Granite or Marble – Which one to choose for your kitchen work surfaces

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 structures of the building

3. Granite is highly resistant to heat, scratches, stains, acidic liquids, hot pans and kitchen utensils, making it a perfect material to be used as kitchen granite worktops. Whereas marble has a low resistance to acidic foods such as; lemon, tomatoes, vinegar etc. Cleaning liquids can also damage the surface of marble, so marble may not be the best choice to be used as kitchen worktops and countertops. Marble stones can be used to enhance the décor as it has much more exquisite patterns - soft and beautiful.

Three Main Varieties of Granite

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.

Uses of Granite Stones

As a building stone

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.

What makes granite worktops so sought-after?

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.

Tips to consider before purchasing granite.

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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.

Interesting facts about granite.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. Depending upon the specific mineralogy of these stones, a granite stone varies in colour ranging from grey to pink.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Although granite stones are one of the least absorbent stones, still these can be stained by wines, nicotine, juices, grease and even champagne.