Granite is one of the hardest stones, second only to diamond, a factor that contributes to it being the superior choice for kitchen countertops and floors. As hard as it is, it will still scratch. Drag a pallet with a nail sticking out, and you are going to leave a mark. Removing a granite scratch is not for the faint of heart. You may be able to fill it if it is deep, but typically it is still noticeable. Better to reach out to professional.

A common misperception is that a sealer can repair a scratch. A penetrating sealer is designed to soak into the stone’s pores and set-up. Any material on the surface should be wiped up so that only the materials in the stone pores remains. These materials are designed to bridge very small spaces, not wide scratches. A scratch is like the grand canyon when compared to a pore in your stone.

A topical sealer is designed to leave material on the counter surface. If the hardness of granite is one of its advantages, then when we apply a relatively soft coating to the surface, we have eliminated or rather hidden the granites hardness benefit. It will be easier to damage, scratch or alter the topical coating than the granite itself, so we may cover the scratch, but have merely created a very temporary fix, that will need to be removed again to repair the initial scratch. This actually increases the cost of the repair, and the length of time you may be inconvenienced. Topical sealers are not scratch removers or longterm solutions.

While this is an easy process for a properly trained, knowledgeable, experienced craftsman, there is a reason that many “stone craftsman” shy away from such repairs. You have to know what you are doing or you risk expanding the problem. In order to remove a scratch, one does not fill it, but rather grind the surface down to the level of the bottom of the scratch, then have to feather out the repair across the counter in order to avoid any perceptible slope or soap dishing. As most scratches are a hair’s thickness in depth on a hard granite surface, this sounds scarier than it is. That said, the first step is to remove stock. Once the surface has been releveled, the process of honing, grinding, polishing begins to gradually flatten the repaired surface until it once again is so flat it will reflect light true.

You might hear the professional use the terms honing and grit sizes when referring to your project. Grinding is employed to remove the excess stock above the bottom of your scratch. Honing is the process of smoothing the granite using abrasives. Honing and polishing is the process that will close up your surface gradually wearing any mountains down to the bottom of the valleys. Ultimately working from low to high grits the surface is ground to a mirror like finish. It may sound easy and logical, and it is, but it requires a keen eye and knowledge of the stone. One error and one must return to that point of the error and start again.

While some people prefer to try a home remedy first, this is clearly a case in which this is likely to increase your total cost. Scratch, chip and crack repairs on granite can be done, but hiring a professional will result in a less expensive, less messy, faster, reduced inconvenience process. Remember, that whenever you have a repair done you need to reseal the surface, unless working with a resonated slab (but that is a subject of another article).

Remember to do your research by asking your neighbors or home improvement supply stores for craftsman recommendations. It’s not enough for someone to say they are an expert, or they have the tools, make sure they can show you other projects they have done. Remember marble is not granite. Granite is granite. You want to see examples of granite projects. Get a professional estimate and make sure this job get completed properly.

Have you ever considered installing your own hardwood floors? It might seem like an easy thing to do, but in fact there are several things during the process that must be done correctly in order to get that professional look that you crave.

First things first, measure the room you’re going to do and add 10 to 15 percent extra square footage in order allow for wood irregularities or miscuts. Next, choose the wood you want. There are a lot of places where you can buy hardwood floors, including big box and internet retailers, but going to local stores that are dedicated to wood flooring will give you the customer service that’s required for making a purchase of this kind. The salesperson at the store will ask you to choose whether you want to go with woods that require glue or vapor barrier paper. For the purposes of this article we’ll go with the nicer glue option. One last thing, with either one, you’ll need to acclimatize your wood before you start laying it. Do this by simply opening all of the wood boxes and leaving it in the room where it will be installed for at least 24 hours.

Check the sub-floor for dips, holes or other uneven areas. You’ll need to fill these in with a concrete mix and ensure a totally even surface prior to installing your floors. Once everything is dry and clean you can begin installing your floors.

It’s always a good idea to begin your floors by starting at the longest unobstructed wall. You’ll need to remove the shoe moldings and chalk a 1/4″ line from the baseboard in order to allow for expansion and contraction in certain weather conditions. Now, to keep all the boards straight you’ll need to place chalk lines every three or four lines. Once this is done, place some glue within the chalk line and the wall and ‘scrape’ the glue by using a trowel (with teeth). Only the glue that is left behind by the trowel’s teeth openings is enough to glue the wood onto the concrete foundation. Place the longest board first and go from there. To fit the woods together, firmly push and use a rubber hammer to gently fit the tongue and groove between the hardwood planks.

Once you reach the ends of the room, you’ll need to place the boards you cut to fit. Remember to leave a 1/4″ gap at the end of the wall. Throughout the placement of the wood planks, you’ll need to place tape across three or four rows of the hardwood planks you’ve already put down. This will limit any movement of the planks as they settle into place.

Once you finish putting everything together, you’ll need to fill any holes in the wood with putty. Also, check the floors for any ‘hollow spots’, as these will need to get filled by drilling a very small hole in the hollowed space and injecting glue into it.

After you are finished, place books or any other heavy objects throughout the floor in order to ensure that the planks will stick to the glued floor. Lastly, replace the shoe moldings you previously removed and touch them up with any paint if necessary

Congratulations, you have now completed the installation of your new hardwood floors. Enjoy!