StoneCare

-Regular Care Products
-Granite Care
-Silestone Quartz Care
-Marble Care
-Marble Counter Restoration

STONECARE REGULAR CARE & MAINTENANCE

P1 Spray Daily Cleaner

P1 three in one spray cleans, polishes and protects all types of stone care surfaces (granite, quartz and marble). This professional cleaning product is ideal for daily use on kitchen work surfaces. The product is tested and approved for use in food preparation areas. If used regularly, it also improves the protection of an already impregnated surface. P1 is available to purchase at our showroom (cost €20).

Product Information

Most normal household cleaners can leave a greasy smeary layer on the surface of polished stones (granite, quartz, marble), sometimes ring marks from glasses etc. can be seen on this greasy layer. P1 cleaner is an outstanding ready to use product for the daily maintenance of stone (granite, marble, quartz) work surfaces. It effortlessly removes light dirt and grease. Its special ingredient offers additional protection when used in conjunction with the initial installation sealing product used for stain protection and repelling oil and water. The cleaner maintains the natural appearance of the stone and does not affect the colour and structure of the surface. It has a pleasant, fresh fragrance and its vapors are non-hazardous. It has also been approved for use on food preparation areas. Never use any strong bleach based cleaning products; these can discolour light coloured granites and cause un repairable damage to a granite worktop.

CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF YOUR GRANITE WORK SURFACE

Initial Sealing of granite

Impregnation (sealing) products enter the pores of the stone and make the surface water-repellent and oil-repellent. The product must be applied on a dry and clean surface. We use the most advanced nano-technology sealer on the market and all members of our installation team are qualified and trained applicators.

Daily/Regular maintenance

Most normal household cleaners can leave a greasy smeary layer on the surface of polished granites, sometimes ring marks from glasses etc. can be seen on this greasy layer. We provide a specialist stone cleaner on every installation free of charge. This cleaner is an outstanding ready to use product for the daily maintenance of granite work surfaces. It effortlessly removes light dirt and grease. Its special ingredient offers additional protection when used in conjunction with the initial installation sealing product used for stain protection and repelling oil and water. The cleaner maintains the natural appearance of surfaces and hardly affects the colour and structure of the surface. It has a pleasant, fresh fragrance and its vapors are non-hazardous. It has also been approved for use on food preparation areas. Never use any bleach based cleaning products; these can discolor light coloured granites and cause un repairable damage to a granite worktop.

Re Sealing

On light coloured granites we recommend re-sealing every four years, with darker granites every 6 years. Some resined granites may not need sealing or re-sealing, please consult us for advice on this. It is strongly recommended that you contact us for a professional re-seal and re-polish when required, however all sealers are available for sale for those who want take this task on themselves and professional advice will always be available.

General Precautions

Never use knives directly on your counter top, try to use chopping boards to avoid scratches, stone chopping boards with rubber pads are available from our showroom (cost €35)
Always take care not to drop any large objects on the edge of stone surface as chipping may occur.
Hot pans taken directly of a hob or a cooker and put directly onto the stone may leave a mark or a hairline crack in the stone due to thermal shock (rapid change in temperature), place mats are always recommended around cooking areas.
Whilst the sealer we use is extremely effective, any stone is liable to stain if a substance like oil or wine is left on the stone surface for long periods of time, always try and wipe up a spill immediately and never let a spill sit for too long a period.
When sealed on installation, the sealer takes approximately 2-3 days to fully penetrate the pores of the stone; extra care must be taken during this curing period. Don’t leave any oil based substances sitting on the surface for long periods of time as they may gradually seep into stone during this curing period.
No matter how well sealed a stone counter is, if oil/wine etc is left on surface for long periods of time there is a possibility of staining, if this occurs contact Miller Bros. for advice and possible solutions on lifting stain.
Never use bleached based products as they can discolor light granites and may cause un repairable damage to your kitchen worktop.

We hope that you will continue to enjoy your granite worktop for many, many years!

CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF YOUR SILESTONE QUARTZ SURFACE

Silestone Product Info

Silestone is an engineered stone product composed of quartz and resins combining the natural beauty and durability of stone with the consistency of an engineered product. Silestone requires very little maintenance as its unique production process creates a high gloss, non porous surface, which prevents fluid absorption. Whilst extremely durable Silestone will continue to maintain its colour and shine for many years whilst treated with care. Silestone does not need to be sealed.

Daily/Regular maintenance

Most normal household cleaners can leave a greasy smeary layer on the surface of Silestone, sometimes ring marks from glasses etc. can be seen on this greasy layer. We provide a specialist Silestone cleaner on every installation free of charge. This cleaner is an outstanding ready to use product for the daily maintenance of quartz work surfaces. It effortlessly removes light dirt and grease. The cleaner maintains the natural appearance of surfaces and hardly affects the colour and structure of the surface. It has a pleasant, fresh fragrance and its vapors are non-hazardous.

Stubborn Marks

In the event of any stubborn marks, firstly wipe the surface clean with warm water, then apply CIF household cream or spray, allow to sit for five minutes then scrub with a green abrasive pad. This should lift the mark with ease. White colours such as Blanco Zeus or Yukon are more prone to marking due to the nature of a white colour, extra elbow grease may be required to remove stubborn marks from these colours.

Heat Resistance

Silestone is an extremely heat resistant material and can withstand moderately high temperatures for brief periods of time. Although Silestone is more heat resistant than most other surfaces, all stone can be damaged by thermal shock, sudden and extreme temperature changes, especially near the edge of the surface. For this reason we strongly recommend using place matts around cooking areas. Silestone place matts are available from our showroom (cost €35).

Chemicals to avoid

Avoid highly aggressive cleaning agents like oven/grill cleaners that have a high alkaline/ph level. If any of these are spilled on the surface wipe off immediately with fresh water to neutralize.

General Precautions

Although your Siltstone work surface is extremely scratch and heat resistant, we recommend that you protect the beauty of your tops by using chopping boards whenever using knives, and place matts whenever using hot pans, remember Silestone is heat and scratch resistant, not heat and scratch proof ! Silestone chopping boards and place matts available from our showroom (cost €35).

CARE & MAINTENANCE OF YOUR MARBLE WORK SURFACE

Initial Sealing of marble

Impregnation (sealing) products enter the pores of the stone and make the surface water-repellent and oil-repellent. The product must be applied on a dry and clean surface. We use the most advanced nano technology sealer on the market and all of our installation team are trained and qualified applicators.
Daily/Regular maintenance

Most normal household cleaners can leave a greasy smeary layer on the surface of polished or honed marbles. We provide a specialist stone cleaner on every installation free of charge. This cleaner is an outstanding ready to use product for the daily maintenance of marble work surfaces. It effortlessly removes light dirt and grease. Its special ingredient offers additional protection when used in conjunction with the initial installation sealing product used for stain protection and oil and water repellent. The cleaner maintains the natural appearance of surface and hardly affects the colour and structure of the surface. It has a pleasant, fresh fragrance and its vapours are non-hazardous. It has also been approved for use on food preparation areas, available for purchase at our showroom (cost €35).

General Precautions

Do not use knives on your counter top, marble is prone to scratching quite easily, try to use chopping boards to avoid scratches, one marble chopping board is provided free of charge on all marble installations, additional chopping boards available on request.(cost €35)
Always take care not to drop any large objects on the edge of stone surface as chipping may occur.
Hot pans taken directly of a hob or a cooker and put directly onto stone surface may leave a mark or crack in the stone, place matts are always recommended around cooking areas, marble place matts available from our showroom (cost €35).
Whilst the sealer we use is extremely effective any stone is liable to stain if a substance like oil or wine is left on its surface for long periods of time, always try and wipe up a spill immediately and never let a spill sit for too long of a period
If anything acid based (eg vinegar) comes into contact with a marble surface wipe immediately with fresh water to neutralize and avoid etching the polish on the surface.
When sealed on installation, the sealer takes approx 2-3 days to fully penetrate the pores of the stone; extra care must be taken during this curing period. Don’t leave oil based substances sitting on the counter for long periods of time as they may gradually seep into the stone during this curing period.
No matter how well sealed marble is, it is an extremely porous material and prevention of staining can never be guaranteed! It is essential to wipe up any type of spill immediately to prevent staining.
Marble offers a natural beauty that cannot be matched by any other stone, with this comes a price, extra care and vigilance is required to keep and maintain marble for a kitchen work surface, we strongly recommend clients read this document thoroughly before deciding on marble for their stone of choice.
Never use any bleach based cleaning products; these can discolor marble and cause unrepairable damage.

Etching/Burn Marks Marble

Marble contains calcium and a chemical reaction occurs when anything acid based comes into contact with the surface of a marble causing an etch/burn; a dull spot on the surface will appear when this occurs. While etches can be removed by re polishing-honing this can be costly and needs to be factored into consideration when choosing marble for a work surface. Quotations for marble repair and restoration are available on request. Below are listed some of the food/beverages that can etch/burn marble.

Etching- Fruit juices/Champagne/Wine/Soaps/Tomatoes/7 Up/Vinegar/Hard water is often an inconspicuous culprit.

Staining-Tea/Coffee/Wine/Use of Wrong Cleaning product/Salad Dressing/Cooking Oil.

MARBLE COUNTER RESTORATION

As outlined in the marble care section, marble can be prone to etching when it comes into contact with anything acidic. We offer a specialist service which involves re-grinding the surface and re-polishing the surface bringing your marble counter back to its original state. Prices for this kind of service are available on request. Miller Bros are the only stone company who can offer this unique service which caters for all types of clients. Please see photos below illustrating this service.

Typical Etch Marks