Granite comes from deep below the earth’s crust where it starts out as silica-rich magma. Then the granite, an igneous rock, cools slowly from its magma state while under the pressure of the earth, trapping in indigenous crystals and minerals as it works its way to the earth’s crust where it is then quarried and put to use.
This process creates a rock that can have many colors such as pink, gray, white, or red throughout. The word granite is derived from the Latin word granum, which means grain. The grain of granite is one of the rock’s most unique characteristics.
Granite has a smooth texture and an intriguing mix of mica, crystal, feldspar, and amphibole, making it the perfect choice for kitchen and bathroom surfaces due to its superior durability.
Granite is a popular and beautiful choice for kitchen and bathroom countertops, but you may be wondering where this material comes from.
Granite, after coming up from the depths of the earth is pulled from various quarries all over the world. It varies in appearance based on the minerals that are present in the ground within that region. Granite quarried in China is mainly brown, whereas granite from Brazil has pink and blue throughout.
You will find granite throughout the world, including India, Italy, Spain, and North America.
Granite is quarried by workers using long drills. They place the long drills into the ground until they can form a granite block with the drills. After this is complete, the block is pulled from the rock bed with water jets or a jet piercing process. In some cases, explosives must be used.
Granite is cut using a saw called a slab saw that cuts the block of granite into slabs. This process can take hours or even days. These slabs that are cut will eventually be transformed into your granite countertops or tiles for your next remodeling project.
After the granite has been cut into the slab, it is sent to a warehouse where it is treated with a resin. This resin helps to bring out the beauty of the stone and helps to strengthen it.
There are three grades of granite: low-, mid-, and high-grade granites. The low-grade granites usually come from China and are thinner than other types of granite. Most of the mid-grade granite comes from areas such as Brazil and India.
On the Mohs scale, which classifies minerals’ hardness, granite has a hardness of 6 or 7 on a scale of 1-10.
At Express Cabinet & Granite, we offer a wide selection of granite to choose from, and we also provide custom fabrication and installation for your granite countertops. Pittsburgh homeowners can bring their remodeling vision to life with the high-quality material offered by Express Cabinet & Granite. You should also check out our remnant yard to see the fine pieces we have available! Contact us today to learn more!
