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That can only mean one thing: It’s time to discuss tips and techniques for cleaning an outdoor kitchen.

When they’re done right, outdoor kitchens are designed to be inherently durable and easy to clean, but that doesn’t mean they don’t require some regular maintenance to keep them functioning at optimal levels.

Here are five tips on cleaning an outdoor kitchen that will keep this space functional, clean and ready all summer long:

Don’t let the grill get too greasy

After the burgers and beer have been devoured, you might be tempted to kick back with a nightcap. But before you do, make sure to thoroughly clean your grill. Let it cool, wipe it down with soapy water and avoid using steel wool and chemical cleaners. Doing this will help prevent rust, corrosion and grease fires in the future.

Go easy on the appliances

Many outdoor kitchens feature stainless steel appliances because they are incredibly durable. They are also easy to clean. Again, eschew chemical cleaners and steel wool, which can cause scratches and corrosion. Instead, gently wipe down your appliances with warm soapy water.

Don’t forget the furniture

When you think about cleaning an outdoor kitchen, you problem think about the grill, the appliances and the countertops. But you shouldn’t forget about your furniture. Before you retire for the evening, make sure to cover it up–preferably with vinyl covers that don’t touch the floor and allow moisture to be released. This will help ensure that your furniture is dry, fresh and properly functioning the next time you want to use it.

Free the fireplace

Once the flames are gone and the leftover logs are cool, make sure you make time to clean ashes and soot from your fireplace. This will help keep debris from being blown all over your kitchen by the wind. Soot and ashes are a lot easier to clean up when they are contained to the fireplace.

Care for your countertops

Natural stone such as granite, marble and even soapstone–all of which are available at Arch City Granite & Marble–make for outstanding outdoor countertops. They’re durable, visually stunning, and actually clean up pretty easily (especially with the assistance from the sun and rain). But they also need to be sealed regularly.

If you’re currently in the process of cleaning and refurbishing an outdoor kitchen, be sure to contact us at Arch City Granite for all of your countertop needs.

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But, whether your remodeling project is painful or productive depends largely on your ability to avoid common mistakes that make remodeling miserable.

Here’s a list of three critical mistakes you don’t want to make while remodeling a new or old home:

Mixing without matching. An ultra-modern kitchen is ultra-cool and convenient, but it can also make your home feel awkward if it doesn’t fit with the rest of the surroundings. Imagine a state-of-the-art-kitchen in the middle of a turn-of-the-century farmhouse. It doesn’t always work.

If you really want to modernize your kitchen, pay close attention to the materials you use and make sure they fit naturally into your home’s overall style. And remember, remodeling with granite is always a good idea because it provides an array of color options, works in both traditional and contemporary designs, and stands the test of time.

Living for today. Remodeling your home is a huge investment and undertaking. Make sure to think about how your room–whether it’s the kitchen, a bathroom or an entire floor of your home–will be used for years to come.

Kids grow up, so lowered countertops might not make sense in four years. Trends change, so if you’re in love with a gaudy hue, think about how you can use it sparingly through accents and decor. And always try to choose building materials that will stand the test of time–which is why remodeling with granite is always a good decision.

Vacillating. It’s easy to change your mind in the middle of a remodeling project. After all, your vision for what the project should look like won’t be complete until the project is over. Sometimes, the cupboards you choose that you just know will work perfectly with the granite countertops don’t look great when they’re installed and the granite hasn’t been placed yet.

Avoid vacillating. Make sure you explore every option before you get started with the project. Turn over every slab of granite before committing to remodeling with granite. Touch, test and try your new appliances and flooring materials. Look at a lot of different lights. Changing your mind in the middle of a project can be quite costly.

When you’re in the midst of planning a home remodel, you can also protect yourself by using the kitchen visualizer from Arch City Granite & Marble. It’s fast, free and easy to use when you’re deciding on new countertop materials.

The post Ready to Remodel? Don’t Make these Mistakes appeared first on Arch City Granite & Marble.

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How long do you think it took people to figure out that spending a little more time on the front end of a project can save a lot of time and money on the back end?

Probably a while.

There’s another axiom that has been heard in homes throughout the St. Louis area lately: “If you want something done right, call the countertop fabrication experts at Arch City Granite & Marble.”

Okay, maybe there aren’t throngs of people walking around St. Louis exalting the work done by Arch City Granite & Marble’s fabricators. But there are a lot of them. Here’s why: Arch City Granite & Marble uses the latest technology to make sure customers get exactly what they want.

No, good old-fashioned customer service hasn’t been replaced by innovation. Instead, the two have been combined to ensure that all of the stone countertops fabricated and installed by Arch City Granite & Marble is measured, cut and placed with absolute precision.

The process starts when a highly-trained technician visits your home. After the usual pleasantries are exchanged, she or he listens to your concerns and answers your questions. Then a high-tech measuring device–either the Proliner or the Faro Arm Digital Templating machine–is pulled out and your countertop space is measured.

Using this technology ensures that your stone countertops will be an absolute perfect fit the first time your granite, marble, quartz or soapstone slabs are cut. It also allows you to see a computer-assisted drawing of your countertops so you can be absolutely, positively sure that you are comfortable with your selection.

Essentially, human errors are entirely eliminated from the process and you get one last chance to change your mind before your stone is cut.

After the measurements are complete, your stone is cut, fabricated, adjusted to account for seams or joints, polished and then hand-fabricated for absolute quality control. And when your new granite, marble, quartz or soapstone countertops arrive for installation, you and the installers will know with precision that every piece will fit perfectly–because state-of-the-art technology was used to measure it and you have already seen the computer-assisted drawings.

See? If you want your stone countertops installed correctly, you can’t go wrong when you contact the experts at Arch City Granite & Marble. With two locations in the St. Louis area, it’s always easy and convenient.

The post Arch City will Measure Out Your Stone Countertop with Digital Precision appeared first on Arch City Granite & Marble.

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Yes, there are a lot of obvious reasons to love marble.

There is also another, much less obvious reason to fall in love with the metamorphic rock that adorns some of the most prestigious and beautiful buildings in the world: Cleaning marble countertops is extremely easy!

As you probably already know, marble is a soft stone, which means it is susceptible to staining and even etching. But as long as you are careful and take good care of your marble countertops (by keeping them clean), they can stand the test of time.

Here’s a quick lesson on cleaning marble countertops.

First, you will need to gather a few supplies, including:

• Warm water
• A dish soap that is gentle and non-abrasive
• A plastic spray bottle
• A wash cloth or soft cleaning rag
• A soft and ultra-absorbent towel.

Second, you will need to make a mixture of warm water and dish soap:

• Fill your plastic spray bottle with warm water.
• Add approximately a tablespoon of the non-abrasive dish soap.
• Gently shake your plastic spray bottle to ensure that your cleaning solution is mixed very well.

Finally, you will need to wipe down your countertops:

• Lightly spray your countertops with your cleaning solution.
• Wipe the soapy water off of your countertops with your wash cloth or soft cleaning rag.
• Use your towel to rub the countertops dry and buff them.

See? Cleaning marble countertops is incredibly easy. It’s also incredibly quick–depending on how much countertop space you have.

There are, however, a few words of warning you need to be aware of:

• The best way to keep your marble countertops clean is to immediately blot up any spills.
• Never use generic, store-purchased cleaning products on your marble countertops–regardless of the too-good-to-be-true claims they make. They can damage marble.
• Don’t make homemade cleaning solutions with vinegar, ammonia or fruit juice. They are all acidic and can easily damage your marble countertops.

If you follow the directions above and follow the words of advice, you should have no problem keeping your marble countertops clean. For more information about bringing magnificent marble into your home, contact us at Arch City Granite & Marble today.

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  Source: Arch City Granite

  Furniture-style kitchen cabinets. This year, the island in your kitchen could look more like a stylish, granite-topped dresser than a functional storage space. One of the hottest 2015 kitchen design trends is to add furniture-style design features to the cabinetry.

• A mix of the modern and the traditional. Sleek and cosmopolitan kitchen designs are so 2014. This year, people seem to be leaning toward combining the modern with the traditional. For example, dark-colored wood cabinets are being combined with magnificent white marble countertops.
• Stunning, stylish ceilings. It used to be easy to overlook ceilings. After all, they just played a supporting role, serving as nothing more than a place to put the lights. But in 2015, ceilings just might become the star of the kitchen stage. This year, you’ll start seeing more design elements, creative lighting and coffer ceilings.
• Dark colors–or more specifically: black. That’s right, one of the hottest 2015 kitchen design trends involves incorporating the color black (and dark, dark browns) into everything from the cabinets to the countertops. Painting cabinets black or choosing a slab of titanium granite for the countertops will soon be commonplace.
• Wide open spaces. Where kitchen design used to be all about making the most of the space you had, today’s kitchens are being designed to make more space. Open floor plans, kitchens designed without an abundance of cupboards and shelves hanging in the open will be popular this year. The goal is to make the kitchen more comfortable for entertaining, socializing and, yes, cooking, too.
• Smart investments. Some things never change, and that includes the importance of making smart investments. One of the 2015 kitchen design trends that seems to have staying power is making smart investments. That includes choosing building materials that will hold their value–like high-quality appliances, the best cabinets and natural stone countertops. Each of these building materials not only makes your kitchen a more enjoyable place, but each also increases the overall value of your home.

If you want to explore your natural stone options, contact the experts at Arch City Granite & Marble. They have a full array of granite, marble, quartz and soapstone countertops.

The post Renovating? Check out these 2015 kitchen design trends appeared first on Arch City Granite & Marble.

Source: Arch City Granite

When it comes to kitchen countertop materials, you’ve got a lot of options.

Which one you choose could depend on your style, décor, personal preference and plenty of other factors. But one thing is for sure: Making the right choice depends on your understanding of the pros and cons of all your options.

Here’s a look at some popular kitchen countertop materials—and why each one might be right for you:

The eco-friendly options. If you’re all about protecting the environment and minimizing your carbon footprint, you might want to consider going with bamboo, bio-glass or recycled paper (yes, recycled paper). Each is considered eco-friendly—bamboo because it’s a rapidly renewable resource, bio-glass and paper because they’re made from 100 percent recycled materials.

If there is a downside to the eco-friendly kitchen countertop materials, it’s that they’re not as durable as some of your other options. Recycled paper, for example, can’t take the heat if it’s more than 350 degrees.

The laminates. This once ubiquitous, postwar countertop material has lost some of its popularity in recent years, but it’s still a good option for those looking for an affordable option that requires minimal maintenance.

Like the eco-friendly options, it’s not the most durable material available and it doesn’t handle heat well at all.

The tiles. Not only are countertops made from stone or ceramic tile durable, they’re also affordable. In addition, they are not that common, so if you’re going for a unique look in your kitchen, tile can help provide it.

Of course, a unique look doesn’t come completely cost-free. Tile countertops have grout joists that can get dirty, crack and keep you busy with cleaning and maintenance. But if you don’t mind using a little elbow grease on your counters, they’re a nice option.

The natural stones. Of all the kitchen countertop materials, none holds its value, offers the durability and comes in so many color options as natural stone. Granite, soapstone and quartz have been known to instantly increase the value of a home. Each is also incredibly durable, sometimes serving as their own cutting boards.

Sure, natural stone is an investment, but it’s an investment that holds its value.

If want to explore your natural stone countertop options, contact Arch City Granite & Marble—and find the option that’s best for you.

The post How to choose the right surface material appeared first on Arch City Granite & Marble.

Over the centuries, the way people use soapstone may have changed, but its value has remained the same:

Source: Houzz

Beauty

Soapstone’s rich, textured beauty makes it an incredibly versatile material. Not only can it be used in the kitchen or the bathroom, but it can be incorporated into any design—from rustic to modern to modern rustic. It comes in three colors—grey, black and green—which gives you an array of attractive design options.

Durability

Soapstone stands alone among its counterparts in that it is softer and more pliable, meaning that it is less likely to crack or chip. It can withstand more weight and more heat than other countertop materials. And because it’s non-porous, homeowners don’t have to worry about their soapstone countertops staining when liquids such as wine, oil or coffee are spilled on them.

Heat Resistant

One of the properties that made soapstone popular with people centuries ago is its resistance to heat. Native Americans used soapstone to make cooking tools and utensils because heat from fires would not destroy them. Today, the same remains true, and red-hot pans, cups of coffee and even bowls of boiling water are no match for soapstone, which easily absorbs heat without cracking. Yes, soapstone’s resistance to heat is perhaps its most important and impressive enduring advantage.

Environmentally Friendly

Soapstone is 100 percent natural, so it doesn’t require any harsh chemical cleaners or sealers, although you may choose to apply an all-natural oil to make your countertops shine. Nothing about your soapstone countertops will introduce any foreign chemicals to your home or the environment.

Safety

Because soapstone countertops are non-porous, they are naturally cleaner and safer than other types of countertops. Bacteria can’t penetrate soapstone as easily as it can other materials, making soapstone countertops incredibly safe and easy to clean. All it takes to keep your countertops clean and looking great is some mild soap, some warm water and a sponge.

To learn more about why soapstone has been a coveted material for thousands of years–and why soapstone countertops are a good investment in any home–contact Arch City Granite & Marble today.

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