Your bathroom’s countertops are one of the most important facets of the room, whether you realize it or not. Try putting on makeup or brushing your teeth or shaving without a countertop and you’re likely going to have a lot of trouble! But with all of the versatility that a countertop offers you, comes a myriad of abuse that you’re not seeing as you put them to the test each and every day.
After years and years of serving as your platform for any and all bathroom activities, it’s often not surprising when countertops crack, scuff, discolor or become damaged in any other way. Often, these damages can be mitigated or avoided altogether with the right approach. Take a look at five ways to extend the life of your bathroom’s countertops and reduce the odds that you’ll need counter top repair in Phoenix, AZ:
Keep hot and cold extremes off of your countertops whenever possible! This means curling irons, flat irons, hot blow driers and other hair care accessories, as well as things like ice packs or frozen beverages, should not be left on your countertops! These temperature extremes can cause stress to the material and over time, can wear down the resilience of a space that has seen too much abuse.
Keep chemical cleaners to a minimum when it comes to making your bathroom sparkle. The leading cause of countertop damage is often abrasive cleaning chemicals that slowly wear away at the sealant of a countertop, causing other forms of wear and tear to quickly take root. Stick to the natural cleaners and you should preserve your countertops for longer.
Clean often and thoroughly! Not only will this keep grime and debris from accumulating on your countertops to deteriorate them slowly, it’ll also make your bathroom feel more welcoming and inviting, not to mention cleaner. All it takes is a deep clean once a week and minor tidiness throughout the week and your bathroom will sparkle, including those countertops.
Reduce the impacts that your countertops take on a daily basis. This means avoiding slamming objects down on the surface, trying not to drop items on your countertops, etc. All it takes is one well placed drop or one unfortunate object slamming into the countertop to create a small chip or crack and you’ve got yourself a constant reminder of the incident.
Wash your hands frequently. Yes, that’s right, washing your hands can help to improve the life of your countertops! How? Well, your hands have all sorts of natural oils on them, which can get on the countertops themselves when you touch them… and long after you walk away the oils and other microbes will still be there, doing damage to your surface. Washing your hands helps to minimize this impact.
If you’re wondering how to make your countertops look better for longer and avoid costly counter top repair in Phoenix, AZ, start with the five tips above! You’re sure to see a noticeable difference in the longevity of this oft-used bathroom necessity.
We don’t often give much thought to our showers other than when we’re in them, and even then, we’re usually too busy singing our favorite tunes and soaping away to do much else than ponder what the day has in store for us when we step out to towel off. And while your shower might just be that familiar first step of every day, what you might be missing is all of the damage that can accumulate over time around you.
Showers are pretty resilient, considering they’re bombarded with water, soap and whatever debris is washing off of us on a daily basis… but they’re not invincible. In fact, there are some telltale areas of your shower that are going to degrade over time, which calls for shower repair in Glendale more often than not. Take a look at a few of these troublesome areas:
Grout: If you have a tile shower, the grout between these tiles is your number one area of concern. Even if you clean between your tiles regularly, they’re still bound to suffer some wear over time and it’s going to take a professional’s touch to restore the resilience to this area of your tile again. A good grout repair will eliminate organic bacteria, scale buildups and anything else that might be defacing your grout.
Caulking: Much like grout, the caulking of your shower is going to act as a seal to prevent water damage from taking its toll on your shower. Caulking isn’t the strongest material, however and can break down over time whether because it has dried out or because it simply wasn’t applied correctly the first time around. Having your shower re-caulked is going to reestablish one of your showers’ first lines of defense.
Tiles: Cracked tiles are no good for your shower and are sure to invite water into places where it certainly doesn’t belong! Water behind your tile is going to cause everything from rot to mold growth and can quickly compromise your bathroom. Have broken or cracked tiles repaired by a professional to avoid the headache that water damage can bring with it.
Porcelain: Have an annoying crack in the porcelain section of your shower? Well, unfortunately that crack isn’t going heal itself, nor is it going to get any smaller. Hiring a porcelain repair professional is about the only course of action you’ve got—other than the poor quality fix that a store-bought repair kit might yield—and making the investment to fix up your porcelain is actually making an investment in your shower itself!
If you notice things like stains, blemishes, cracks, chips, scratches or other damages to your shower that may be the result of years and years of unseen abuse, it’s time to make sure your shower is finally getting repaid for all of those refreshing showers it provided you with! Don’t let these seemingly small problems get any worse: contact a professional today to correct them while they’re still minor.
There are numerous ways to go about hiring a Phoenix bathtub refinishing company. For most people, the process typically begins with searching the Internet or Yellow Pages and finding a professional company with a stable business address. Checking online reviews and asking for referrals is always a good way to help determine whether a company is worth considering or not.
Other people like to ask friends or family members for recommended companies—this can be a great way to hire a contractor since someone you know has personal experience working with them. No matter how you choose to find a company, remember to call ahead and have a conversation with them so you can assess their professionalism. Always ask about experience and pricing, and consider whether you might want several companies to inspect the work you need done for competitive bidding.
Another key component of assessing a company is determining whether they are BBB accredited. Here is what BBB accreditation guarantees from your Phoenix bathtub refinishing company.
Setting a high bar
Many people are not aware that the Better Business Bureau offers an accreditation that helps consumers determine whether a company or contracting service is worth working with or not. Even fewer people understand that not every company can become accredited. In other words, it is not just a simple process in which every company can become accredited. In fact, the process requires a lot on the part of the company or contractor, both to receive and maintain accreditation. The goal of receiving accreditation is to prove that the company maintains certain ethical standards and provides quality services for consumers. No con artist companies or disreputable contractors will maintain accreditation, or even manage to earn it in the first place.
The process to earn accreditation for a Phoenix bathtub refinishing company begins with experience. In order to even apply for accreditation, a company or contractor must be established in business for at least a year, and approved companies typically have more experience than this. Experience means knowing the trade and industry and speaks to quality service. It also offers a track record of accomplished business—poor service serves as evidence that the company should not be BBB accredited. For accreditation, a company must also follow all licensing and bonding requirements for their particular business. Many companies that offer poor service do not adequately follow the law. BBB accreditation ensures the company complies with all relevant legal requirements.
Maintaining high standards all around
All BBB accredited companies must maintain certain ethical standards. This means transparency, integrity and self-regulation in the industry to ensure no shady business practices. Importantly, the company must also follow many honest advertising principals to make sure no consumers have been misled. Companies must also stay free from government action or major complaints to maintain BBB accreditation.
In sum, going with a Phoenix bathtub refinishing company that is BBB accredited means hiring a company that has a guaranteed track record of offering quality business services in their community. While your search for a company might begin with the Internet or asking friends, remember to make your final decision by checking whether the company is BBB accredited.
Bathrooms are probably the most difficult part of a home to clean. While it might be easy to give a bathroom a quick tidying up, such as taking out the garbage, shining the mirror and scrubbing the toilet, giving a thorough cleaning takes a lot of effort. Every so often, cleaning the bathroom is absolutely necessary, though, not just to give everything a sparkly clean finish before a party, but also for basic hygiene. Ever notice how professional cleaning services manage to get bathrooms cleaner than you can ever imagine doing yourself—the way the toilet appears brand new and the bathroom tiling in Glendale is absolutely spotless? There are a few tricks to getting your bathroom perfectly clean. Here are a few tips on how to make your bathroom tiling appear like new again.
A little preparation goes a long way: Cleaning your bathroom tiling in Glendale starts with properly preparing your bathroom. For starters, make sure your bathroom is well ventilated, since it is not recommended that you breathe in harsh cleaning solution fumes for any long period of time. Remove from the bathroom any floor mats, towels or anything else you would like to avoid staining or getting wet. Finally, prepare yourself for cleaning day, as well. Throw on some old clothes and rubber gloves so you can clean without worrying about ruining clothing or getting chemicals on your skin.
Choose the proper cleaning materials: Decide ahead of time what type of cleaning solution you want to use. Any trip down the cleaning aisle at your local grocery or hardware store will offer you many options to choose from. But don’t just grab any cleaning solution that is specifically for bathroom tiling in Glendale—actually read the label to ensure the chemicals will not damage any of the materials in your bathroom. Another option is to make a cleaning solution yourself, which can save you some money. Simply mixing baking powder, vinegar and water in a spray bottle will provide you a great solution capable of degreasing and abrasive enough to work out deep stains. Bleach with water also is an option. Also pick out your cleaning tools. A few microfiber cloths and brushes should do the trick, and many people like to use an old toothbrush for those hard-to-reach places.
Get down to business: Once you have prepped your bathroom and gathered your cleaning supplies, now it is time to actually get down to work. Start by running your shower at a high temperature for a few minutes. The hot water and steam will remove the top layer of filth and will loosen up embedded soap scum, body oils, mold and mildew. Next, apply a good amount of cleaning solution to the bathroom tiling in Glendale. Allow it to sit for a few minutes and then use your brush to scrub the grout and in harder-to-reach corners. Also scrub visible stains. Now use your microfiber cloths with warm water applied to scrub and wipe away the cleaning solution—remember to apply some arm strength to this. Finally, run your shower again and rinse away any excess filth and cleaning solution. Hopefully, by following this guide, your tiling will be back to looking good as new in less than an hour’s time.
For most people, the centerpiece of their bathroom is the bathroom vanity. It’s where so much of the action happens, and it’s often the first thing someone notices upon walking into the bathroom. But having a gorgeous bathroom vanity doesn’t come very easily. You need beautiful fixtures and a quality countertop to start with, and then you have to remember to keep it nice and clean on a regular basis. Many people succeed on these fronts, but unfortunately, scratches, gouges, water damage and general wear and tear take their toll over time, and what’s left is a vanity that’s seen better days. A damaged bathroom vanity looks far less appealing, and isn’t exactly going to inspire anyone to linger in the bathroom any longer than they have to.
The good news is that there’s an option that can bring a lively shine back to even the saddest looking bathroom vanity: professional vanity refinishing in Glendale. By using professional materials and equipment, a skilled contractor can turn your old vanity into something much nicer, with far less damage to your bank account and very little disruption to your everyday life.
Having your bathroom vanity refinished by a professional is a great investment in the appearance and function of a part of your home in which comfort and elegance is important. If you just want your home to look nice and be well kept up, vanity refinishing is a good solution to a problem that can seem small at first, but that has the potential to become much worse.
One of the other major benefits of refinishing your bathroom vanity is that it’s generally a much less expensive option than replacing it. Besides, if you’re fond of your existing vanity, why part with it if it’s possible to have it looking much more like new? Not only that, but the process of replacing a vanity is quite a bit more complicated and time-consuming, as well, once you factor in having to deal with plumbing, mirror removal, messes and other hassles. The refinishing process, however, creates much less of a headache, and can typically be started and finished within a day or so.
Perhaps best of all, refinishing your bathroom vanity can extend its life by 10 to 15 years, and maybe even longer. For far less than the cost of replacement, you can have the vanity you know and love in smooth and shiny condition once again. That way, you can save the money you were planning spend on a brand-new vanity and focus on making some other, more pressing home improvement.
Finding the right professional contractor capable of vanity refinishing in Glendale is not a process that should be undertaken lightly. When you’re convinced that something can be done about your dull and worn-looking vanity, look for a contractor that’s licensed, bonded and insured for your protection. A-1 Porcelain & Fiberglass Service L.L.C. can provide high quality refinishing services and have your bathroom vanity looking better than ever. Call us today for a free estimate!
