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Granite Worktops UK

Bookmark and Share Friday, March 12th, 2010

Granite Worktops in UK

Granite worktops are the designer’s choice for beauty in the home or office. They add elegance in restaurants, hotels and palaces because of the beautiful natural combinations of crystals and igneous rock is a wide variety of colours. No other material, man made or natural, has the cache of polished granite.

granite worktops UK

granite worktops UK

Machine polished granite is the most luxurious and elegant worktop for a residential kitchen. You can choose the texture and colour from pale gray to pink, orange and brown combined with white crystals. Black granite is also very popular and can look solid black or have tiny flecks of crystal that sparkle in the light. It can be on all the worktops as well as the side tables and dining table. No hot pan can burn it and knives and cutting instruments cannot scratch it. That makes it easy to work on while you are cooking and very easy to keep clean. Your kitchen will be the showcase of the neighbourhood. Granite worktops in the kitchen, bathroom or entry hall will also add value to your property.

Hotel lobbies in London UK are another place where polished granite worktops look good and last long. Thousands of people over the years use the worktops in hotels including bathrooms, table tops and lobby furniture. Granite will not wear and the shine will not be dulled no matter how many tea cups come and go. A hotel needs to look fresh and new to each guest and granite is the only stone that can promise this year after year.

granite work surface UK

granite work surface UK

When you are going to make a selection of granite for any room in your house, first consider the décor, shape and size of the room. The colour you choose will be light or dark depending on the size and lighting in the kitchen but you also need to consider the type of sink and taps you have as well as how it will be mounted. Will your granite worktops have cabinets underneath or a dishwasher? Will they stand alone as an island in the middle of the kitchen? Will there be several metres of workspace or only one small area? Only after considering all of this should you choose your colour or texture.

All granite has texture even if it is so tiny that you can hardly see it. It may not be possible to get a good idea of the colour and texture from photographs online. If there is any granite outlet near you, it is better to see the stone in person. Most granite suppliers in LOndon UK will let you take home samples from a variety of specimens. If you shop around, you can take samples to other outlets and compare. Since granite is a natural product, no two will be alike. Even from the same quarry, there will be differences in colour and crystal combinations. Since this will probably become the focal point of whichever room you install it, you need to take your time to make the best selection.

granite worktop UK

granite worktop UK

Another great aspect of granite worktops is the edge. You can have a choice of seven standard different edges depending on the thickness of your piece of granite. The flat edge is the most popular. It is a square edge with slightly rounded corners but for a thick piece there are very elegant edges that add depth and grandeur. A Bull-Nose edge is completely rounded, mainly for kitchen surfaces and an Ogee edge has a gentle slope usually for vanity and desk tops. For a palace or very large mansion any table top or worktop could have a Double Combination edge with a Bull-Nose edge on the bottom and an Ogee above it. Any double edge needs thicker slabs of granite.

To get a price quote you need to make a little map of the space where you want the granite. If it is simply for a table or island top the measurements will be enough, but if it is in a kitchen or bathroom where there are sinks, taps, accessories, stoves, window sills, corners and more, you need to make a drawing of the area with each measurement. Different colours and thicknesses will have different prices, so you might want to have two or three choices for price quotes. Granite worktops, table tops and counters will add value and dignity to your home and you will never regret the day they were installed.
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Granite quartz worktops

Bookmark and Share Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Granite and Quartz Worktops, the differences & similarities
Granite is a natural stone, it is a hard surface measuring 6 on the MOH’s hardness scale however, it being an igneous rock, i.e. rock formed after the cooling down of molten rock, it consists of numerous minerals including , feldspar, augite, hornblende, etc. Some are hard, others not particularly. It is held together by the interlocking of the crystal structure of the various minerals. The material won’t burn/scorch; it is crystalline in structure, so it always has tiny pits or spaces between the various mineral crystals. It also contains natural fissures that may appear to be cracks, but they are not structural defects and will not impair the function or durability of the material. They occur naturally and are considered to be part of the beauty of stone, while the material is ordinarily considered to be stain-resistant, some pigments or oils can be absorbed into the surface. This could cause discoloration and sealer does not prevent this discoloration, so of course it is more vulnerable to staining, even after it has it’s required sealing, it is less resistant to growth of bacteria, is not available in a uniform color surface, but the add more value to wherever they are placed, the material is more expensive per square feet then other leading worktop materials.

luxury black granite worktop

luxury black granite worktop

Quartz worktops(Engineered Stone Surfaces) is made up of 93% quartz and 7% resin binders and pigments, it will often be made of these more pure crystals, yet they can also be made by combining crystals with resins and other combining agents to create a super-hard surface that will resist scratches that can mar other worktop materials. Additionally, this manufacturing process further strengthens the resistance to water damage, making this style of this worktop one of the most non-porous surfaces available, as if this wasn’t colourful enough in its natural state, the manufactured worktop can be imbued with even more varieties of hues, Pigments can be added during the manufacturing process along with the bonding agents – the result is a selection of color shades that is unequaled in any other natural stone construction material. The material does not stain so easily, more resistant to growth of bacteria, are available in a uniform color surface, engineered worktops do not need sealing and are less expensive then other leading worktop materials.

Some similarities with both worktops you will not get a completely uniform look to the worktop, they are both natural materials and many people buy them for their natural appearance and this means variation, the seams are always visible and both of the materials are very durable but not indestructible and they both will last a lifetime with the proper maintenance, that about does it for the similarities of these two worktops.

quartz worktop

quartz worktop

In most individuals opinions, Quartz is the better worktop to go with, it has been used in Europe for more than 40 years, but it is just now starting to move across the Atlantic and gaining market share in America, it is an abundant mineral that’s much harder, on a hardness scale of 1 to 10, with diamonds a 10, quartz is at 7 and granite is 4, less expensive than granite, the list can go on and on to prove which material proves the opinions of individuals to show which is the superior material.

Black Granite Worktops. Which one to choose ?

Bookmark and Share Monday, February 22nd, 2010
luxury black granite worktop

luxury black granite worktop

It is always a good idea to give credit where credit is due and we can give the Ancient Egyptians credit for recognizing the natural beauty of granite. They used it to build their pyramids and they used it as tile for floors in their homes. This tradition for the use of granite has carried on to modern times, as we still use
granite in memorials, burial sites, sculptures and in our homes for counter tops, worktops as well as on the floor.

star galaxy black granite worktop

star galaxy black granite worktop

The colour choice of granite is vast from light pastels , rich reds, blues to the darkest blacks. Some colours are beautifully marbled with other colours and some are veined with thin lines of one or more colours. The colour of granite is not enhanced by any human, mechanical or chemical power. The credit for the natural beauty and color of granite goes entirely to Mother Nature and her never ending palette of colours. The natural beauty of granite cannot be surpassed with anything modern man can artificially create. Natural beauty will last a lifetime and granite is a hard stone that is naturally beautiful and long lasting.

black honed granite worktop

black honed granite worktop

Black granite worktops and counter tops are particularly popular in homes today. Whether it is in new construction or a home being remodelled, most people are adding black granite to their bathroom vanities or kitchen counters, work areas or floors. The black granite counter top or worktop adds elegance to a room and offers an atmosphere of sophistication. However, it is not just used for counter tops and worktops. Black granite is also used in tile form on the floor. Black granite worktops and counter tops can be purchased and installed as a slab (one piece) or as granite tiles. Granite tiles can also be used for worktops and counter tops.

tropical black granite worktop

tropical black granite worktop

Whether you choose your black granite worktops or counter tops as tiles or in one piece (slab) the cost will not be inexpensive. The cost of the actual granite is not very expensive until you add the cost of delivery of the granite to the work site and the cost of waste (granite that has been cut off to fit a particular space). If you are looking for inexpensive granite worktops and counter tops then granite tile should be an option. The tile is easier for a do-it-yourselfer to install and comes in that same elegant black that the slab comes in. Black tile counter tops and worktops can be set in any design you choose and the design can be carried out to match a design of granite tile on the floor. There is more versatility in the granite tile. The designs are limited only by your imagination.

impala black granite worktop

impala black granite worktop

If your ultimate decision is to use black granite on your worktops or counter tops, than carefully consider whether you want to use a slab or tile. Thoroughly weigh the cost and design of both the slab and tile and with that decision in mind proceed toward building a beautiful bathroom or kitchen that will last, perhaps, longer than the house itself. You will never get tired of the black worktops or counter tops in
your home because the colour is neutral and can be matched with whatever decor you choose no matter how many times that decor changes.

premium black granite worktop

premium black granite worktop

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