Granite was formed over 500 million years ago. It is found in many mountain ranges throughout the world. Volcanoes are how granite is found on the earth’s surface. Unlike batholiths, sills, and dikes, granite is found under the earth’s surface.

For a rock to be defined, in geological terms, as granite it must be comprised of at least 80% quartz, feldspar, and mica. Other minerals found in granite are muscovite, biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene. Being an igneous rock, granite can take two forms; Extrusive and Intrusive.

Granite is most abundant in the earths’ crust. It comes from igneous rock often resulting from slow cooling and solidification of magma or liquid rock.

Minerals become trapped in granite like a jigsaw puzzle. Magma tries to rise to the earths’ crust because it is lighter than surrounding rocks, acting much like a gold panner’s pan. Gold being the heaviest of the minerals sinks to the bottom, while the lighter minerals rise to the top. As magma rises, it cools. If magma pushes itself out past the earths’ crust, through a volcano, it becomes Extrusive igneous rock. This type of rock, known as Rhyolite, cools quicker allowing for a finer grain.

Intrusive or plutonic igneous rock takes form when magma cannot reach the earths’ surface. This causes the crystallization process to slow, resulting in a coarser-grained texture. These coarser-grained rocks are knows as Pegmatite’s. The average grain size ranges from .04 – 1.0 inches or 25 millimeters. This is where beginning takes place, as in a Rainbow or Juperana. As granite takes shape, different minerals react to crystallization faster than others. Feldspar crystallizes first, with its shape becoming well formed. Mica crystallizes next, leaving a slight irregular bound to its shape. Finally quartz crystallizes, leaving a very irregular penetrating boundary. Granite solidifies at temperatures ranging from a very irregular penetrating boundary. Granite solidifies at temperatures ranging from 1110-1830 deg. Fahrenheit and amasses areas from tens to hundreds of miles.

Over 80% of all granites are estimated to have been formed during the Precambrian Era (570-2000 million years ago) The other 20% have been spread out over the Paleozoic (270-550), Mesozoic (135-225), and Cenozoic Eras (I-70).

Processing Granite From Nature

In order for granite to be dislodged from mountainsides, drilling is performed to release points in the granite. Dynamite is packed into these holes or sometimes the granite is removed by steel cables sawing between the drilled holes, to shape the granite into square or rectangular blocks. These blocks are then cut up into smaller blacks, preparing for shipping and processing the stabs.

Shipping

The blocks are now ready to be shipped to a processing plant. Once received, the processing plant performs two tasks. The first one consists of cutting the blocks into individual slabs. The second task polishes the slabs that have been cut.

Block Cutting

Once the blocks are received, they are placed on a gang saw, preparing for either 2cm (3/4”) or 3cm (1 ¼“) slabs. The gang saw consists of diamond saw blades, cutting 80 to 120 slabs at a time. The slabs are cut ranging from 5 to 10 feet in length, and then prepared for surface polishing.

Slab Surface Polishing

The slabs now have two unpolished surfaces. The next process polishes one side of these slabs. A machine with brick pads grinds away at the rough surface. The brick pads have different degrees of grit, similar to sandpaper, smoothing out the surface with each brick used.

Slab Fabricating

After the plans have been drawing up to figure the optimum cutting with minimum waste, the slabs are put on a gantry or bridge saw, reducing the slabs down to the finished countertop sizes

Natural Beauty

Granite is a natural stone and has a natural beauty and depth unlike any artificial materials. Granite brings the beauty of nature right into your home. The highly reflective surface acts like a mirror. With windows adjacent to the granite countertops; reflections of the sky and trees are brought into the kitchen.

Durability and Strength

One of the most compelling reasons for choosing granite is its durability. Granite has a toughness that surpasses any other countertop material. When sealed and maintained properly, granite will last a lifetime. These factors are critical for surfaces used so frequently. Dulling, scratching, scorching, or blistering is virtually eliminated. Hot pots, frying pans, and casserole dishes set directly on the countertop will not mar the surface. Being so strong and durable, granite countertops could literally outlast the rest of your home.

Color

Each granite comes from a different quarry, and no two quarries in the world yield the same color. Granite comes in a wide variety of colors, ranging from subtle to exotic.

Clean-Up

Generally a simple wipe with warm water or stone cleaner and a soft cloth will clean any mess, leaving the surface unscathed, provided the stone has been sealed.

Satisfaction

Besides its strength and durability, granite provides an almost carefree surface, natural elegance and beauty. No longer do you have to be affluent to enjoy granite, since new technologies have reduced the cost dramatically. Granite countertop customers will experience a lifetime of enjoyment.

Pattern Consistency VS Movement

There are basically two styles of granite slabs; consistent and variegated. Consistent granite contains the same pattern throughout the slab. Of course, in a natural material you will always have a few areas with inclusions of feldspar or mica. Consistent granite slabs are easier to join with seams. For the most part, any fabricated piece can fit next to another fabricated piece without losing a sense of flow or continuity.

Variegated slabs, those with movement or veining, are a bit different. Veining will have a swirling pattern in the slab, predominantly of a different color than the rest of the slab. Seaming these pieces together takes more time and material, since slight color changes from slab to slab can be noticeable when placing different pieces next to each other. Variegated slabs offer the advantage of allowing your kitchen to become a unique, one of a kind showpiece. This enables the homeowner or designer to become very personal with the flow of the counters.

Seams

Due to slab size limitations, seams may be necessary. Fortunately, International Stone imports some of the largest slabs available in the northeast, facilitating many seamless fabrications.

You may consider putting seams where cabinets change direction, using forty-five or ninety-degree angles. The human eye already has to adjust to the change in direction. A seam at this turn remains appealing to the eye.

Another area to apply seams is at the end of upper cabinets. Here you have a change in height from normally 18” to a full wall. The eye adjusts to this change a littler easier as well.

Every kitchen is unique. Taking the time to apply these few extra steps will enable your countertops and kitchen’s design to flow together.

Granite Cleaning

For everyday cleaning of your new granite countertops, we at International Stone recommend using mild soap and water. Once a week we recommend using a product by StoneTech Professional, Inc. Called Revitalizer™ Stone & Tile Cleaner and Protector

For more info on this product visit:

http://www.stonetechpro.com/products/clean/rv/ 

The stone cleaner and protector does not contain any harsh ingredients, therefore it is safe to use on food handling surfaces.

To apply the cleaner, you simply wipe off any loose debris existing on the surface of the granite. Spray the cleaner, and wipe off with a soft absorbent cloth. AVOID the use of products containing Ammonia, Bleach, or anything Acidic, for they could eventually strip the protective sealer, leaving the granite vulnerable to staining.

Granite Sealing

It is Very ^Important to keep your granite countertops properly sealed to avoid staining. The easiest and most effective way to test the stone to see if it is properly sealed is with water. Just pour a bit of water on the surface of the stone. If the water soaks in and darkens the stone, it needs to be sealed. If the water beads up on the surface of the stone, like water on a waxed car, it is sealed properly. Although we apply the first coat of sealer to your granite upon installation, this is not always enough in every case. Please be advised that you are responsible for any additional sealer your granite calls for. You may need to seal your countertops at least a couple or more times, following installation, depending on the color. Darker stones tend to be denser; therefore they do not need sealing as often. Lighter stones on the other hand tend to be more porous, so be sure to seal them completely, and test them from time to time to avoid any possible staining. We sell a sealer by StoneTech Professional, Inc called Impregnator Pro™ Heavy Duty Stone, Tile & Grout Sealer.

http://www.stonetechpro.com/products/protect/ip/.

We recommend visiting http://www.stonetechpro.com/ for any additional information on how to properly maintain the beauty of your stone.