An important granite archaeological find in Alexandria, Egypt

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.

Article source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8419746.stm

Restoring your granite worktops that have been damaged by hot pans

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.

Factors that affect the price of granite slabs

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.

Buying Granite over the Internet.

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.:

1. Granite stones vary in quality and not all granite is the same quality. Some types have been seen varying quite a lot.
   
2. 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!
3. 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.
   
4. 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.
5. 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.