One of the biggest “wow” rooms of any home should be the kitchen. While styles and design plans may vary, one constant everyone seems to want is a wide expanse of beautiful, shiny, sturdy countertop. Though new materials, like synthetic composites and concrete have been popping up in designs periodically, stone counter tops are always a popular choice. If you’re looking for beauty, durability, and a price that won’t bust the budget, granite countertops are a perennial favorite.
Variations and Versatility
One of the aspects that make granite countertops such a great choice is the wide variety of colors and styles. Ranging from simple with little variation to bright colors with lots of veining and diverse patterns, there’s a variety for every taste and design theme. The more simple whites, blacks, and neutral tans look great with a more modern style of decor. The heavily veined and patterned browns, reds and grays and blues have an enormous range that will fit nicely into any style from a farmhouse inspired country kitchen to an Italian Cucina. They can look lavish and opulent or quiet and subdued, depending on how they’re styled. Granite countertops easily accommodate the popular and useful under-mounted sinks and clean up in a snap.
What is Granite and Where Does it Come From?
Another facet of granite that makes it a great work surface is its durability. Granite is a felsic igneous rock, formed by the cooling of magma and lava, and it’s found all over the planet. In addition to adding interest and beauty to the finished stone, granite is comprised mostly of quartz and feldspar, which gives it depth, dimension and shine. The extreme heat and pressure that causes the molten rock to solidify and make its way to the Earth’s surface creates a very strong, durable rock. Most granite sold in the US is harvested from mountainous regions in India, Brazil and Italy. The more rare types of granite, like Blue granite, are harvested from the ocean floor.
How is Granite Harvested?
Once geologists have located a granite deposit, sample cores are taken to see if the deposit has a desirable color, pattern and composition. Then the delicate process of cutting the stone from the quarry begins. Giant blocks of granite are either cut with the grain, known as vein cutting, or against it, cross cutting, to attain the most preferable features of the stone. Once the diamond-tipped drills have done their work, the raw blocks are sent to the factory for processing.
How Does a Rock Become a Beautiful Countertop?
At the factory, the raw blocks are sliced into slabs using a large saw. The slabs are then smoothed out, buffed, polished and numbered so that they can be kept in-sequence and easily matched later if needed. If you’re doing a custom kitchen, installing a granite countertop is one job you probably won’t be able to do yourself. You’ll need to hire a professional to handle your granite countertop installation. Once you’ve picked out your slab, your granite countertop installation company will provide the factory with templates for your space. A fabricator will then lay out the templates, making sure to avoid any fissures or possible trouble spots in the stone. They cut the granite to size and cut holes for the sink or whatever else is going to be embedded in the countertops. Once the edges are all finished and the slab is polished, it’s ready to be installed and for you to enjoy.
