Granite is a natural stone, which is obtained from quarries all over the world. It has unique properties, thanks to which granite products make for perfect building/decorating materials during house or apartment refurbishing. Various formats i.e. varied thicknesses and granite colours will allow you to choose a product for your project and give the given space some character and elegance. Learn more about granite, its creation and properties below, and choose the perfect product for you.
How is granite made? And how are granite slabs supplied?
Granite is essentially a cooled down, compressed magma rock, or more precisely, a stone composition of minerals and light crystalline structure. It is made up of quartz, potassium feldspar, plagioclasm and biotite, among many other properties. The name itself comes from the Italian word ‘granito’, from the Latin word ‘granum’, which means grain – a common feature of granite & marble colours.
As we already mentioned, granite rock is formed by the slow cooling of hot magma, which squeezes through the crevices of the earth’s crust. It’s also formed under conditions of high pressure and temperature, when the magma is completely crystallized in its deep layers. Granite is therefore quite common rock and occurs across all continents. Except that not all granite formations are suitable for décor. Only some, a selection of about 100, are beautiful in nature and at once resistant to weathering and abrasion.
Granite is therefore naturally sourced from many quarries across the world, from India to North America and Norway. Massive chunks are sliced into thin (30mm & 20mm) slabs, that are then purchased from the quarry owners by various suppliers like Levantina, The Surface Collection or Thomas Group. These suppliers then sell that product to granite manufacturers, that render the stone slabs into granite worktops, contemporary flooring designs, bespoke cladding etc.
The beauty of granite colours for kitchens – select your ideal hue out of a wide range of granite worktop colours
Granite colours will vary depending on location, local geochemistry and mineralogy. Granite comes in many shades, whether it is grey, white, pink, red, blue, green, brown or black. Some of the most common granite worktop colours are: Baltic Brown, Black Pearl, Star Galaxy, Giallo Veneziano, Azul Platino, Verde Ubatuba, Emerald Pearl, Steel Grey, Blue Pearl, Sapphire Brown, etc.
The relative share of minerals of different colours in the granite is mainly due to the original source of melted rock, which has cooled down to form granite. If the melted rock was abundant in potassium feldspar, the granite will take on a more ‘salmonic’ colour. On the other hand, if the melted rock is abundant in quartz and the minerals that make up the amphibole, you will probably get black and white mottled granite commonly found on granite kitchen countertops.
The surface of granite stone is also determined by the composition of the rock, determining the veining, types of grain, mineral chunks, their size, pigmentation etc. Some have small and densely spaced grains, others are again quite distinct and visible. The final appearance of granite is also greatly influenced by the way it is processed. Polishing, for example, will highlight the colour and bring out the glow. Sandblasting or flaming will give the stone a matt appearance and give it a natural, raw character.
There is truly a multitude of common colours and shades of natural stone, although the number is sadly dwindling year by year. There are vast reasons: quarries are slowly depleting or running dry; political instability of many Asian and African countries is affecting trade; man-made quartz worktops becoming the optimal solution for today’s decor.
The possibility to choose the colour of the granite countertop and surface finish is very important in the realm of home decor and interior design. We need to ensure that the stone blends in with other kitchen equipment, i.e. furniture, appliances and accessories. That it stands out in the room and that the granite kitchen worktops are the centrepiece of the whole interior. Thankfully we have that choice and many worktop manufacturers, who cut granite, still supply a fantastic range of natural material.
Valuable properties of stone: granites and quartzites
Granite is a very hard-wearing natural stone. On the Mohs ‘ten-step hardness’ scale it gains a value of 7-8. It is resistant to abrasion, scratches and harsh weather conditions such as rain, snow, frost and sun.
Due to these valuable properties and its natural beauty and elegance, granite to this day (as thousands of years ago) is used as a decorative stone; an element of interior design, garden decoration and also as a building stone for roads, pavements, bridges and building facades.
In speedway sport, it is utilised as track surface that aims to reduce wheel grip and make the sport even more spectacular. Natural rock materials are used as decor in many prestigious banks, shopping centres and plazas – not only due to their beauty, but also thanks to their tough durability.
Granite is also used to produce curling stones. Granite, of course, will also work well at home. It is used for kitchen worktops, window sills, floors and stairs thanks to the variety of granite worktop colours. The stone is often used to clad fireplaces as it absorbs heat perfectly and doesn’t let it instantly dissipate. It’s thus frequently used in the catering industry as a stone for baking pizza or steaks.
Are there granite colours to avoid?
It depends entirely on the context. For example, if we aim to clad something with natural stones like granite or marble, we are free to use any colour. However, if the stone is used for flooring or kitchen worktops, we want one of the toughest materials like Absolute Black or Indian Jet Black as it is commonly called.
We will not go into detail as to which granite colours are best. We suggest you contact a professional, who will provide you advice regarding granite worktops colours. Feel free to click the link above and contact these manufacturers. They are also installers of granite kitchen worktops who will be able to visit your property and provide you invaluable suggestions, template your kitchen and help you choose that perfect granite worktop.
We have checked their reviews and it seems they are a reliable and well-reviewed company. They’ve also been on the UK market for at least 16 years, so no doubt they have plenty experience & offer expert advice. Their website also lists impressive stock. They sell anything from black granite, white granite, grey granite, green granite, blue granite and even gold granite – as well as plenty other different shades of man-made ston like quartz worktops.
Granite colours and price: How much are granite worktops?
Granite colours and prices differ entirely on the company + colour you choose. As we mentioned in the above paragraph, some granites are more scarce than others, then there are those that are limited in number due to trade issues. For some you need to book your slabs in advance and pay upwards of £3,000 per slab! That is 6x the cost of an average granite slab.
The best shout is to contact a granite worktop manufacturer, like the one we listed above for specifics on prices, costs and deliveries. You can even go through their Online Quote system, which will instantly generate you an estimated price for the given colour. We did that ourselves, here on the Granite Offcuts portal, and we must say they provide best prices we encountered so far. Which is why, yet again, we recommend them to our readers.
If you wish to receive the best price for a granite worktops project, we strongly suggest you make your way to their showroom to discuss the project in person. They will provide you and instant quotation. Their showroom is also equipped with a large range of granite samples – some of them you might even be able to take home prior to ordering your worktop.
Granite worktops: Why 100% natural product makes for a stunning home decoration?
While using granite, you can also be sure you’re purchasing a product potentially for a lifetime. Therefore the environmental friendliness is guaranteed. Granite is a natural stone, which after extraction is subjected to cutting, crushing or grinding. These processes do not use any harmful chemical substances that would be dangerous to humans or the environment.
Therefore, by choosing the wide range of granite worktops colours you care about the good of our planet, at the same time embedding a hint of that bright nature within your home. It’s beautiful and poetic at the same time.
Imagine this scenario: you decorate your traditional or modern kitchen with a cream Kashmir Gold granite with subtle black flecks, rare organic patterns and eternal quality. At the same time, you’ve just installed a light natural granite that complements the home and stuns your visitors. All for an affordable price and with environmentally-friendly means.
See, even internal decor is nowadays possible with sustainable means that do not linger on our conscience.