For the first entry into our advice and information blog, where better to start than where your worktop actually comes from. Your beautiful and expertly crafted granite worktop goes through quite a journey to get to where it is today. We’re going to look at what granite is, where it’s found and how it’s formed:
WHAT IS GRANITE?
Granite is a light-coloured igneous rock with grains large enough to be visible with the naked eye. It forms from the slow crystallisation of magma below earth’s surface.
Granite is composed mainly of quartz and feldspar with minor amounts of mica, amphiboles, and other minerals. This mineral composition usually gives granite a red, pink, gray, or white color with dark mineral grains visible throughout the rock.
As granite is a natural stone formed from molten rock, cooled under pressure, it is incredibly hard. The exact conditions under which it forms affect the type, colour and patterning of the stone. This means that each granite quarry will produce different kinds or qualities of granite.
WHERE DOES GRANITE COME FROM?
Granite comes from deep within the earth. At once point, granite was molten rock (magma), which took millions of years to cool, harden, then work its way up to the surface of the earth. Sometimes, events such as earthquakes or tectonic plate shifts heave the granite up. Many of these granites are found in pits, or quarries where they are available to be retrieved and put to use.
As you probably know, the granite used for kitchen worktops is an extremely heavy material. However, thanks to technological advances in recent decades and affordable transport, it’s now possible to have a granite worktop from almost anywhere in the world. In Europe, Scandinavian countries are major granite producers, and places like Italy, where we source a large amount of our product from, produce some of the finest granite available. Spain are also now major producers of granite products.
HOW IS GRANITE EXTRACTED?
Granite is usually formed into slabs or large deposits. There are different methods used by mining companies to cut and extract the deposits from the ground which are called quarries. When the granite is extracted, the mining team uses large equipment such as extractors and cranes to slowly dig around the deposits. Once the granite has broken free, it is transferred onto trucks, or depending on the mining company, they may be processed on-site. The granite slabs are polished to remove any dirt or unevenness and sent to fabricators.
… and that brings us up to where GoForGranite come in!
As expert fabricators and installers of granite work surfaces, we source the best stone for your project, and our skilled staff, using state of the art machinery and equipment, are able to cut, shape and finish your worktop to your desired specification, leaving you with a beautiful finish in your home.
If you have any questions about stock, design or a certain granite product for your project, don’t hesitate to get in touch!