Natural Granite

Without a doubt you have found this page because you are intersted in seeing practical information about natural granite. After all, it is a phrase that is used repeatedly in the real estate industry, on television shows, and in the construction trade. In this article, we will explore some practical information about natural granite. We will also discuss briefly some of the basic information needed if you are working with this resilient material. We will also include some tips on what is needed for those that own surfaces made of natural granite.

Why People Choose Granite

One of the first things that readers might be asking themselves is, "Why do people choose granite for their hard surfaces?" That is a good question. And the answer is really because a few key qualities that this material has. Let's look at some of them next.

Granite Resists Scratching

In the world of stone surfaces, rock's hardness is measured using the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. This scale ranges from 1 to 10 with 10 being the hardest and 1 being the softest. Where does natural granite reside? At about 6 to 7. That means it is on the hard end of the scale. This makes it scratch resistant. In fact, the way measurements are taken regarding the Mohs scale is by doing a scratch test on the material. So, the frist reason people choose natural granite for their hard surfaces, is that they are scratch resistant.

Natural Granite Comes In Many Colors

The second factor that plays a role in people choosing natural granite for hard surfaces is that granite comes in an array of colors. In fact, there are many diverse colors of natural granite. You can find many websites that have a granite photo gallery that shows a great deal of diverse natural granite colors. Some of the hues you can find granite in include:

• White
• Beige
• Yellow
• Blue
• Green
• Gray
• Red
• Brown
• Orange

As you can see from that list, natural granite come in shades of virtually any color of the spectrum. The textures and finishes that may be applied to this versatile material make it even more diverse in appearance.

The Heat Resistance of Granite

The final reason people select natural granite for their surfaces is that the material is heat resistant. Think about the amount of heat that the side of a building takes. Or imagine how heat tolerance might play a role in a home's kitchen. Having a material that is heat resistant like natural granite means these types of surfaces will stay looking nice longer. For this reason, granite is chosen as a material for many projects.

Uses for Natural Granite

For the reasons mentioned above, natural granite is used for a number of applications. For many centuries, even millenia, natural granite has been selected as a materials for architectural, construction, and even sculpturing projects. What are some of the applications for granite? Uses for granite include:

• Building Facades
• Steps
• Staircases
• Walkways
• Sidewalks
• Patios
• Flooring
• Countertops

This diversity in how granite is used is one of the reasons that many have come to be familiar with it as a material for construction and architectural projects.

Working With Granite

One of the things that experienced stone fabricators know is that natural granite requires drill bits, saw blades and polishing pads designed for use on hard materials. As a result, there are several specialized pieces of equipment on the market for working natural granite.

Caring for Granite

In addition to knowing how to work with the material, fabricators and the owners of the surfaces must be familiar with the requirements when it comes to caring for the material. Care and maintenance of natural granite includes various products and the different facets of caring for granite can be discovered by browsing through products and categories in the stone surface treatments section of this website.

As we have seen in this article, granite has a long history of usage and the applications for this material are diverse and varied. Additionally, working with it will require not only skill, but also specific tools and machines. Finally, maintaining and caring for natural granite in its many colors and finishes can be done in many ways using several surface treatment products. This basic knowledge of granite does not cover every aspect of this valuable material, but having this basic information helps reinforce why granite is a good decision for many decision makers.