Kitchen cabinets, bathroom cabinets, and other countertops are more likely to be stained or even damaged daily, and its cleaning and maintenance are a headache for housewives. At present, most of these countertops are made of artificial stone, so here are some cleaning and maintenance methods for artificial stone countertops. You can refer to it.
There are many materials that can be used to make countertops, such as marble, stainless steel, wood, ceramic tiles, and artificial stone, etc., but the most common one is artificial stone countertops. Why is artificial stone countertops popular? What are its advantages and disadvantages? To easily clean and maintain artificial stone countertops, we first need to understand the “enemy situation” and find the right countermeasures.
Artificial stone countertop composition
As the name suggests, artificial stone countertops are countertops made of artificial stone. Artificial stone is a new type of composite material, which is generally made by mixing unsaturated polyester resin with fillers and pigments, plus a small amount of initiator, after certain processing. Due to differences in raw materials and manufacturing processes, the manufactured artificial stones can also be divided into multiple types, and the properties of different types are different.
General stain cleaning: Artificial stone is a kind of synthetic solid material without pores, and has strong anti-fouling power, so most stains do not pose a big threat to artificial stone. Daily cleaning and maintenance are all that is required. For example, when there are water stains or large stains on the artificial stone countertop, you can wipe it off with a damp cloth and detergent or soapy water.
The artificial stone is soft and easy to design, but the artificial stone has poor thermal conductivity and is prone to cracking. How should we deal with this situation?
Cracks on artificial stone countertops need to be repaired in time
If the countertop is found to be broken, it needs to be repaired in time, not for a long time. If water flows down from the crack to the cabinet board or pad, long-term soaking will make the cabinet partially rot and breed bacteria or insects.
Find out the reason for cracking of artificial stone countertops
When repairing cracks on artificial stone countertops, it is necessary to figure out the cause of the cracks to avoid the same problem from recurring. The common causes of cracking of artificial stone countertops are as follows: Take kitchen cabinets as an example.
The uneven force causes cracking:
If the countertop is installed without reinforcement pads, and the cutting position is just on the part without the pads. Therefore, this is more like cutting vegetables hanging in the air. If the hardness of the artificial stone countertop is not high enough, cracks will form in the purely stressed parts after a long time. Therefore, it is necessary to protect the stressed area of the countertop before restoration.
Cracking caused by pad problem:
Cracking of the countertop may also be caused by the problems of the cushion strip and the backing plate under the countertop, such as poor backing material, water seepage, or leakage in the sink, the backing plate will definitely expand in this situation, which will cause the countertop to crack; in addition, there are countertops There is no pad under the whole board or the pad is uneven and cracked. In this case, it is necessary to reinforce the backing plate and the cabinet body before repairing the countertop.
Cracking caused by improper opening:
Whether it is a sink or a stovetop hole, its surroundings should be curved. After the hole is opened, a backing plate should be added around the hole to increase the bearing capacity, otherwise it will easily cause the countertop to crack.
Countertop cracking repair method
Artificial stone countertop crack repair method
The normal maintenance method is to first select the same color material, cut into small slits according to the size of the crack, glue it to the crack, and finally polish it as a whole. The repair of cracked countertops requires high craftsmanship and requires an experienced master to repair it.
Many consumers like to use artificial stone when choosing countertops such as cabinets. However, some consumers often neglect the post-maintenance and maintenance of artificial stone countertops, but they do not know that reasonable maintenance is essential to prolong the service life of artificial stone countertops.
1. Avoid placing high-temperature objects directly
Artificial stone has poor thermal conductivity. Hot pots, hot pots, or other utensils with high temperatures that are directly taken from the stove, oven, or microwave may cause cracks on the surface of the artificial stone countertops. You can use a potholder with rubber feet, or put an insulation pad on the countertop. In addition, artificial stone countertops cannot be boiled immediately after being rinsed in cold water.
2. Avoid contact with strong chemicals
Artificial stone has long-lasting damage resistance, but it is still necessary to avoid contact with strong chemicals, such as paint removers, metal cleaners, stove cleaners, etc. If you accidentally come into contact with the above items, immediately wash the artificial stone surface with plenty of soapy water.
3. Avoid heavy or sharp objects impacting the surface
Do not allow heavy or sharp objects to directly impact the surface. Please use a cutting board when cutting vegetables in the kitchen. Although the artificial stone countertop is durable and durable, it will also leave unsightly scratches.
4. Try to keep the artificial stone countertops dry
Because the water contains a lot of bleaching agents and scales, after staying for too long, the color of the countertop will become lighter and affect the appearance. Therefore, after being stained with water, you need to wipe it off with a rag in time.
