Care

Many people wonder why on earth would we want to have a copper countertop – something we would need to polish almost continuously. If you ask that question, we suggest granite. Or formica.

If you are expecting a shiny copper kitchen, we would rather talk you out of copper than talk you into polishing it every day. The polish is smelly and a lot of work. The beauty of a copper countertop is in the aging process and watching the material react with its environment.

Regular care

You can clean a copper countertop with a mild dish soap and a soft cloth or sponge. You can use an abrasive but we don’t recommend it. A mild abrasive pad, often found on the back of a sponge, can help remove dried on substances, but too much pressure may leave marks. If so, it may not be the end of the world. The shiny marks will soon darken and any grooves you may have put in the metal will eventually be rubbed down.

Emergency Care

If something happens – you spill wine and leave on vacation without cleaning it up – you may end up with an unsightly blob in an area that gets a lot of visibility. In this case, we have two suggestions.

1. You can use metal polish, such as Brasso, to polish the affected area and return it to a bright, shiny copper. On a countertop, the challenge is determining when to stop polishing. We still don’t recommend polishing the whole countertop because it is a smelly, time-consuming job. Just create a polished area in place of the unsightly blob and let that area begin its aging process again.

2. Our second suggestion in the wine before vacation scenario is to wait until you get to your destination before cracking open the vino.

Dents

Will it dent? You bet. Drop a can of soup from the upper cabinet and it will dent the countertop. In most every day use, however, it will stand up to the average pot, pan, plate or pancake turner without forming a dent. Over time, dents will form from various situations that arise.

Don’t let us talk you out of dents, though. Texturing is what we call our hammering effect and it is a great option to consider for countertops.  Starting off with a light texture is a great way to add a different look to your copper patina and hide any dents that may form during its time in your kitchen or bar. Keep in mind, however, that the deeper the texturing, the bumpier it is so we normally recommend the light or medium texture for countertops.