Lustro Italiano > Carioca Gold

Photo provided by James St. John under the Creative Commons 2.0 license.

Helpful Information About Carioca Gold Granite

Carioca Gold 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 Carioca Gold 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 Carioca Gold. 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 Carioca Gold and how to take of it.

Why Carioca Gold 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. Carioca Gold 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 Carioca Gold.

Porphyritic granite from the Precambrian-Cambrian of Brazil. "Granite" in the decorative stone trade is any relatively hard rock that will take a fine polish, regardless of mineralogy or chemistry or geologic origin. "Granites" turn out to be felsic to mafic intrusive igneous rocks (granite, granodiorite, porphyritic granite, rapakivi granite, orbicular granite, pegmatitic granite, graphic granite, anorthosite, monzonite, gabbro, norite, gabbronorite, dolerite, diabase, charnockite, etc.) and high-grade to very high-grade metamorphic rocks (metanorthosite, gneiss, metaconglomerate, amphibolite, quartzite, granulite, migmatite).

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

What Carioca Gold Granite Is Made Of

As with most natural granite, Carioca Gold 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 Carioca Gold Granite slab give it some qualities that people are drawn to. Some of these qualities translate into practical properties for daily use and care.

Carioca Gold Properties

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

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

Installation of Carioca Gold Granite

It is nice to be able to just go and pick out your Carioca Gold 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 Carioca Gold 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 Carioca Gold the fabricator will make use of some particular tools.

One of the tools that a granite professional will most likely use for installing Carioca Gold is a cartridge glue gun and glue cartridge. These are valuable pieces of equipment when it comes to Carioca Gold 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 Carioca Gold smoother and more effective.

What Goes Into Caring for Carioca Gold

Carioca Gold natural granite does benefit from a bit of TLC. True, granite is a chunk of a mountain, which makes it sound virtually indestructible. But don't forget that granite undergoes some treatments before it is installed in a kitchen, bathroom, or other part of the home. So, keeping your Carioca Gold countertop or other surface looking its best takes a little bit of care from the new owner. Caring for Carioca Gold happens in a couple of main ways. These ways are what we will look at next.

Sealing Carioca Gold Granite

You may have heard that natural stone needs to be sealed. You also may have heard that you need to check with the fabricator to find out. Both of these statements are true. One of the two main ways that you can care for your Carioca Gold surface is to periodically reseal the surface using an appropriate stone sealer. There are many kinds and we even offer a stone sealer that is food safe for kitchen countertops (both indoors and outdoors). Keeping up with resealing your Carioca Gold surface helps protect it from oil and water-based liquids that could get into the pores and stain the surface.

Resealing a granite countertop is not a difficult task and it does not have to be done all that often. It all depends on how much wear and tear the surfaces experiences through household use. About every 6 to 12 months it would be good to do a water test on the Carioca Gold surface. This simple test lets you know how absorbent the stone is at that time. The test is easy. Just put som water on the stone in various places and see how fast it absorbs the water. The more absorbent, the more needed the sealer is.

Cleaning Carioca Gold Surfaces

In addition to sealing your Carioca Gold surface, regular cleaning plays a major role in caring for the stone. In fact, there is more than one facet to cleaning a granite surface. The first is daily cleaning using a natural stone cleaner that is formulated to clean without dissolving your stone sealer. Doing this will ensure that you are not resealing your Carioca Gold} surfaces more frequently than you need to.

Another type of cleaning that you may need to perform is a stain removal. There are various kinds of cleaners for stone surfaces. And when a stone's pores are exposed because of not being sealed or from the use of the wrong kinds of daily cleaners specific cleaner may be needed. For example, if a stone is stained from olive oil, a stain remover may be needed to draw the oil out of the stone. By cleaning daily using the proper cleaner however, your Carioca Gold Granite surfaces (especially countertops) will be in the best position to repel stain-causing liquids.

About Maintaining Carioca Gold

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

As with many other project types, Carioca Gold is a natural stone that is best fabricated and installed by a professional with both experience and the right equipment. And once the material is installed and initially sealed, maintenance is needed. As we have seen, Carioca Gold Granite is not a chore to maintain if the proper products are used in the proper manner. Doing so effectively will no doubt provide you with years of performance.

* A thirsty granite stone is one that quickly absorbs water resting on its surface. Simply put a tablespoon of water on the surface of the stone. The faster the water is absorbed, the "thirstier" the stone is.