How To Choose Quality Granite

How To Choose The Perfect Granite Work Surface

The following is especially true in regards to buying granite stone.“Nothing cheap is good and nothing good is cheap”. In fact this is true of all stone so read carefully.

Natural stone is graded depending on its suitability for any given task. It is also graded from the region of the world it originated.

When shopping on the internet you will normally be shown samples of the best, Marble, Granite, Limestone etc. You should be aware that this stone is probably not what you will actually receive.

First, the stone is batched. You need batched stone to get the consistent pattern throughout the surface. If you were to buy stone today and return for stone a month later to complete your project you can be almost guaranteed to get a mismatch

Make sure you are receiving the same batch and have it itemized on your order. If the granite is chipped or scratched during installment you will probably need a replacement piece. If the same batch isn’t available you will have a problem.

There have been some concerns about black granite counter tops fading, Black granite should not fade. Black granite imported from Asia has often been doctored with oils and dyes to darken the surface. The fading is only the oils and dyes being removed. The only solution is to re-polish the top. This can be costly.

Before purchasing a granite countertop perform the following test to find out if it has been doctored.

Apply some acetone (nail polish remover) with a clean white cloth to the surface of the granite. If any black color is observed on the cloth, refuse it, it has been dyed.

Take a piece you want to test and spill a few drops of lemon juice onto it. If dark spots develop very quickly under the drops it's not a good quality of granite, if it takes a minute or more to absorb you are then dealing with a absorbency level that is very good and that you should not have any problems with if you apply a quality sealer.

The difference between a good and bad stone is huge, the price between a good and a bad stone is smaller than you think, but it can be costlier.

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