Having your home renovated can be an expensive process. And while an experience and connected NJ remodeling contractor can certainly help you stay within your budget, the simple truth is that things like new floors, modern appliances, and top-quality countertops are just not cheap. That’s why you need to treat your newly remodeled home like an investment, doing everything you can to keep its value up. The best way to do this is through regular maintenance. Today, we’ll focus on maintaining one of the most valuable parts of your home… the countertops.
How to Maintain Your Kitchen Counters and Bathroom Counters
When you touch your countertops, they feel sturdy and strong. Because of this, they seem like they’ll last forever. But don’t let this fool you into thinking they don’t need to be maintained. Yes, most modern countertop surfaces like granite and quartz are very strong. But remember, their placement in your kitchen and bathrooms means they experience extreme conditions like water, heat, and cold. If not maintained, these conditions can wear away at your countertops over the years, significantly decreasing their life expectancy.
The good news is, maintaining your New Jersey remodel is pretty easy when it comes to kitchen counters and bathroom counters. Mostly, it involves cleaning them every day with soap or an appropriate detergent, which you can find at any supermarket. You also need to make sure to quickly clean any spills, especially if it’s a colored liquid. The last thing you want is to let your countertop soak up the liquid and become discolored. You also want to avoid leaving extremely hot or cold items on your countertops for too long, as well as cutting food items directly on the surface without a cutting board.
Keeping Water Out from Behind Your Countertops.
The presence of water behind bathroom counters and kitchen counters is one of the biggest problems any NJ remodeling contractor will find during a renovation. When it comes to maintaining your New Jersey remodel, keeping water out from behind your countertops should be the top priority. If you don’t, you could find yourself having major mold issues, which can be incredibly unhealthy for your family. You may also suffer damage to your walls, floors, and cabinetry, not to mention the likelihood that pools of water behind your counters will become an insect breeding ground.
One of the reasons water often ends up behind countertops is that, believe it or not, your house can expand and contract as the weather changes. This is especially true in Milburn, Florham Park, West Orange, and anywhere else in New Jersey, where winters often bring extreme temperatures. When your house shifts, so do the items in it. This can sometimes create spaces where things should be sealed, such as in the areas between your countertops and the wall.
That’s why an experienced contractor will seal your countertops with caulk instead of grout. Caulk is much more flexible, which helps when these shifts occur. However, even caulk will crack over time, which is why you should keep track of the original caulk color so you can match it perfectly. You also might want to see if your NJ remodeling contractor offers a tune-up service where they come out to your home and do your maintenance for you.
If you’d like to learn more about keeping your countertops in great shape, and other ways you can maintain your New Jersey remodel, give our team at KraftMaster Renovations a call at 908-517-5581. You can also contact us through our online form. Thank you.
