Having an outdoor bar, kitchen, or seating area in your backyard provides a great option for relaxing or entertaining in the summer. But it doesn’t just have to be for fair weather use. With the right design and materials, your outdoor entertainment space can be suitable for year-round use.

Shelter

A shelter is a sensible addition to your outdoor space, even for the summer months when an unexpected shower could otherwise ruin your fun. There are lots of different options when it comes to shelter for your backyard, from temporary options to full structures.

Temporary canopies, shades, tents, or even umbrellas can be erected to provide shelter when it starts to rain. If your outdoor space is directly outside your house, then you could attach an awning to your home to provide shelter. Or you could build a complete shelter or roof over your space for a more permanent solution.

Here are some ideas to inspire you for your outdoor bar or kitchen.

Warmth

Enjoy the outdoors during the cooler months and late into the evening during the summer by adding some warmth to your backyard. A patio heater can be affixed to a wall, fence, or other structure to provide some heat in your backyard. If you’re heating a large space, then installing a couple of patio heaters could keep you cozy outside all year round.

Light

Outdoor lights will also make it easier to use your outdoor space whenever you want. Many people have outdoor lights attached to the back of their home, which may be sufficient depending on where your outdoor bar or kitchen is located. But if this doesn’t suit, then it’s better to install lighting in or around your outdoor space.

Path lights can light the area from the ground, or you could attach lighting around your shelter or the fence surrounding the area. If your space is on decking, you could also build lights into the deck.

Choosing the right materials

When choosing the materials for your outdoor kitchen or bar, it’s important to choose ones that are non-porous and weather-resistant. These types of materials will stand the test of time and remain in good condition. Lots of natural stone types are ideal for outdoor use, particularly if they have been sealed.

Granite countertops are especially good for outdoor bars and kitchens. This article gives you some more ideas on which materials to choose and which to avoid for the outdoors. Contact Amanzi Granite if you’re looking for a natural stone countertop for your outdoor space in High Point, Greensboro, and Winston Salem.

Marble is a beautiful and durable natural stone, which makes it a popular choice for kitchen countertops. But marble does have its weaknesses. When the wrong materials come into contact with marble, they can cause what’s known as ‘etching’. Read on to learn more about etching and how to repair your etched countertops.

What is etching and what causes it?

An etch is a mark left behind on marble when acidic foods or liquids come into contact with its surface. It may appear to be a stain, but it is actually something different. This is because it is not caused by the liquid soaking into the stone, but instead by eating away at it, essentially damaging the stone’s surface.

Calcium carbonate is a compound found in marble, as well as other natural stones such as travertine and limestone. Acidic liquids react with this compound and etch away at the surface of the stone as a result. This leaves behind a dull spot where the liquid sat, commonly known as an etch.

Lots of things can cause etching on marble, including:

• Juice from citrus fruits
• Vinegar
• Wine
• Coffee
• Soda
• Ammonia
• Bleach
• Acidic household cleaners

Unfortunately, sealing your marble will not prevent etching, so you must be careful with the types of cleaners you use and try to keep acidic foods and drinks away from the surface.

How bad is etching?

Should the possibility of etching put you off installing marble countertops? Not necessarily. Etches in marble often aren’t that visible. You often have to catch the surface in the right light and at the right angle to be able to see these marks.

This also depends on the finish of your countertops. Polished marble will show up etches much more prominently than honed marble because the dull spots are in greater contrast to the shiny, glossy surface of polished marble.

Some people really don’t mind small etches on their marble countertops because they feel that they add to the unique patterns and textures of their stone.

How to repair etching

You may be able to repair etches or at least improve their appearance, depending on how bad the marks are and the finish of your countertops. There are some DIY products and solutions that can help you get rid of light etching on polished marble. For more severe etching, you may need to rely on a professional to refinish the surface for you.

If your marble countertops need repairing or refinishing around Kernersville, Winston Sale, Greensboro, or High Point, then contact Amanzi Granite for our professional maintenance services.

Tiled walls are a standard choice in many bathrooms across America, but that doesn’t mean the design and style need to be standard. When it comes to selecting or designing your bathroom tiles, there are lots of different options to create the aesthetic you’re looking for.

Bathroom tile colors

Long gone are the days of pastel-colored everything in home bathrooms. More neutral colors like gray, black, and white have taken center-stage, as well as natural stone colors. Solid-colored tile walls are a popular choice, but you can customize your bathroom design by mixing and matching colors instead.

You could alternate between two colors, whether these are bold and contrasting or similar colors in different shades. You may want to add a splash of color to your bathroom, but feel like it could overwhelm the space. A good choice here is to choose a neutral color for most of the wall and intersperse it with more brightly colored tiles. For example, you could have a single ribbon of purple tiles, for example, going around the room as a way to break up the space and create a kind of border.

Patterned bathroom tiles

The border idea mentioned above could also work well with patterned tiles instead of colored ones. You can display a beautiful and detailed design on your bathroom tiles but, again, this could overwhelm the room and make it look cluttered if used in the entire room. As well as creating a banner or border of patterned tiles, you could intersperse these tiles evenly among the more neutral ones.

Another option is to create a feature wall, which can be done using patterned or colored tiles. One wall could display this bold pattern to break up the more neutral design of the rest of the room, creating a design focal point. Or you could create a backsplash behind your bathroom sink using this principle.

Bathroom tile shapes and sizes

Bathroom tiles don’t have to be a standard shape or size, either. Larger tiles can create a more minimalistic look in your bathroom, which suits modern homes well. You can also experiment with size, opting for long rectangular tiles rather than sticking with square tiles when making them larger.

The benefit of larger tiles is that they are slightly easier to clean and maintain. This is because you will need fewer tiles to fill the space, which means fewer grout lines between tiles.

Whatever style and aesthetic you’re looking for in your bathroom, natural stone tiles make a practical and beautiful choice. Contact Amanzi Granite or visit our Kernersville showroom to see the range of natural stone products we have on offer, including installation services around Kernersville, Winston Salem, Greensboro, and High Point.

Granite is a tough material, just one of the many reasons why it makes a great choice for your floors, kitchen countertops, bathroom tiles, and more. But this doesn’t mean you should start testing its durability by seeing how much heat, pressure, and wear and tear it can take.

You want to keep your granite countertops looking top quality for as long as possible, so it’s important that you treat them right. With this in mind, here are a few things you should avoid doing to your granite countertops.

Putting hot pans directly on your countertops

Your granite countertops come from a highly durable igneous rock, which means they are extremely resistant to high temperatures. But that doesn’t mean the sealant protecting your granite countertops are. Placing a hot pan directly on the surface is likely to damage the sealant, making your countertop more vulnerable. If you do this regularly, it can also lead to discoloration and eventually damage to your granite over time.

Cutting directly on your countertops

The same goes for cutting food on your countertops without a cutting board. Your granite is highly resistant to scratching, but this can lead to increased wear and tear over time. Plus, the granite is tougher than the blade of your knife, so you’ll end up with a dulled blade that won’t be very effective at chopping.

Acidic cleaners or food and drink

Anything acidic can create stains and etches in your granite, particularly if it isn’t sealed properly. The acidity will also damage your seal, gradually working its way through to the granite surface. Make sure you always use non-acidic cleaners or ones designed specifically for use on granite and other types of natural stone. And always be careful around your countertops when using things like vinegar or citrus fruits and their juices. If there are any accidental spillages, then mop them up ASAP.

Climbing on your countertops

If you can’t quite reach the top shelves of your kitchen cabinets, then you might be tempted to just climb up quickly to grab what you need. Or maybe you’ve caught your kids climbing up to reach the snacks. The veins that make your granite so beautiful can be prone to cracking if too much weight is placed on them, so make sure you’re only using your kitchen countertops for what they’re designed for.

If you need granite installing in your home or are looking for more tips on how to care for your granite countertops, then contact Amanzi Granite for our expert advice and professional services around High Point, Greensboro, and Winston Salem, NC.

Here at Amanzi, one of our specialties is marble countertops and other marble features for your home and garden. Marble is an incredibly versatile material, as well as being durable and stunningly attractive. A less well-known option is cultured marble. This alternative sometimes causes confusion when it comes to knowing the difference, so we’re here to clear up any misunderstanding when it comes to marble vs. cultured marble.

What is cultured marble?

Cultured marble is a man-made material that utilizes real marble. The natural stone is essentially pulverized into dust and then combined with synthetic resins, colored with dyes, and then coated with a clear gel to add a protective layer. Cultured marble typically contains around 75% natural marble. Like marble, it can be used for kitchen countertops, backsplashes, bathroom vanities, and more.

The differences between marble and cultured marble

Cultured marble is designed to look like marble and to have similar properties to it, but with a lower price tag. They are both durable but with some vulnerabilities to becoming scratched and stained. And both marble and cultured marble are easy to clean and care for in a similar way.

However, there are still some differences that distinguish the natural stone from its man-made counterpart. While cultured marble does a good job of replicating the appearance of marble, it is not perfect. Like most types of natural stone, each slab of marble is unique with slightly different shades and patterns. Cultured marble is made to replicate this, but it does lack some of the depth, character, and uniqueness of real marble. You may be able to tell the difference between the two just by sight, particularly up close.

One aesthetic difference that some may consider a benefit of choosing cultured marble is that it can be used to craft and install countertops without seams, unlike natural marble that will have seams for larger countertops. Cultured marble also has the advantage that it doesn’t need sealing because its manufacturing process makes it much less porous than natural marble.

Cultured marble vs. engineered marble

Another option is engineered marble, which begins to confuse things even further as this is slightly different from both cultured marble and the natural material itself. You may see these terms used interchangeably as both engineered and cultured marble are made from real marble blended with dyes and resins.

However, there are a couple of key differences between cultured and engineered marble. As mentioned above, cultured marble contains around 75% natural marble dust. Engineered marble contains a higher proportion of natural marble at around 95%. It also uses larger pieces of marble rather than pulverizing it into a kind of dust. As a result, engineered marble tends to look a little more natural and aesthetically pleasing than cultured marble.

Are you looking for marble countertops or backsplashes for your home? Then contact Amanzi Granite for our services and natural stone products around Kernersville, Winston Salem, Greensboro, and High Point.

Natural stone kitchen countertops can look so stunning that it’s sometimes a shame to break up the flow and aesthetic with a stainless-steel or ceramic sink. So, why not choose natural stone for your kitchen sink, too? You can essentially make your kitchen sink a continuation of your countertops, or break up the aesthetic by using a different color of stone or a different material for your sink.

If you’re considering adding a natural stone sink to your kitchen, here are some of the pros and cons to consider first…

The pros of natural stone sinks

The first pro we have to mention is the stylish appearance of natural stone sinks. They can bring a real sense of quality and luxury to the design of your kitchen and look much more appealing than standard stainless-steel sinks. A natural stone sink is also more unique and eye-catching because every slab of natural stone quarried from the ground has slightly different patterns and tones to them.

Their aesthetic is also extremely versatile as you can create a rustic look or a sleeker and more streamlined appeal. Natural stone works with a variety of sink styles, including farmhouse, top mount, and undermount sinks.

Natural stone is also an incredibly tough material, ensuring that it should be long-lasting as long as you have it properly sealed. Materials like marble and granite are highly resistant to becoming scratched or chipped from everyday use. Sealed natural stone is also easy to clean and maintain. Just a quick wipe down after use will keep it in good condition.

The cons of natural stone sinks

The main downside to installing a natural stone sink is the cost. The costs of the sink and installation can be much higher than that of more common sink materials like stainless-steel or porcelain. This is because of the extensive and detailed process natural stone goes through to get from the ground to being a stylish part of your home.

The weight of stone sinks can also add to the cost because you may need to add reinforcements to your kitchen units in order to support a natural stone sink. Their weight also makes installation slightly harder, which could also add to the costs.

While stone sinks are easy to clean, you should take into consideration that you’ll need to seal and reseal the material on a regular basis to keep it well maintained.

Weigh up the pros and cons to decide if a granite sink is right for your kitchen, then contact Amanzi Granite to find the perfect slab for your kitchen design.

Natural stone countertops and floors are big picture objects – they take up a lot of real estate in a room, meaning that they have a big impact on the style and aesthetic of that room. At Amanzi, we focus on the smaller details as well as the big picture. There are lots of ways you can use granite and other types of natural stone to accent your countertops in stylish ways that will stand out.

Here are some different Amanzi Accents you could add to your home…

Granite & quartz cutting boards

Start small by making your cutting board match your natural stone countertops. So, instead of covering your stunning countertop with an average-looking plastic or wooden cutting board, you can keep the natural stone aesthetic going with a quartz or granite cutting board to match your counters. Natural stone is tough so you won’t easily scratch the surface of your cutting board when you use it, but it still protects your countertops from acidic foods.

Granite & quartz backsplashes

We can also provide granite and quartz backsplashes to complement your natural stone countertops. We can cut these from the same slab to match your countertops, or you might choose to go with a different color to contrast your kitchen countertops and serve as a kind of feature wall and focal point of the room. Read more tips on choosing your backsplash here.

Granite high top tables

High top tables make perfect bars for inside and outside of your home. Whether a breakfast bar for eating at or a bar for serving and enjoying drinks at, a granite counter is a good choice for your high top tables. Granite is a suitable material for outdoor use because it is so durable and can stand up to the weather, making a perfect addition to your outdoor kitchen or bar area.

Granite lettering

Make a statement with our 16” high granite letters, available in any color. Create a word or message to hang on your walls or place on your mantel for an eye-catching decoration. They can be also used outdoors, so create your house name or number to add a beautiful accent to the front of your home.

If you’re interested in any of these natural stone accents for your home or yard, then contact Amanzi to find out more or to get a quote for all your natural stone needs around High Point, Greensboro, and Winston Salem.

Whether you’re throwing a party or a quiet get-together, entertaining guests in your home can feel like a lot of pressure. You want to make sure that everyone is having a good time. To help you master the art of entertaining, we’ve got a few basic tips to get you and your home ready.

Get the drinks and snacks in

Firstly, decide what kind of food and drink you’ll be preparing for the party. Are you going to cook something for your guests or just put out some simple snacks like chips and nuts? Get a range of drinks that will suit everyone. Or, if you don’t want to be responsible for all of this, then let your guests know that they should bring their own drinks for the night. You could also try a pot luck where you ask everyone to bring an item of food.

Create the perfect playlist

Choosing the music for your gathering requires judging what the tone of the evening will be. Do you want some chilled background music or something that people can dance to? You can craft a playlist yourself, handpicking songs that your guests will love. Or, you can choose a ready-made playlist on a service like Spotify to save time.

Prepare your countertop space

You’re likely to need plenty of surfaces to lay out snacks or for people to place their drinks on. Your kitchen countertops and island will be a go-to for this if people end up hanging out in the kitchen. If you have an open kitchen/dining room or kitchen/living room, then this will definitely be the case.

Make sure you have plenty of free countertop space to use when entertaining guests. Clear any clutter out of the way and give your countertops a good clean before guests arrive. If you want people to use coasters on your countertops, to prevent natural stone from staining, then make sure they’re aware of this. It’s a good idea to get your stone countertops resealed to protect them from spills.

Utilize outdoor space

If the weather allows it, then you might want to extend your gathering into the backyard. This creates space for more guests and gives people the choice of environment. If you have an outdoor kitchen or bar area, then you can even prepare food and drinks outside. Make sure you have plenty of seating outdoors as well as indoors if you choose to do this.

Are you ready to entertain guests in your home? Make sure your kitchen countertops are ready too. Contact Amanzi Granite for all your natural stone needs around Kernersville, Winston Salem, Greensboro, and High Point, NC.

A kitchen island is an extremely versatile space that can also provide a nice focal point for the design of your kitchen. If you’re thinking of adding an island to your kitchen, then we’ve got some tips to help you design it.

The size of your island

The first consideration when adding an island to your kitchen is whether or not you have enough space. Installing an island in a small kitchen can leave you very little space in which to move around. Measure your floor to make sure a kitchen island would fit and to determine the dimensions you want for your island.

Under island storage

Your island can also help save space in your kitchen by incorporating storage under the island counter. It’s the perfect place for drawers, cabinets, or open storage. Alternatively, you might want to install kitchen appliances like a small refrigerator or an oven underneath your island. If you’d prefer to have an open space under your island, then make sure the rest of your kitchen provides sufficient storage space.

Countertop materials

Next up is the surface of your kitchen island. It is best to match your kitchen island countertop with the counters in the rest of your kitchen to create a uniformity across the room. This will make sure your island looks like a natural extension of your kitchen. Choose the same material and try to match the tones and patterns, although natural stone tends to be slightly different with each slab.

Edge profile

With the edge profile of your island, you might choose to match it with your countertops. Modern kitchens tend to look best with minimalist edges like a square or beveled edge. Or you could create a contrast between your island and the rest of the room. Where an intricate edge might look over-the-top when applied to the entire kitchen, it can serve to draw the eye to your kitchen island as the focal point of the room. A waterfall edge can also suit kitchen islands perfectly.

Kitchen island accessories

Think about what you’ll be using your kitchen island for. If you need extra space for cooking and preparing food, then you might want to install a stovetop in your island or a kitchen sink and draining area. If you go in this direction, then it’s a good idea to split the island in half, with half used for appliances like these and the other half as open space for sitting and eating at. For this purpose, bar stools or other high chairs are essential to provide seating for you and your guests.

If you want a natural stone countertop to perfect your kitchen island, then contact Amanzi Granite to choose the best surface for you. We can install and seal your granite countertop around Kernersville, Winston Salem, Greensboro, and High Point, NC.

There are a lot of different design elements involved in a kitchen remodel. Two of the elements that take up the most real estate in the room are your kitchen countertops and cabinets fronts. Whether you choose matching or contrasting designs for these surfaces, it’s important that they complement each other well to bring the design of the room together.

We’ve got some tips to help you decide how to pair your kitchen countertops and cabinets.

Matching colors

The simplest way to match your cabinets and countertops together is to literally match them. This is easiest to do with white or black surfaces, which can both create a striking aesthetic for your kitchen. Shades of gray can also work well, but if you’re going for a bold and bright color, then the color could overwhelm the room if you use it on both surfaces.

Light and dark

Another option is to contrast the two surfaces against each other. Sometimes, too many light surfaces in a room don’t create a very distinctive aesthetic, while too many dark shades can make the room seem smaller with less light. This mostly comes down to personal preference, but another option is to pair light with dark. For example, a light-colored countertop could be nicely contrasted by darker cabinets above and below it, or vice versa.

Bring out the details in your countertops

Many types of natural stone, like granite and marble, have small flecks of color in them. So, while the overall color of the slab could be neutral, there may be more vibrant flecks in a variety of shades. If you want to add a splash of color to your kitchen without it being overwhelming, then you could try matching the cabinet doors to these flecks. Say you’ve got a light gray granite countertop with small specks of purple naturally occurring in it, you could then use a matching shade of purple on your cabinet doors.

Accent with accessories

If you choose contrasting colors for your cabinets and countertops, then a good way to really bring the two together is by using accessories as accents. Your cabinets’ hardware is the easiest way to achieve this. Let’s say you’ve chosen a darker or bolder countertop with a lighter or more neutral cabinet. You could then select a darker cabinet handle to create a nice contrast against the cabinet door while matching the kitchen countertop. Perfectly complementing each other like yin and yang.

If you need help designing your kitchen remodel, then we can help you select and install the perfect countertops. Contact Amanzi Granite to find out more about how we can support you around Kernersville, High Point, Greensboro, and Winston Salem.