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Does your kitchen need a fairy godmother?

It’s morning. Again. Time to trudge down to your kitchen, make breakfast (but first, coffee) and start your day. Maybe you’re greeted by boring vinyl counters. Maybe you walk across a cracked laminate floor. Maybe your backsplash hasn’t been updated since shag carpets were all the rage.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could wave a magic wand and update your kitchen? You know, bibbity-bop-bounter, update my counters? Look no further. Granicrete Minnesota is your kitchen remodel fairy godmother, and we’re here to dispel your renovation worries.

Common Myths About Renovating Your Kitchen with Granicrete

Kitchen renovation has to be expensive.
Have you ever priced out a full kitchen remodel? Sticker shock alert! The average homeowner spends $17,000 on a full kitchen remodel, but you don’t have to. Granicrete is a natural stone alternative at an affordable cost. Starting at $50.00 – $80.00 per square foot, Granicrete counters, floors, backsplashes, and more are within your reach… and your budget.

Granicrete counters are high-maintenance
Have you ever spilled wine on a granite countertop? If you don’t clean it up right away, liquids can seep into the porous stone and cause staining. And worse? Bacteria. Non-porous, bacteria-resistant, non-staining Granicrete is NSF Certified for your peace of mind and ease of use. Maintenance for Granicrete is so simple! Just clean your counters with soap and water, and you’re good to go. If you’ve got a stubborn bit of grime stuck on your Granicrete counter, we recommend Windex. Want something less harsh? Try “The Original Bee’s Wax” – it’s foodsafe!

Concrete is unattractive – no thank you!
Granicrete is a highly customizable product. Unlike traditional concrete, we offer Granicrete flooring, counters, and more in every color you can think of. Want marble-inspired counters without paying for natural stone? Granicrete. Looking to match a specific color in your design? Granicrete. Want a piece of art instead of a generic tile backsplash? Yep – Granicrete does that too.

Ready to wave your magic wand and update your kitchen? Call Granicrete Minnesota today at 507-373-3547 to summon your fairy godmother.

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Granicrete Minnesota + The Outdoor Greatroom Company + MN Concrete Products

We are exploring a collaboration with MN Concrete Products and The Outdoor Greatroom Company to bring one-of-a-kind color to their outdoor firepits and freestanding firetables.

MN Concrete Products manufactures precast concrete products of all shares, sizes, and colors. The Outdoor Greatroom Company offers easy to use, weather resistant firepits, fireplaces, pergolas, outdoor kitchens, and outdoor furniture. Their mission is to bring family and friends together by redefining the home living experience through innovative products and people. This is a potential match made in heaven for Granicrete Minnesota.

We resurfaced three freestanding firepits with innovative, heat resistant Granicrete to see how our products work with theirs. By resurfacing with Granicrete, we’ve collaborated to create unique, one-of-a-kind products for their customers’ outdoor living spaces. We had a great time working with MN Concrete Products and The Outdoor Greatroom Company. Stay tuned to see if our exploration can lead to working with The Outdoor Greatroom Company and MN Concrete Products in the future!

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Top 10 Reasons You Should Be Using Granicrete!

Granicrete is a unique and innovative material, unlike anything else on the market. From tile to countertops, baths to outdoors, we’ve got it covered – literally! But just in case you need more convincing, we’ve narrowed down the top 10 reasons you should use Granicrete in your next project!

1. Innovative

Use Granicrete for countertops, interior/exterior flooring, showers, fireplace surrounds, pool decks, patios etc. Our product is the ORIGINAL concrete overlay for countertops. It won the Most Innovative Product award at the 2007 World of Concrete.

2. Customizable

Not only are all of our designs and colors one of a kind, but we can offer a variety of sealer and edge options.

3. Exceptional Strength

Our countertops are 3 times the strength of regular concrete, and our floors are twice the strength.

4. Artisan Crafted

All work is hand crafted and designed by a trained artisan.

5. No Staining or Bacteria

Granicrete is nonporous and nonabsorbent. Never worry about any staining or bacteria! Granicrete is the ONLY overlay company in the USA that is NSF 51 certified and is safe for use in commercial kitchens.

6. Easy to Maintain

Never have to reseal your countertops. Use soap and water or a natural green cleanser. Our shower sealer was invented for cities with graffiti problems, so your shower wall scum is no match!

7. Environmentally Friendly

Since we most often go over existing surfaces (countertops, wood, tile, cement, glass etc.) we don’t fill landfills with waste, and because 98% of our sealers are environmentally safe, you can stay in your home during the installation. Don’t worry about booking a doggy daycare for Fido – your pets will be safe, too!

8. No More Grout

Our countertops are completely seamless. Floors and showers may have the look of tile or stone but are seamless with the look of grout.

9. Heat Resistant

Our countertops can take indirect heat up to 500 degrees. We can provide heated flooring with our product.

10. Light Weight

Because our concrete is only 1/8” thick, it is light weight: perfect for older homes, odd shaped countertops, boats, and even
RV’s, where weight would be a problem.

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The Four Rs of Going Green

Summer is here and it’s a great time to keep your green habits going strong! Here are our Four Rs of Going Green:

1. Recycle: Trash, clothing, even furniture! You probably already recycle your paper, plastic etc. But do you ever think to recycle your business or work clothing? Instead of throwing them away, because you are tired of them or they are outdated, old or worn try donating them to Workforce Centers or Women’s Shelters. Every state has them. These non-profits give to those in need – at no charge – your gently used clothing to people starting a career and have nothing to wear. Believe me, you’ll feel great knowing that you have helped someone look good and feel confident in their new job! And they didn’t have to pay a penny!

2. Re-purpose: A big trend right now! HGTV & DIY T.V. shows, new re-purpose stores, and DIY’ers are thinking Green and creating new ways of using old products or things you may already have around your house. You might use great-grandpa’s old tools as towel or coat hooks. Grandma’s doilies look vintage and stunning framed on the wall. Pintrest is a fantastic way to find ideas to re-purpose.

3. Re-surface: Have you ever thought of painting your cabinets? Your furniture? Resurfacing your existing counters, interior & exterior floors, shower walls, patios, or garage floors? Perhaps you don’t like the color, pattern or design. There is no need to tear out what you have if it is still in good shape. There are products out there that are “green” and won’t fill the landfill with your old, outdated products! Newer paints have low VOC’s and wonderful colors. Re-surfacing products like Granicrete, which is made of a very thin, durable layers of concrete that has the look of stone, tile, wood is a wonderful use of your existing surfaces.

4. Refresh: Don’t get new accessories, furniture, lamps or pictures; Just move them into a different room or arrange them in a new way! Try mixing up your accessory or picture arrangements that you traditionally had together. It’s amazing how just re-arranging will make the room look fresher and you’ll feel renewed in your new living space!

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New Year, New Resolution: Green is the New Black

2014 came and went. It’s a new year, you’ve made new resolutions, and there’s no better time to start than now! Maybe you’ve made a resolution to be more environmentally aware, or you want to lower your carbon footprint. Shout out to you! We are all about that lifestyle, because green is the new black.

Going green, that is.

Updating your home can be a huge weight on both your mind and the environment. Granicrete is here to help ease both concerns. You already know that we’re a cost-effective alternative to traditional stone, but did you know that we are also eco-friendly? From your 1970’s kitchen to your pink floral bathroom, we’re here to help you go green and update your home in the process!

Let’s start with 5 simple tips for an eco-friendly kitchen remodel:

1. Use existing structures as much as possible. From your kitchen island to your current countertops, Granicrete goes over existing surfaces. Since we overlay our material, we aren’t adding any waste to landfills. When it comes to walls, you may be looking for an open concept kitchen. Although moving walls is a great way to have an open concept plan, keeping the “bones” of your kitchen as is will save you time, money, and hassle.

2. Reuse plumbing and electric. Cabinets can be a hassle to remodel. Shape and size do matter! Paint or replace your existing storage space with cabinetry similar in size and shape so that existing plumbing and electrical wiring can be reused. A simple coat of paint can breathe new life into your kitchen without making you tear out your cabinets.

3. Open up! Glass cabinet doors look contemporary and chic. Update your cabinets with glass doors for easy access to dishes, a trendy look, and a go-green approach to cabinet remodeling. If you want to go completely open, remove your cabinet doors all together! Check out these stunning from Jenna Burger designs for reference.

4. Be aware of your paint choices. Ever heard of VOCs? VOC stands for “volatile organic compound,” and refers to toxins put off by paint even years after application. Sounds bad, right? Don’t worry! You can read more here.  In short, go green by choosing your paints based not only on color, but also Low VOC status.

5. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Your backsplash probably needs some TLC. Show your tender loving care for your kitchen by using recycled glass tiles, concrete, or tin for your back splash. You can get creative with paint, old CDs mosaics, or even Granicrete!

There you have it. Going green has never been easier. From resurfacing with Granicrete or creating a CD mosaic cabinet door, you’re taking steps toward an environmentally friendly home.

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The Changing Face of Granite and its Alternatives

In July, we were featured in Content Craftsman’s online blog, The Changing Face of Granite and its Alternatives. Check out what Tom Sweeney had to say about Granicrete below, and if you’d like to read the full post, it’s here!

Some granite alternatives certified food safe
If you like the look of stone but want to avoid the sealing issue, consider quartz (such as Cambria) or a cement-based surfacing material (such as Granicrete).

Cambria counters are made from dense quartz crystals embedded in resin that does not absorb moisture. Granicrete is a modified cement-based surfacing material that is colored to resemble granite and sealed with clear epoxy and/or water-based polyurethane. It can be installed over engineered wood or laminate.

Because Cambria and Granicrete are less porous, neither absorbs bacteria or stains. What’s more, both are certified for commercial food equipment materials (splash zones) by the independent testing organization, National Sanitation Foundation (NSF). Granicrete’s epoxy surface had been NSF/ANSI 51 certified since 2011. However, the Granicrete’s WB-P53 polyurethane finish just earned NSF 51 approval last month.