One of the many services NOVA Stone Care provides is chip repair on the granite countertops. In this blog post we will dive into the details of this process.

Granite countertops are beautiful and pleasing to the eye until you drop a heavy object on your stone and break off the part of it. It is one thing to scratch or stain the granite countertop but how do you repair the damages when a chunk of the surface comes off? While it is tempting to fix the chips by yourself, it is worth the extra money to let the professional handle the damage. NOVA Stone Care specialists have vast experience in chip repair. Let’s walk you through the process.

1. We Clean The Countertop

NOVA Stone Care technicians tape up the work area to make sure that nothing else gets damaged. We clean the chip and the surrounding area with acetone. It helps us remove stubborn stains and ensures proper bonding.

2. We Mark The Area

NOVA Stone Care technicians use blue tape to mark off the area just around the chip. It prevents epoxy glue from getting on the non-chipped area.

3. We Fill It Up Carefully

NOVA Stone Care technicians carefully fill the chipped area with color matched epoxy. Depending on the depth of the chipped area, it might require several applications and tons of patience.

4. We Are Patient

NOVA Stone Care technicians wait until the filled area is completely dry. This is crucial, as the epoxy filled surface may be damaged if touched before it’s dry. Once the epoxy is completely dry, we remove the blue tape.

5. We Scrape Off the Excess

NOVA Stone Care technicians clean up the surface meticulously in order to make the repair even with the rest of the countertop. We use a razor blade and gently and carefully scrape away any excess epoxy from the area.

6. We Buff, Polish and Seal

As the final step, NOVA Stone Care technicians make sure the area around the repaired chip has the similar gloss as the rest of your granite countertop. We buff the area with sandpaper or steel wool. As the finishing touch, we use a granite polisher or sealer to add a gleam to the area. If you need help with chip repair on your granite countertops, contact us today. Also, check out our project gallery section for more info and pictures.

Clean Spills Right Away

Marble has a reputation of being finicky and hard to clean because it is a natural stone composed of calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate reacts to acidic substances which results in dull spots also known as etch marks. This means that any time you spill lemon juice, red wine or coffee, it will leave a subtle mark unless you clean it immediately. Strive to keep your countertops an acid-free zone, but we know spills are unavoidable. The key is cleaning the spill right away. If you leave the spill unattended, it will literally eat away a tiny bit of the surface and stain your delicate marble.

What is the Proper Way to Clean?

Do Not Use

Under no circumstance should you use common cleaners like vinegar, lemon juice, bleach, peroxide, and ammonia. It will only make the stains worse. Avoid using commercial cleaners like Windex, 409, Tilex, Lime Away, Kaboom, CLR, Lysol, etc. We don’t recommend a bar or powdered soaps either. They are a bad choice for marble because they leave a residue.

Do Use

A simple way to clean your marble countertop is using mild, non-abrasive, pH neutral (non-acidic) liquid soap, mixed with water. Mix a squirt of gentle, non-abrasive dish soap with warm water in a spray bottle and spray the area generously. Scrub gently and wipe a soapy solution with a clean wet cloth. You should repeat the process until all soapy residue is gone.
Recommended Professional Cleaning Products
While using plain dish soap and water is a common recommendation, soap can still leave a residue if used regularly, which can dull the marble surface. Professional marble products provide superior performance and safety for cleaning. Our number one choice to clean your marble countertop is MB Stone Cares Stone & More. It cleans easily with a streak-free shine. MB Stone Cares Stone & More is totally safe for marble and natural stone.

If Not Sure, Call NOVA Stone Care

It is crucial to protect your investment by caring for marble correctly. Don’t cut corners by purchasing cheap cleaners or experimenting with various DIY approaches. This will only cause you to spend more money in the long run while trying to repair the damage. Leave harder to remove stains and etch marks to the professionals at NOVA Stone Care. After all that is what we do for a living. Contact us at 202-997-4548 for a free estimate. Also check out our project gallery to see our projects.

We will breathe life into your stone.