Granite and Marble too ordinary?? Try Onyx. Considered an exotic material, Onyx is unique, beautiful, translucent so it can be backlit, but it has a number of downsides. Onyx slabs are softer and more prone to chips, scratches and damage. Onyx is expensive, many times the cost of even expensive granites and marble. There is a lot of movement in the slabs so predicting what the top may look like is more difficult.

Below are links to three articles with more on Onyx Countertops.

Source: What You Must Know Before Choosing Onyx for your Kitchen or Bathroom Countertops – OnyxCountertops.Org

Source: How Do Onyx Countertops Hold Up

Source: Onyx Countertops

In this next article on how to use granite scraps and remnants to make walkways, sidewalks and outside stairways.

ANO sells a lot of faucets. One issue that frequently arises is the water supply valve under the sink where you connect the faucet to the water supply does not function properly. These valves are rarely closed so they can “freeze” up and not shut off the water when you want to install a faucet.

The valves are not as difficult to replace as it might appear. There are a number of videos on YouTube on how to replace these valves but here is one that I thought was particularly easy to understand.

https://youtu.be/_GC9VoIxKEk

Merry Christmas from ANO, Inc. 

And this one is from Tom.

Today’s use for granite scraps and remnants if making a fire pit. Most of these are made with scraps pressed from small scraps. See this previous post on how to create these pieces.

If you search the internet you will find scholarly article on stainless steel and rust, many getting into discussions down to the molecular level. While all of these are true they are not practical when dealing with rust or rust like stains in a stainless steel sink.

Below is a link to an article from a plumbing supply house on the topic. The key points in the article are:

• “Type 304 (stainless steel,) or any other type employed in the manufacture of sinks will not stain, but it will corrode when it comes in contact with certain chemicals.”
• “One substance that can cause rust-like eruptions if left in contact for an extended period of time is Triclosan. Triclosan is an organic chemical made up of three chlorine molecules that is used in most anti-bacterial soaps, such as Dial.”
• “The best news is that once these rust-like eruptions occur, they are easily removed with a maroon Scotch-Brite pad and a cleanser such as Barkeeper’s Friend or Bon Ami, available at most large grocery or home improvement stores.”

John Oldach, Buffalo Plumbing Showroom’s representative for Elkay sinks, has a favorite phone call that he regularly receives. It starts out,”My Elkay sink is rusting.

Source: Can Stainless Steel Rust? Expert Advice on Avoiding Stainless Steel Sink Problems | Buffalo Plumbing Showroom

Happy Thanksgiving from ANO, Inc. and the Eclipse Stainless Blog. Thanksgiving is the end of I need my countertop by Thanksgiving Season and the start of I need it by Christmas Season.

In this second article on uses for Granite Countertop Remnants and Scraps we are featuring Granite benches.