It’s not uncommon to find homeowners chopping apples on the countertop surfaces when they are in a hurry. It’s also not unusual to find them slicing a lime when making a quick cocktail.
While many do this without causing any damage to the countertops, the solid question is, can you cut on granite countertops?
Yes, you can cut on the countertops, but you shouldn’t overdo it as you risk blunting your knife or scratching the surfaces. This means that you can get away with making a quick chop here and there but avoid cutting, chopping, and preparing your food every day directly on the countertops as you risk defacing the surfaces.
To be on the safe side, when you are doing extensive cutting and chopping, use a cutting board. Besides the board protecting the countertops against scratches and the knife from blunts, it also protects the sealer on the granite from acid erosion.
While the acid from the tomato or lemon won’t hurt your granite, it can break down the sealer, forcing you to seal the surfaces more often.
What else can’t you do on granite surfaces?
Besides not cutting directly on the countertops, there are plenty of other things you shouldn’t do to your countertops to keep them in top working condition. Some of these things include:
Sitting on the countertops
When you look at granite, they appear hard and tough, and they are. Unfortunately, they can’t take a lot of weight. This means that when you sit on them, there is the risk of them breaking. This is often because the countertops contain fissures and striations that can break.
To avoid breakage, avoid sitting on your countertops in the bathroom or kitchen. You also should avoid standing on them when replacing the bulb or reaching the top shelf.
Allowing water to stand on the counters
Water is life, but it can be dangerous, especially to countertops. Even if you have sealed the counters, don’t let water or any other liquids stay on the surfaces for a long time. This is because the liquids are bound to get into the inner countertop layers, making it hard to remove the stains.
To keep your surfaces clean and stain-free, make it a habit to clean the spills as soon as they happen.
Avoid placing liquids directly on the countertops to minimize the chances of spills happening. One of the best places to keep them is in the cabinets. You can also have a bottle tray and place the liquids there.
Placing hot pans on the countertops
The same way homeowners have the impression that their countertops are tough and they can sit on them is the same way they think they can put hot pots and pans on them and take the abuse.
While granite is heat resistant, it isn’t heatproof. This means that you can get away with placing hot pots and pans on the surfaces now and then, but when you regularly do it or make it a habit, you are bound to damage the surfaces.
To avoid this, avoid placing the hot pots and pans directly on the granite surfaces. The right way to go about it is to have hot pads and trivets in place where you place the hot pots to avoid damaging your surfaces.
If you don’t have a hot mat, never remove the pot from the oven while hot—let it cool and only place it on the countertop when it’s fully cold and can’t cause any damage to the countertop surfaces.
So, can you use granite as a chopping board?
As mentioned above, you shouldn’t cut directly on granite kitchen countertops Raleigh, so you can’t use granite as a chopping board. Unless you want to do minor chopping and cutting, always use a wooden cutting board.
The board will not only protect your countertops from scratches and other forms of damage, but also protect your knives from getting blunt and having to sharpen them regularly.