GRANITE
Born from molten magma, granite is a much more durable and functional stone than marble. Granite’s crystalline structure is far more resistant to abrasions, staining and discoloration than most marbles. Denser and stronger than all natural stones, granite is an excellent choice for high traffic areas where class and style is desired.
Granite feels at home in a country farm house as well as a modern high rise. The variety of colors and textures are traits that set granite apart from the rest. This remarkable stone is ideal for kitchen counter tops, accent islands, bar tops, dining tables, flooring- the options are endless!
There are basically two styles of granite slabs – consistent and variegated. While many pieces of stone fall somewhere between these two categories, it is still useful to be able to differentiate between the categories.
Consistent
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, “breaks in the pattern.” 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
Variegated slabs are those with movement or veining and are a favorite of many due to their uniqueness and personality. Veining will have a swirling pattern in the slab, predominantly of a different color or a group of varying colors quite different than the rest of the slab. Variegated slabs offer the advantage of allowing your kitchen to become a unique, one of a kind showpiece.
Worktops
Good granite worktops, well-selected and professionally installed can give almost any home that luxurious, glossy home-magazine look. Granite just screams class, sophistication and sheer, natural beauty. There is something raw and timeless about having a big slab of rock in the otherwise very angular environment of the kitchen.
Your guests will be visibly impressed!
For some reason, guests always gravitate towards the kitchen as it’s normally where all the action is. Whether it’s a party, a small get-together or just a few friends having drinks, for most of us, the kitchen is where the majority of our time is spent. Whether it’s cooking, entertaining or washing up, it’s one of the key areas in our home.
Ask any top chef what the single most important element of a good kitchen is, and they will always reply: “Quality worktops!” A high quality, well-designed kitchen worktop gives you a new freedom that you never had. You will be able to prepare meals faster, make a wider range of recipes and all with absolute ease and comfort. Good worktops make cooking a true pleasure.
We love worktops! We take this business very seriously because we live, eat, breathe, sleep, create and use worktops. So our expertise is without doubt, the best in the country.
Renovation
Building a home or remodeling a kitchen is one of the biggest investments we will make in our lives. So it makes sense to choose the highest-quality worktops and fittings that our budget can handle. Not only that, but the kitchen is a major element of a home or apartment’s valuation. When you want to sell it one day, the kitchen’s fittings, condition and style will be a very significant factor in the home’s overall market value. Investing in good worktops always pays off handsomely on the property market. It will essentially pay for itself after a few years and make the property easier to sell.
Durability
Many customers seem to have some niggling reservations about Granite as a material for worktops. Well the short answer is: “There is no reason to worry.” It is extremely tough, and if you do somehow manage to chip the surface, it is easy and inexpensive to fix. Granite is one of the hardest substances on the planet with a 7 on Mohr’s hardness rating (diamond being a 10). This is why we use diamond-tipped tools to cut, shape and polish it. Our granite worktops are made from one, solid slab and are totally immune to boiling-hot pots and liquids that would usually stain other surfaces. After an evening of use, all that’s needed is a soapy cloth, a good wipe and it’s clean.
Style
While granite comes in many gorgeous, deep, natural colours like cream and brown, it can also be found in more eye-catching shades like green or blue. In fact, it is available in over 1000 colours and each slab is completely unique. No two pieces of granite will have the same combination of markings, whirls, speckles or lines. This makes it ideal to offset the flat, opaque colours of the rest of your kitchen such as the walls, cupboards and tiles. It adds an organic, natural feel to a modern kitchen, which livens it up and adds some warmth and personality. This is one of the major reasons it has become such a popular feature in shopping centres, banks and hotels. Having said that, it also works well in more traditional kitchens too.
Some GRANITE samples: