Helpful Information About Hollywood Granite

Hollywood is one of the names of granite you will find in our gallery. This is one of many different types of natural granite that people use for kitchen countertops and other surfaces. As with most granite, there are some specific features that Hollywood possesses. Additionally, there are some traits that make this granite unique. In this article, we won't go into too much detail about the unique qualities of Hollywood. We will mention some brief comments about the composition or the visual appearance or both, but the majority of this article will talk about working with Hollywood and how to take of it.

Why Hollywood Granite

One of the first things to contemplate when considering any granite surface is why people choose it. There are many reasons people select natural granite for kitchen countertops. Hollywood Granite has many of the benefits that virtually all natural granite offers. It does however, have some characteristics that make it what it is. And like many other stone surfaces knowing a bit about the composition can be helpful. The following quote was taken from the description of a photo written by a geologist about Hollywood.

Hollywood Granite - jaspilite BIF (locally called itabirite) from the Paleoproterozoic-aged Minas Supergroup in the Iron Quadrangle District in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. BIFs in the Iron Quadrangle have long been mined as a source of iron ore. Recently, BIFs there have been quarried as a source of attractive, high-priced, and very-heavy-for-their-size decorative stones.

In addition to those basic comments, many other important facts about Hollywood are helpful to be aware of. We'll consider some additional helpful information about this remarkable natural stone.

What Hollywood Granite Is Made Of

As with most natural granite, Hollywood is a composition of primarily natural quartz and/or feldspar. It can contain other materials, but the main minerals are those in most cases.

The minerals that make up a Hollywood Granite slab give it some qualities that people are drawn to. Some of these qualities translate into practical properties for daily use and care.

Hollywood Properties

One of the big advantages of natural granite over other hard countertop surface materials is that it is very hard. Materials such as Hollywood Granite are scratch resistant because of the hardness of the material. Hollywood is also heat resistant. Unlike some engineered stone, granite can resist heat and does not burn or discolor.

Hollywood natural granite is also very unique. Not just unique from other stone, but it is also distinct from other Hollywood slabs. Choosing your specific slab is encouraged since each stone can vary one from another.

Installation of Hollywood Granite

It is nice to be able to just go and pick out your Hollywood slab and then patiently wait until it gets installed in your kitchen or other space. However, there is a significant amount of work and skill that goes into a good Hollywood Granite install. Granite professionals invest in powerful equipment and tools to be able to take a slab of rock and formit into a kitchen countertop. For the installation of a slab of Hollywood the fabricator will make use of some particular tools.

One of the tools that a granite professional will most likely use for installing Hollywood is a cartridge glue gun and glue cartridge. These are valuable pieces of equipment when it comes to Hollywood Granite installation. Other tools that you will likely see during installation if you are there when it is installed are seam setters, support brackets, and carry clamps. These are just some of the granite installation tools that make the work of installing Hollywood smoother and more effective.

Hollywood Granite Care

Even though Hollywood Granite surfaces are durable and tough, to keep the natural beauty for which you invested in the surface, a plan for taking care of the stone will be necessary. There are two main aspects of caring for your Hollywood surface. Let's take a brief look at each of these aspects.

Keeping Hollywood Sealed

Your Hollywood surface will arrive with a sealer applied to keep it from readily absorbing liquids. Sealers are applied to natural granite because of the porous nature of natural stone. Maintaining the sealer on your surface is the first way to care for it. Hollywood Granite benefits from periodic testing to see if it needs resealed. every so often, 6 months to a year, simply put a few ounces of water on the surface to see if the stone is "thirsty". If the slab readily soaks up the water, then it is in need of being sealed.

There are a number of natural stone sealers available for all sorts of materials. If you are sealing a kitchen countertop, we offer a food safe stone sealer designed for use on surfaces that come into contact with food. Again periodic testing of the surface will reveal how much sealer it needs.

Hollywood Cleaning

Besides keeping your Hollywood surfaces and countertops sealed properly, you will also need to use some cleaning techniques designed to yield the best results in your overall maintenance program. In so doing, you will find that there are a couple of aspects to cleaning Hollywood surfaces. The first aspect of cleaning granite is the everyday cleaning tasks. This kind of cleaning would include wiping up spills, splatters, and crumbs from the surface of the stone.

When daily cleaning is being performed, the best cleaner for the job is a pH neutral cleaner. Why us a pH neutral cleaner for natural stone? Because these cleaners do not break down the sealer. Some cleaners will simply remove the sealer that you use to treat the surface of the stone. When this happens it is as if the surface was never sealed in the first place. So, using the appropriate cleaner will retain the benefits you gain by using a natural stone sealer.

In addition to the daily cleaning of Hollywood, and particularly in the event that your sealer has been worn down or dissolved, you may find that you have to remove a stain of some sort. When this happens, you will need a different kind of cleaner. There are a number of specialty cleaners that are formulated to remove specific kinds of discolorations. These kinds of cleaners are often referred to as stain removers. Depending on the kind of stain or discoloration you have, you will need a remover made for that particular substance.

About Maintaining Hollywood

It really just boils down to putting together a regular routine of cleaning and sealing your natural Hollywood Granite surface. Once you get the routine into full swing, it just becomes second nature. A good routine for maintaining natural granite, including Hollywood, basically involves the following:

• Use a pH neutral cleaner to keep the sealer from breaking down and clean any debris from the surface.
• Reseal the surface of your granite surface when it gets "thirsty"*.
• Using a fortified stone polish periodically gradually maintains the sealer on the surface of the natural stone.

In conclusion, granite surfaces like Hollywood make very durable surfaces for the home and can ber a challenge to install yourself. Having your Hollywood Granite countertop installed by a professional with the proper tools and equipment will yield the best results. Additionally, how you care for the surface after the installation will go a long way toward years of performance from your Hollywood kitchen countertop surface.