photo: MGS by Design.

We recently had a customer that was debating having their granite honed.  I told them that the granite in my kitchen is honed and I love it!  They were sold until someone else told them that the reason I love it is because I'm really clean and I don't have any kids.
This is true, BUT I think the honed finish is very durable and I've never had any issues with staining.  I feel confident if I had 14 kids and was a slob I still wouldn't have any issues.

So, I did what any rational person would do to prove a point.... I poured some vegetable oil on my granite.
Not a sample, but my own granite countertops in my own kitchen.  Yes, my husband thinks I'm crazy at times.
I should mention, I sealed my granite with Enrich 'N' Seal after it was installed about six years ago.  I have never sealed the granite again.  Not once.  Why?  Because it hasn't needed to be sealed again. 
I use Rock Doctor to clean it about once a week (the other days I just use hot water) and that's it.
Granite is pretty easy to maintain my friends.

It's kind of hard to see, so I put tape around the vegetable oil that I poured on my granite.  The spot is probably about 4".  Photo: MGS by Design

 Back to the story...  I left oil on my countertop for 16 hours.  You read that right, 16 hours!
Guess what?  It didn't even leave a trace!  I cleaned up the oil with a paper towel and it was as good as new.  Honestly.

My granite AFTER having vegetable oil poured on it.  Looks just like the BEFORE picture right?  Photo: MGS by Design.

 Moral of the story... don't be scared of your granite!
The reason granite is so popular is that it's so darn durable.  Also, if you like the look of honed granite have it honed.

Holiday Re-Runs: The Experiment of Etching Marble: Bathroom Edition

Happy Holidays!
This week I'm stepping away from the blog and I'm posting re-runs of our most popular posts from 2011.  
Today's article was originally posted on 4/19/11. We all know that it takes a certain type of person to use marble in their kitchen, but people ask if it's smart to do marble in their baths as well.  I'd recommend it!  See the results below.
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Last year I did my own experiment to show how marble etches in the kitchen.  You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

When I was doing this first experiment, after I had all the kitchen ingredients on the marble my husband asked me why I hadn't put any bathroom items on the marble.  Honestly, I hadn't even thought about it.  Marble is much less likely to etch in a bathroom because usually you don't have too many acids in there. 
I say this, but I must mention that the limestone in my own Powder Bath etched.  Someone had dripped a couple of globs of Bath & Body Works liquid soap on my Seagrass Limestone countertop and I didn't notice it until the next day.  When I wiped it up there were a couple of etched spots on the countertop.  So, while we aren't cutting lemons in the Powder Bath there are other items that are in our bathrooms that will etch the calcium based stones.
I put together a whole new test using bathroom stuff.  I decided to conduct this experiment on two different marbles, Carrara and Emperador Dark.  I thought it might be helpful to see the difference between a light and dark marble.

Here is a list of the items I put on the marble pieces...

• Face wash
• Hairspray
• Nail Polish Remover
• Lotion/ Body Cream
• Perfume
• After Shave Lotion
• Nail Polish (red!)
• Toothpaste
• Shaving Cream
• Liquid Hand Soap

I taped off sections on each marble piece and dabbed the items on.  I then let them sit for about 24 hours.  Obviously 24 hours is longer than most people would let red nail polish sit on their countertops, but I'm going for a worst case scenario here.

The next day when everything had dried up it was kind of a pain to get off.  I had to use a razor blade for a lot of it.

The results were a bit surprising to me.   

Carrara marble

Etched

Stained

Face Wash	No	Yes
Hair Spray	No	No
Nail Polish Remover	Yes	No
Lotion/ Body Cream	No	No
Perfume	No	No
After Shave Lotion	Yes	Yes
Nail Polish	No	Yes, but not as bad as you’d think!  J
Toothpaste	No	Slight Stain
Shaving Cream	No	No
Liquid Hand Soap	Yes	Yes

Emperador Dark marble

Etched

Stained

Face Wash	No	No
Hair Spray	No	No
Nail Polish Remover	No	No
Lotion/ Body Cream	No	No
Perfume	No	No
After Shave Lotion	Yes	Yes
Nail Polish	No	No!
Toothpaste	No	No
Shaving Cream	No	No
Liquid Hand Soap	Yes	Yes

My husband just uses an After Shave Lotion, not the liquid stuff.  It's probably the liquid After Shave that I personally have had the most issues with etching with homeowner's in the past. 

All in all I was surprised with how few of the products actually etched or stained the stones.  I was quite impressed that the red nail polish didn't even stain the Emperador Dark and barely stained the Carrara!

Also keep in mind that different brands of face wash, toothpastes, etc may affect your stone differently.  The type of marble will make a difference as well.