advantages of granite countertops

Granite countertops are enjoying a surge in popularity for homeowners looking to enhance the functionality and aesthetic appeal of their bathrooms and kitchens for a while now. While granite as always been one of the most sought after materials for home design the extreme toughness of the rock has made it very expensive to quarry and cut in past times.

This put granite out of the reach of the majority of consumers for the longest time, but thanks to recent advances in extracted in quarrying granite, the price has gone down and the availability has jumped sky-high. Most of the granite sold in the US today comes from abroad, quarried in places like Brazil, China and India where labor costs are lower. The average consumer today can choose from over 2700 varieties of the granite with a near limitless spectrum of colors and patterns to choose from.

What Makes Granite Countertops Desirable

Granite is one of the hardest materials known to man. Formed slowly in the Earth's crust for millions and millions of years, granite has a naturally hard and impervious surface. Granite slabs used commercially are almost entirely resistant to damage from spills, cuts, scratches and extreme heat.

While the risk of damage is there in extreme cases of abuse, granite countertops are more than capable of standing up to the wear and tear of everyday use. It should be pointed out that there are many naturally occurring stones with properties similar to that of granite, but are not geologically classified as true granites. While these "fake" granite are not technically or scientifically granite, they perform similarly enough to the real thing when used in the kitchen or home.

With so many different colors and species of granite available, it is up to the buyer to educate him or her about its various properties and qualities.

Some commercially sold granite countertop varieties have to be sealed to prevent staining. These are often cheaper types of granite. Normal granite is naturally non porous, and as such is virtually impossible to stain through normal means. If you can afford it, always go for the denser varieties of granite for your kitchen or bathroom surfacing needs.

As with all business, the dealers, designers and sales people in the home decor business are not entirely forthright in their information. This may be to some deliberate evasiveness on their part to make a sale, or it could be due to a lack of knowledge about the different species of granite and their individual characteristics. The buyer who has done their homework will always be at an advantage when shopping for granite countertops.

Here are a few things to watch out for when shopping for granite:

When different slabs of granite have been placed together to complete a kitchen counter, you will notice tiny seams. These seams in turn lead to breaks in the color and pattern of the piece. This break in the pattern can be minimized by meticulous planning on the part of the fabricator when cutting the slabs for final assembly.

Installing granite is not a DIY job, no matter how handy you are with the hammer. Installing a granite kitchen countertop is a highly skilled job, best left to the professionals. Granite is an extremely hard material, but poor handling or misuse can cause cracks to develop on the slabs.

Some types of granite have to be sealed at installation to avoid staining, and then periodically resealed every 3 to 5 years. Resealing is an easy enough process and takes only an hour to complete.

Be sure to test tile samples before committing on any particular type of granite. Avoid those that are too porous and opt instead for the denser one. Porous granite can stain and requires sealing and resealing, while dense granite varieties are impervious to staining.

Keep in mind that this is a natural stone, and as such will show variations from slab to slab - even if they are from the same quarry and have the same color. Most buyers see this as a positive thing, making their granite countertop a totally unique one-of-a-kind piece.