Granite-From Rough Blocks To A Countertop

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• Granite From Rough Blocks To A Countertop

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• In todays fast-changing home improvement
  landscape, granite stone is one element that has
  retained its position and popularity in the
  industry. The use of granite countertops is
  nothing new. They are used in both commercial and
  residential space for years. There are many
  reasons that make granite an ideal choice for
  kitchen countertop. They are its color variety,
  finishes, hardness, durability, and others.
  However, it is interesting to know how granite
  countertops are made. In this post, a detailed
  explanation of granite will be given touching
  each every aspect of granite production.

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What is Granite?

• Granite is considered an igneous rock that is
  primarily made up of two minerals quartz and
  feldspar. However, other elements can also be
  present like mica, amphiboles, and a combination
  of several trace objects. It is important to note
  that these variations and the abundance of these
  minerals give granite a particular color and
  texture. Geologically, granite refers to a
  plutonic rock that contains nearly 0 to 50
  quartz (usually semi-transparent white) and 65 to
  90 feldspar, which is usually of white or pink
  color.

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How Granite is formed?

• According to geologists, granite was formed when
  the molten rock cooled down over millions of
  years.
• The larger the mineral crystals formed in molten
  rock, the slower it cooled, with K-Feldspar
  megacrysts forming in unusual situations larger
  than 5cm. Granite is formed beneath kilometers of
  rock and sediment. This is to produce enough heat
  to melt the rock.
• The granite we see now is at the surface, it was
  uplifted at some point, forcing overlying
  sediment to be eroded away. The granite may
  somewhat expand and crack when it transitions
  from high pressure and temperature to air
  pressure and temperature. This, combined with
  seasonal temperature changes, might result in
  weakened and less suitable granite for
  countertops.

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Mining of Granite

• Granite stone is found in quarries. These
  quarries are located in different parts of the
  world. The worlds biggest granite quarry is
  located in Mount Airy, North Carolina, the U.S
  which has a size of 66 football fields.
  Similarly, many other quarries are located in the
  countries like India, Brazil, Poland, China,
  Italy, and others. The quality and cost of
  granite depend on the location of the quarry that
  is chosen as the source of granite suppliers.
• Since there are lots of granite varieties
  available in the market, not all varieties can be
  found in these quarries. Some granite variants
  are specific to a region. Granite is one of the
  most commonly imported stones across the world.
• Granite mining is a massive industrial operation.
  The raw granite elements are mined in massive,
  hefty blocks from the earths crust. It is the
  initial step in constructing a granite slab.
  Granite slabs are obtained from quarries. Miners
  typically select quarries that are as close to
  the earths surface as possible.
• To expose the granite, the layers of dirt above
  which the stones are produced are first removed.
  After that, it is extracted from the earth using
  an open cast mining method. Drilling holes
  through the granite and then using hydraulic
  hammers to separate the individual chunks of
  stone from their surroundings is part of the
  procedure. Cranes are used to separate the blocks
  once they have been identified.

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Fabrication

• After the granite is mined, granite rough blocks
  of up to 10 tons of weight are moved to granite
  processing units. In these facilities, these
  blocks are processed into granite slabs which
  makes their handling easier.
• These slabs are then polished to give a smoother
  finish to their surface. This process also
  highlights the natural colors and patterns on
  them. Different types of polishing machines are
  used for this. The most widely done finishes are
  polished, brushed, flamed, Lepatora,
  bush-hammered, honed, and leathered.

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How Granite Slabs are Transformed into
Countertops?

• Once the slabs are polished, they are cut and
  shaped given the specific specifications of the
  countertops. This end-level processing of granite
  slabs is done keeping in mind the exact
  application of the granite countertops. For
  example, if a granite countertop is supposed to
  be installed in a commercial place, it would be
  dealt with differently than a granite slab meant
  for residential use.

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How Granite Slabs are Transformed into
Countertops?

• GRANITE FROM QUARRIES TO YOUR HOME AND OFFICE-
• STAGE1-Granite blocks are extracted from the
  granite quarries.
• STAGE2-These blocks are transported to facilities
  for further cutting.
• STAGE 3-Shifted to various parts of the globe.
• STAGE 4-Polishing and additional finish are done
  to transform them into usable countertops.
• STAGE 5-Stone handlers install the granite
  countertops at your place.

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• Granite is the most preferred material for making
  countertops along with quartz. It is the
  hard-wearing nature of this stone that makes it a
  stone of choice for various applications.
  Moreover, granite comes in a plethora of colors
  which means one can choose a particular granite
  that can match the surrounding décor.

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• THANKS!
• Any questions?
• You can find us at www.ugm.co.in