High Quality Granite in Boynton Beach, FL | Half Price Countertops
There are plenty of options for those looking for high quality countertops in Boynton Beach and it #39;s a great idea to work with the professionals at Half Price Countertops. Granite is one...

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Finding Granite in Fort Lauderdale | Half Price Countertops
Granite in Fort Lauderdale is the perfect material for any new kitchen, it #39;s known for its amazing beauty and durability. In fact, granite is one of the hard...

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When it comes to the proper care and maintenance of granite countertops, there is a lot of misinformation floating around. Follow these simple steps to keep countertops shiny and bright.

Step 1: Well-sealed countertops are less permeable to liquids and therefore less likely to be stained. Test the porosity of the stone by leaving a large drop of water on the counter top for 10-15 minutes. Wipe away the water with a soft cloth. If the stone beneath the water has darkened, it is time to seal the countertop.

Keep your granite countertop shiny and bright.

Step 2: Choose a penetrating sealant made specifically for granite. Sealers that contain fluorocarbon aliphatic resin work best. Follow the sealant directions. Test the product in a small area before coating the entire countertop. Apply sealant liberally and allow it to penetrate thoroughly. Wipe excess away with a soft cloth.

Step 3: Daily cleaning of granite is best done with a microfiber cloth and clear water. A mixture of equal parts water and rubbing alcohol or equal parts water and hydrogen peroxide works even better at removing the residue of daily life from kitchen and bathroom countertops. Avoid using ammonia- or acid-based cleaners and stay away from abrasive scouring products.

Step 4: Stains from water or oil are typically not stains at all. Given time, these liquids will evaporate, allowing the stone to return to its natural color. Use coasters and hot pads on granite countertops to avoid unnecessary discoloration.

Step 5: A simple poultice is the best way to remove actual stains from granite. For most stains, a poultice made from hydrogen peroxide and diatomaceous earth or whiting works best. Begin by mixing the powder and the liquid together to form a thick paste.

Step 6: Place a dollop of poultice on the stain. The poultice should be at least a quarter-inch thick and should not extend beyond the stain any more than a half inch.

Step 7: Cover the poultice with plastic wrap. Tape the edges of the wrap to the countertop to seal the stained area completely. Allow the poultice to dry for 24 to 48 hours.

Step 8: As the poultice dries the stain should be pulled up and out of the granite. Use a soft cloth or paper towel to wipe away the dried poultice.

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Fix-It Chick: Proper care for granite countertops

Labconco's FlaskScrubber 33 and SteamScrubber 33 Laboratory Glassware Washers now also come in a new overall height of 33 inches rather than the standard 34.1 36.1 inches, to accommodate lower countertops in the laboratory. They still have the same great features and benefits that are specialized to meet the lab's demand for superior cleaning and convenience, but now all lab associates will have easy access for loading and unloading washers. SteamScrubbers have top and bottom racks that accommodate accessory inserts for a wide variety of glassware shapes and sizesprimarily beakers and other wide-mouth glassware. FlaskScrubbers come with all components needed including the spindle rack. They have tower spindle racks that hold up to 36 pieces of primarily narrow-necked glassware such as volumetric flasks. Water and detergent are pumped through the spindles. All racks are interchangeable among washers which offers even greater flexibility.

For more information on Labconco's Laboratory Glassware Washers, please call 800-732-0031 or visit http://www.labconco.com.

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Laboratory Glassware Washers fit lower countertops.

Custom Granite Countertops Oakland Park | Half Price Countertops
Granite countertops are incredibly beautiful and amazingly durable. At Half Price Counterops, we believe that one stop shopping will save time and money. We ...

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The Best Quartz Countertops in Fort Lauderdale | Half Price Countertops
Quartz is an incredibly popular countertop material. A quartz countertop is both durable and stylish. Quality quartz countertops in Fort Lauderdale from Half...

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By Carisa Crawford Chappell March 13 at 7:35 AM

Sammie and Rainia Washington relocated to the Washington region from Atlanta. While space is much harder to come by in this part of the country than in the South, they did their research to find a house with ample room to spread out, both indoors and outdoors.

The serene drive down Route 108 leading to a new development in Montgomery County hints at whats to come when entering Laytonsville Preserve, where the Washingtons moved last November. Large houses on one acre lots or more impressed them.

NVR Homes opened the luxury community last year and is now selling the first phase of 17 houses. Six have sold so far. Once completed, there will be three sections with about 60 houses in all. Each section has its own cul-de-sac.

The lot sizes and the area is what drew us to Laytonsville Preserve, Sammie said.

Double door entry: Laytonsville is a small, rural town near Gaithersburg and Olney, with a population of about 500. The landscape is still marked largely by farmland.

The development is about eight miles from Georgia Avenue.

There are five floor plans, including the Regents Park II, which is the model home and one of the largest plans offered. This house, along with many of the other plans, has an elevation that comes with a grand double-door entry.

The Regents Park II has four bedrooms, five bathrooms and a center hall floor plan that separates the formal living room from the formal dining room. Arched entryways from both the dining room and foyer lead into the spacious family room.

The model showcases a number of standard and optional features offered by the builder. The sunny kitchen has a center island that doubles as a breakfast bar and white cabinets contrast nicely with the dark granite countertops.

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Southern comforts in suburban Maryland

Concrete Countertops - Putting the Kitchen Back Together.
Finishing the kitchen renovation after concrete countertops.

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Concrete Countertops - Putting the Kitchen Back Together. - Video

The dream

In our prerenovation home, my husband, Dan, and I made the most of our small, dated kitchen by painting the oak strip cabinetry, adding modern hardware and installing black-and-white vinyl tiles in a snazzy striped pattern. Although it had some charm, I was forever dreaming of a bigger kitchen with a better layout, more storage space, stone countertops and somewhere for guests to gather.

The snag

When transforming our bungalow into a three-storey home, we kept the kitchen in the same location to save on costs. To open it up, we took down a wall and extended the room to the very front of the house. The new kitchen had much more space and offered the chance to put the sink under a window, for daydreaming.

Still, there were a few things to work around: a corner that stuck out because of the staircase to the basement, duct work above the stove that needed to be hidden, and our desire for a bit of separation from the new entryway.

We used IKEAs kitchen planning software to fiddle around with different layouts, ending up with a peninsula rather than an island, the classic work triangle of stove-fridge-sink, and plenty of room to have multiple people in there at once.

The result

For countertops, we splurged on quartz with interesting, but subtle, veining that brings grey and white together. I wish I could have used the same quartz for the backsplash, but budget-mandated simplicity resulted in an elongated, textured white tile all the way up to the ceiling. Gold hardware adds a bit of glam to the space, and having some glass-fronted upper cabinets lets me display some of my favourite pieces.

I was won over by IKEAs modern design and great prices for cabinetry, and chose a shaker-style door with grey lowers and white uppers. We have yet to install the hood vent (it took a while to find one with the right dimensions), but I can see the finish line.

Having space for my husband and me to prep dinner at the same time with our daughter running around at our feet has been such a nice change. The kitchen has become the hub of our home, and we couldnt be happier.

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How we created the bigger kitchen of my dreams

View Larger Local More Local Stories US & World More US & World Stories Local Stories from ThisWeek More Articles By Mark Ferenchik The Columbus Dispatch Thursday March 12, 2015 6:04 AM

The quaint Dutch colonial revival house in Columbus Westgate neighborhood is being renovated, with new drywall, new sinks, new vinyl flooring and kitchen countertops.

But no new windows. Though it would be easy to install vinyl replacements, a group of young preservationists will learn this weekend how to repair the wooden windows in the 90-year-old house on Binns Boulevard.

The Young Ohio Preservationists, a year-old group, has formed a partnership with Homes on the Hill, the local nonprofit that redevelops and builds houses for low- and middle-income residents on the West Side.

Homes on the Hill acquired the Binns Boulevard house from JPMorgan Chase last year. The house was in foreclosure, and Chase donated it.

This weekend, the house will be a workshop. Volunteers from the Young Ohio Preservationists, affiliated with Heritage Ohio, will learn how to install weatherstripping, repair weight ropes, replace broken glass and apply glazing techniques.

The house has 14 windows. Repairing the windows will cost about $2,500, including the training, while new vinyl windows would run $4,500 to $5,000, said Steve Torsell, Homes on the Hill executive director.

Just as important, the work will help maintain the character of the house in a neighborhood that prides itself on just that.

We celebrate that, said Betty Jaynes, president of the Westgate Neighbors Association. We have a lot of people who are moving to this area, who embrace these older homes.

Torsells niece, Rebecca Torsell, is a member of the young preservationists group and looking forward to its first project.

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Preservation group to learn about restoring old windows