All the Information You Need to Know About Granite Countertops

For most houses, granite is one of the most popular alternatives when it comes to upgrading or upgrades. Its deep, organic beauty significantly improves your home’s overall aesthetics and value. This mineral is suitable for granite surfaces in your kitchen and bathroom.

Granite still has drawbacks despite its classic elegance and beauty, although overall quality is not significantly decreased by employing it. Similar to quartz, the primary complaint with granite is its high cost; nevertheless, there are currently limited vendors offering inexpensive granite worktops.

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What is Granite?

This mineral is an igneous rock with feldspar, mica, and around 20% quartz as its main constituents. The majority of the mining occurs in a number of nations, including Italy, China, Brazil, India, and Norway. In the meanwhile, the biggest granite mine in the US is located near Barre, Vermont.

Granite may be finished with a wide range of options for texture and finish. This mineral can be finished using sandblasting, polishing, honing, or brushing. The location of the granite slab installation in your kitchen and bathroom will determine this decision a lot.

Continue reading through this portion of our post to find out more about this amazing stone. We’ll be talking about a variety of concepts and subjects related to granite.

Pros and Cons of Granite Countertops

Have you read up on the advantages and disadvantages of granite counters? Granite has beauty and imperfections that you should be aware of and accept, just like any other material used for worktops and home improvements. It’s critical to comprehend this mineral’s holistic qualities so that you won’t regret selecting it for your countertops.

Advantages of Granite Countertops

Green Material: Granite is a hard material that is 100% recyclable. It is not as readily available as quartz and other artificial minerals used to make countertops, though.

Heat-Resistant: Because this material is an igneous rock, it is accustomed to high temperatures and pressures. You won’t notice any blackened burn marks on your granite kitchen counters when hot items like pans are placed on top of them.

Scratch-resistant: Granite countertops are rated as being on the eighth Mohs Hardness Scale (1–10, with 1 being the weakest and 10 being the hardest). This is also the primary cause of its exceptional durability.

Seamless for huge Slabs: There won’t be any seams at all if you select a huge granite slab for your granite kitchen worktops. However, you should anticipate two to three seams for lower slab sizes. In the meantime, anticipate a seam if your countertops are tilted differently.

Ideal for Undermount Sink: An under-mount sink is the ideal complement to your granite kitchen and bathroom surfaces. This is a great idea since spills and liquids can be wiped off straight into the sink without becoming trapped by the lip.

Backsplash: Granite works well for backsplashes in addition to being a wonderful material for countertops. When the color and texture complement your countertop, the effect is smooth and continuous.

Chemically resistant: Granite worktops have exceptional chemical resistance in addition to being heat and abrasion resistant. Nevertheless, since acidic cleaning solutions can dissolve the thin coating that keeps granite sealed, we nevertheless advise you to stay away from them.

Cons of Granite Countertops

Cost: The cost of granite worktops varies according to three quality levels: low, medium, and high. Cheap granite countertops are expected to cost between $35 and $55 per square foot.

In the meanwhile, a premium grade granite countertop will cost you anything from $125 and $200 per square foot. You can choose a granite tile countertop if you’d like something less expensive.

Restricted Color Variations: Granite countertops have fewer color variations than synthetic materials. Despite the limited number of possibilities, the design and veinings are exceptional. White granite countertops and black granite countertops are the usual varieties available. For your bathroom and kitchen improvements, blue granite worktops are also an option.

Sealing and upkeep: Because granite worktops naturally have pores in them, germs, molds, and mildew can form inside of them. Granite is also prone to stains due to its inherent porous nature. You must do yearly or semi-annual sealing maintenance on your granite kitchen and bathroom surfaces in order to fix this problem.