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Durability and Beauty of Granite

It is no wonder that granite has been used for thousands of years in every conceivable application where there has been a need for exposure to the elements.

Not many materials have more varied uses than granite. It can be a boring and uninteresting stone, or quite colorful and beautiful. The only endearing feature that makes it exceptional is its permanence. Before it was commonly used for kitchen countertops, it had a long history of use in many other places.

Due to its apparent invincibility, granite has long been the choice for tombstones. This is true in almost all countries where granite can be mined and used. In centuries past, granite was most often used in a very rough form, and many tombstones did not have identifying letters.

Finely polished and dimensionally ground tombstones are made almost exclusively of granite, whether commemorating a pauper or a king.

defined granite
A true definition of granite: a coarse-grained igneous rock made up of crystals, containing feldspar and quartz. In practice, many similar materials can be called granite. When the definition is broken down to mean feldspar-bearing rock with interlocking crystals that can be seen with the naked eye, we have material that is of a lesser standard.

Some materials that are considered granites under the second meaning are gneiss, granodiorite, gabbro, anorthosite, monzonite, and syenite. While this can be a bit tricky, in certain applications you need the material with the pure meaning.

Granite Construction Uses
Many tall buildings have a granite base, and it is often used on building exteriors in commercial applications. Depending on the effect required, the granite can be rough, smooth or polished to suit the builder’s intentions. Cut granite stones are also very common in bridge construction.

Granite that has a rough textured face will generally have smooth ends, tops, and bottoms so that the stones fit together well. Granite is used both as a structural material and as a coating.

Whenever possible, engineers prefer the use of granite curbs over concrete. Granite is much more attractive and strong as well.

Granite in the Home
One of the most popular uses for granite is for countertops. At one time these were very expensive because there were only a few facilities that had the machinery to cut and finish the material. However, the demand for these durable surfaces has led many workshops to invest in equipment to make their own tops and this, in turn, has produced more craftsmen who have the experience to work with granite.

The consumer is the winner as more cabinetmakers enter the field of granite tops. Now it is much faster to have cabinets equipped with stone countertops than it was a few years ago. If you have an existing kitchen to retrofit with granite countertops, you may only have to wait two or three days, whereas it once would have taken two weeks or more for the countertops to be shipped and installed.

Demand and availability have also produced a more competitive market, and granite countertops are more affordable than ever. While by no means cheap, they are now more within the reach of the average homeowner.

With more granite slabs being manufactured, there is a much wider selection of colors available. Most consumers want to choose the slabs their tops are made from, not just select from a range of colors. This provides a more personal touch to the building process.

Because every piece of granite is different from the next, each new homeowner has a completely unique countertop out of all that exists. The careful homeowner can expect to keep the granite tops for as long as he owns his home; not many other materials are as durable.

It’s easy to see why so many satisfied customers choose granite as their countertop choice, and many find other uses for the material in their homes. The fact that granite is the most common rock found on the face of the earth does not detract from its mass appeal.

The next time you look at a picture of Mount Rushmore, remember that you can have that same timeless stuff installed in your own home.

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