Egypt: A huge granite block thought to have once formed part of a 'Cleopatra temple' pillar in a sunken palace of Cleopatra has been raised from the sea at Alexandria. This nine-tonne stone, said to be from a temple to the goddess Isis, was lifted by crane out of the waters which have covered the palace for centuries.
It was cut from a slab of red granite quarried in Aswan, some 1,100km (700 miles) to the south, officials say. There are plans to exhibit it in a new museum devoted to the sunken city. Earthquakes are thought to have toppled the city in the 4th Century.
This is one of the most important archaeological finds in Alexandria, among the 400 items recovered by the Greek archaeological team that has been engaged in underwater research since 1998.
Firstly, if your granite worktop has come with a warranty, then take advantage of it.But you will have to make sure that the damage was incurred within the warranty duration. A representative from your granite manufacturer should come to repair the damage caused by hot pans and other hot kitchen accessories.
There are many restoring liquids or pastes available in market that can be used to polish your granite countertop and remove stains and marks. Most of the kitchen granite worktop manufacturers recommend their own line of products for the maintenance of their worktops. These solutions can be used directly on the damaged surface of your granite countertop.
For deeper marks that would not come off, you should consult your manufacturer or professional granite countertop servicemen who can come to your home and attend to the damage right away.
We all know that using granite in any home improvement work is not a cheap preposition.That is why it is important to help people understand some of the costs and realize that Granite worktops are a luxury and beautiful addition to your home as well as an investment.
There are four major factors that seem to affect the price of the granite stones.
1) The country of a particular granite stone’s origin.
2) Hardness: This factor majorly affects the granite price. Hard granite would require expensive diamond tooling to quarry, cut, shape and polish as compared to the softer varieties.
3. The cost of shipping and receiving the granite from the ports.
4) Supply and demand of the particular varieties of granite stones. Low quality and less attractive granite is always cheap and visa-versa.
You should do a little research before you decide to purchase what should be the dream worktop for your kitchen Here are a few points that consumers buying granite worktops over the internet should be aware of.:
Granite stones vary in quality and not all granite is the same quality. Some types have been seen varying quite a lot.
Some granites put up for sale over the internet, may bear the same name as those stones seen in granite showrooms and the supplier may even say it's the best quality, but if it is ultra cheap, believe me - it certainly won’t be the same quality!
One thing that you need to keep in mind is with the surface colors and blemishes which could be visible within the granite stone. Several other problems can also be present, including; fissures or fault lines in the granite. Make sure the granite supplied to you does not greatly differ from its natural colour and pattern profile that is commonly seen with that type of granite stone.
In lower grades of granite, problems like blemishes and fault lines can be extremely noticeable thus spoiling the overall effect of the surface colour and pattern. The better manufacturers will always make sure to treat the lines and blemishes by cutting around and confining these faulty stone to the waste pile. But the cheap suppliers cannot afford to cut out all problem marks and blemishes, or their profit would also be in the waste pile.
Some cheaper varieties of granite may also vary in colour across a batch or even a single piece which may look ugly as your worktop may not have a fluent colour flow across the joints. But for the cheap suppliers it is very difficult to reject such granite and they can put it for sale with the name of “cheap affordable quality granite” and still make a profit.
Extraordinary advances in extraction and elaboration techniques have dramatically increased the production of granite stones in the last decade and the decline in prices has also been witnesses. Decline can not only be attributed to lower prices but also to gross margins that have sharply come down in the recent years. As a result of technological improvement, unless a production unit is extremely efficient or the material being worked with is highly exclusive, the chances of making any profit at all are low.
2. Granite being used widely all over in major projects.
Among the positive developments in the granite industry, one of the upbeat activities is the greater awareness of it among the architects, and its growing popularity in major construction projects. Whether it is a commercial building, an airport, office centers, hotels or affordable granite kitchen, granite stones are becoming more and more popular for the big and small projects all over the world.
3. Granite companies in search of new materials all the time.
More and more new granite varieties are quarried all around the world all the time. New excavations are being opened every day to extract these beautiful natural stones in countries like Brazil, India, Africa etc. A large section of big granite factories have decided to work with granite materials that no one else has and thus are either setting up their own quarries in various countries, or signing agreements to purchase the whole production of certain quarries which is off course the convenient way to prosper in this highly competitive industry.
It is a well known fact that granite requires very less maintenance. But this does not mean that you do not need to take care of your granite worktops. Your kitchen granite countertops or worktop can look shining as new always with a minimum care and maintenance. This is the main reason for which most of the homeowners prefer granite over all other natural and engineered stones for decorating their houses particularly kitchens.
Granite can withstand heat and is resistant to stains and any other kind of damages. Granite stones can also resist any harsh element but still you need to be careful and cautious to prevent your granite stones from unnoticeable scratches that build over time and can make the surface of your granite rough. Grit and sand stuck to the bottom of any object placed on the granite countertop can scratch the granite surface. The best option is to use some table mats or metal stands to place objects on the surface.
There are manufacturers who claim to repair the scratches developed on the granite surface. But preventing scratches is better than repairing it, as you may not get the same piece from the lot that you had purchased earlier and it may look bad.
Having granite worktops in your kitchen makes your life easy as these natural stones do not require much effort to clean and maintain. However to keep your granite worktops looking clean and shiny all the time, you will have to follow frequent cleanliness regimes. Even if your worktop stone is hard, durable and resistance to heat and stains, it still requires regular cleaning; otherwise it can deteriorate easily and lose its shine. Therefore you should clean the tiles yourself on a regular basis Here are some useful tips that can help you in maintaining the beauty of the natural stone.
1. Clean your worktops using some mild cleanser or simply your dish washing soap and rub the worktop surface gently with a smooth scrubber. To remove the stickiness and extra dirt that gets deposited on the surface it is best to rinse the surface with warm water. Dry the surface with a clean absorbing material cloth or sponge.
2. Stains can be of any nature and can penetrate inside the granite surface thus leading to severe damages. Hence, as soon as you see a stain on your granite surface, clean it immediately. You can also clean the stains by preparing a paste of one cup flour and two to three tablespoon of dish washing liquid. Apply this paste on the stained area and leave it for the night.
3. If the stains are tough and do not go with your normal dish washing solution, then you can replace the dish washing liquid with a hydrogen peroxide solution. To make it a more effective, you can also add some ammonia liquid into it. This method works with stains created due to spills of oil, milk and grease.
4. Tea, coffee and fruit juice stains can be removed by preparing a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and ammonia and then rinsing the surface with water as soon as the cleaning process gets completed.
5. If the stains are difficult to remove, then do not try scrubbing your tiles too hard. It can lead to scratches in your tiles. The best approach in such a case is to either change your cleansing solution or appoint a restoration specialist to revamp the tiles.
Regular cleaning will maintain the beauty of your kitchens worktops for lifelong. So why not start your regular cleaning regime from today!
Granite and marble are equally good to use in building purposes. However, marble has its limitations and can be damaged by natural weathering whereas granite is incredibly long lasting and durable. Let’s find out what are the differences that make granite the most preferred choice out of these two types of stones.
1.Granite stone is mainly composed of feldspar, quartz and mica. Due to the presence of various boasting mineral contents, granite stones exhibit a wider variation in design, colour and pattern. Marble is also an extremely beautiful natural stone although very different to granite in its mineral composition and is made mostly of calcite.
2.Granite is the hardest stone ever discovered by man only after diamond and can be used indoors or outdoors whereas marble stones are not that durable and can be damaged by natural weather thus limiting its usage in the outer exposed structuresof the building
Granite is available in three main varieties – Biotite Granite, Hornblende Granite and Tourmaline Granite.
Biotite Granite
Biotite granite is one of the most widely used granite types for building purposes. It has a mineralogy that includes quartz, biotite, plagioclase, and K-feldspar as its major compositions. It is known to be the hardest variety among all granite types and is available in a huge variety of colours. It can be used indoors for flooring, as wall tiles, as kitchen worktops etc. or outdoors without compromising the stone.
Hornblende Granite Hornblende granite, also known as “Syenitic granite”, contains hornblende, quartz, feldspar, and mica in its mineral composition. Crystalline in nature and usually grayish or flesh red in colour, hornblende granite is one of the darkest variety of granites known by man till now. This variety of granite is also known to be durable in all types of weathering and can be put to any indoor or outdoor construction use.
Tourmaline Granite This variety of granite is composed of Tourmaline as its major component and is softest of all types. This variety of granite is rarely found as white or colorless variety but is available in wide spectrum of colors. Since this variety of granite is not that durable and hard as compared to the other varieties, it is ideal to be used in building areas with very less of traffic.
Talcose Granite
This variety of granite consists of talc, a whitish colour material with an unctuous feel along with the common ingredients of granite. Talcose granite is not ideal for use in any type of building purpose except for the decorative purposes.
Since many years from now, granite is being used as a building stone. In England, granite was commonly used as a foundation stone for homes. It is also significantly being used as a building stone and as floor tiles in the construction of various historic buildings, commercial structures and public buildings. Because of its resistance to heat, high durability and aesthetic qualities, granite is a popular choice for kitchen worktops and countertops.
Engineering
Since polished granite stone is impermeable and relatively unreceptive, its surface is used to establish a plane of reference in many engineering purposes.
Used in memorials and for gravestones
Granite is also used in many areas granite gravestones and memorials. It is hard stone and thus requires skill and precision to carve by hand. However, now a days carving is done by using computer-controlled rotary bits and sandblasting over a rubber stencil which leaves any kind of artwork or epitaph including letters, numbers or symbols exposed on the granite stone.
Rock Climbing
For its gradient steepness, friction and reverberation granite rocks have become one of the most prized rocks by rock climbers. Some of the venues well-known for granite climbing around the world include the Mont Blanc massif, parts of the Karakoram, India, the Fitzroy Massif, the Cornish coast etc.
Hardness and Durability: Granite is one of the hardest materials known to man, second only to diamonds. This is the main property that makes it the best stone to be used as construction materials. Because of the granite’s hardness and durability, it is very difficult to break and thus lasts for many years without any bents or chipped corners.
Resistance to Heat and Scratches: Granite stones are 99% heat resistant. This makes it the best choice to be used as kitchen worktops and countertops. It is so heat resistant that one can straight away put a hot pan onto it without actually damaging the stone surface in any way. Granite stones are very difficult to scratch and thus can be used for a number of kitchen purposes like chopping, mixing without any harm to the surface.
Easy to clean and maintain: Granite stones do not stain very easily and thus are very easy to clean and maintain. Normal wiping down of the surfaces regularly is all that you need to keep your granite clean and shining always. Even though these stones are slightly porous, there is simply no question about its being the superior choice.
Colours: Depending upon the chemical composition of the stone, granite stones come in variety of different colours and shades. The crystals formed within the stone give these stones the characteristic patterns that look very beautiful when installed.
Remodelling your kitchens has no longer remained a tedious and expensive preposition. Indeed now a days remodelling kitchens has become a fashion fad as it is much affordable and instils a new spirit of modernity and elegance to the whole house.
If you are thinking of purchasing a new house or an apartment or planning to renovate your old house, consider remodelling the kitchen at least with modern granite kitchen worktops and countertops to give it a look of complete modern amenity. But while how will you make sure that the granite you have purchased online or from a traditional shop do not differ from what is delivered to you on the next day. Here are some inspection tips that you should perform yourself before purchasing your chosen granite pieces.
To check the absorbency of the granite stones, spill a few drops of lemon juice on a piece of granite and see if it forms some dark spot on the stone. If it does, it is absorbent granite stone and not quality granite. Do not consider purchasing it even if it is at cheaper prices. Quality granite stones will always take some time to absorb any liquid.
To check if the granite stone is original and not dyed artificially for those appealing looks, you can apply acetone over the surface. If the surface of application turns residual or black in colour then the granite is a dyed one and do not accept it. If nothing appears on the surface, then the granite is a perfect one and you can buy it.
When delivered at you home, check that all the granite stone pieces belong to the same batch. If there will be a difference in any of the stone piece from its batch it will look terrible when installed especially for larger crystals.
The mineral composition of Granite essentially includes (+/- 30%) quartz, orthoclase (+/-30%), feldspar plagioclase (+/-30%) feldspar, muscovite or biotite mica with the possibility of other minerals too.
Granite stones occur in large rock bodies known as batholiths which are actually highly differentiated rocks tending to form intrusions close to destructive plate margins.
Depending upon the specific mineralogy of these stones, a granite stone varies in colour ranging from grey to pink.
It is one of the hardest stone existing on earth that makes it suitable to be used as a dimension stone for construction of domestic and commercial buildings.
Granite stones are much harder and less porous as compared to marble. That is why these stones are less prone to scratches, flaw lines, pitting and large veining. This is biggest reason that makes it the most suitable stone to be installed as granite worktops and countertops in kitchens.
Although granite stones are one of the least absorbent stones, still these can be stained by wines, nicotine, juices, grease and even champagne.
