Granite Worktops Information

Introduction to Granite Worktops

If you are looking for a luxurious kitchen, then granite, or even quartzite worktops are a great way to achieve this. They are extremely durable and easy to care for, making them ideal for any kitchen. They have a beautiful natural appearance that can really help to make your kitchen stand out from your neighbours, making you the talk of the town.

(Just as a sub note, the main difference between granite and quartzite, is that granite is as is, whereas quartzite is basically sandstone, fused together with sparkling quartz crystals by heat and pressure.)

Granite worktops truly are a perfect way to add that special touch to your kitchen. With natural fissures running through them, they provide that classy feel to any kitchen design and every piece of stone really is unique in its own special way.

Types of Granite

There are many types of granite available for you to choose from, such as (but not limited to) Baltic Brown, Rosa Chian, Bianco Zar, Gialo Mystic, American Green, Shanxi Black and Shanxi Supreme Black, the list is almost endless and I am sure that different suppliers make up their own names for the same types of granite.

My strong advice is to simply go and have a look at the samples from your local worktop supplier and choose a stone that suits your own design and decor.

Granite worktop thickness

Why is the thickness of your worktop important? Well basically, this comes down to durability... The average thickness of a granite worktop is around 3 to 4cm, although, in my experience, 4 to 4.5cm is the best, as it provides that extra layer of durability.

Back in my younger days, I remember selling a granite worktop to a client who opted for 3cm thickness and I really tried to pursuade them to opt for a greater thickness, but they were adamant.. They went for the 3cm thickness and a year later complained that a crack had appeared and this was my fault for some (totally dumb) unknown reason.. I explained that this was a stress fracture due to the positioning of the granite and if they had taken my advice regarding the thickness of the granite, then this would not have happened.. I found this very annoying, because I truly try my hardest to offer the best advice, but hey... You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot force it to drink right?

Fitting, measuring and templating

Templating is something that does need to be done to save you money, so that you can cut your granite to the exact size and simply slip it into place, ready for your sink and other essentials to be put in place, such as taps and splashbacks.

My strong advice here is to use a specialist templating service, as they will provide you (normally0, with a template second to none...

Commonly, the templating company will offer you the option of fitting, although in my experience, if you choose a granite worktop supplier with that has a good reputation, then they will supply the granite, do a template and fit it for you all in the same cost..