Stainless Steel Appliances-Fad or Future?

Opal from Athens is replacing her appliances and asked if stainless steel is the way to go or if there is another trend on the horizon. Over the years we have seen avocado, harvest gold, aqua, pink, white, black and almond appliances. Some of these colors have come and gone, thank goodness, and some colors have stayed. Most recently we are seeing oil rubbed bronze, graphite, cobalt blue, red, black and stainless steel

I foresee stainless steel, black and white remaining as classic appliance finishes. These finishes are great neutral colors that blend well with whatever cabinetry, flooring, countertop color of style you may have.

White appliances blend well with white cabinets while black appliances work well with darker, stained cabinets. Stainless steel is a good neutral that works well with any finish. Stainless steel is viewed as a more upscale, high end finish. Surprisingly, sometimes there is not that much price difference between black and stainless steel appliances. According to Athens Refrigeration and Appliance, you can assume that stainless steel appliances are about 20% more than black appliances.

If you are like me and can’t walk past the red or cobalt blue appliances without yearning for them in your own home, consider them for your laundry room. A fun color in a small and otherwise boring space could really brighten it up. Imagine how happy you would be to do laundry if you had appliances that brought a smile to your face.

Granite: Harmful or Helpful? Effortless or High Maintenance?

Evelyn from Royston has asked about the health risks associated with granite. As the use of granite countertops has grown in popularity, the question has been raised of the possible unsafe levels of radon present.

 

According to a study commissioned by the Marble Institute of America, granite is a minor contributor to radon emissions in homes. The radon concentration is 300 times lower than outdoor air, 1000 times below the concentration found in American homes and 3000 times less than the EPA’s action level for indoor air.

 

Now that we know that granite countertops are perfectly safe, let’s take a look at its other positive characteristics.

 

• Natural beauty
• Wide variety of colors and patterns
• Impervious to heat
• Resistant to staining
• Scratch resistant
• Natural resistance to bacteria

 

Once you have granite countertops, there are a few guidelines for care. According to Bella Maria, a local granite fabricator, their granite is installed pre-sealed and only needs to be sealed once a year. Sealing your granite is a very simple process. Start off with a quality sealer, best found at your granite supplier. Most instructions are as simple as wiping the liquid on, similar to any cleaner, and letting it dry. It dries very quickly and then is ready for use. The best everyday cleaner for granite is hot, soapy water.

 

In the end, granite is a wonderful and very beautiful choice for a kitchen or bathroom. It is hard to beat the natural beauty that nature produces.