Granite Countertops

Granite is one of the hardest rocks that there is. Not only does granite add elegance to a home, it is extremely durable, easy to maintain and will remain brilliant for decades with proper maintenance. Most Granite is only 90%-95% stain resistant, so the odds of it staining are very unlikely. Although we still do recommend you seal you granite countertops every 2-4 years as an extra precaution.

Granite is a natural stone that took Mother Nature millions of years to create. Granite is an igneous rock made up of silica, quartz and feldspar. It is formed by the cooling volcanic magma. Magma, the molten rock on which the Earth's continents float, is actually composed of different molten elements. The different pressures and temperatures that are found deep within the earth is what harden granite.

Geological prospecting is used to find places where granite exists. There are granite quarries all over the world. Many of the stones we supply are quarried from Brazil, India, Italy and Canada. Granite is formed ov�er millions of years from compressed molten rock under the Earth's surface.

When the granite has been found in the earth, a quarry is made around it to help extract it from the earth. The main ways that granite is removed from the earth is through sawing, drilling and blasting. The blocks of granite are extracted in a uniform shape so that each block is roughly the same size. Each block can weigh an average of 50,000 pounds.

Once the blocks have been quarried, they are shipped to different manufacturers around the world.  From there these blocks are cut into slabs. Since granite is one of the hardest rocks, the only thing that can cut granite is either diamond cutters or a saw made of granite itself.  The process of cutting granite into slabs is simular to a loaf of bread being be cut into slices. Granite blocks can be cut into an average of 120 slabs at a time. The slabs are usually cut between 2cm and 3cm thick. The average time frame to cut a single block is 3-4 days.

Once the rough slabs have been cut they get fed thought a large bed polishers. The bed polishers have 7-10 different diamond grits that move back and forth on the granite to create a smooth finish. Once the first polish is complete the slabs get flooded in resin and put into a large vacuum machine. This machine helps pull the resin through the stone. At this point the slabs are put into a 50 tier bake oven where they can be baked for up to 8 hours. Once the granite come out of the oven it goes through the polish stage again. The resin that is baked into the stone helps give the stone more sheen and luster. Another advantage to this is resin is not porous so it does not absorb moisture, there for it acts as a more permanent sealer.

Once the slabs are finished being polished they are shipped in containers all over the world to wholesalers and granite shops to be viewed and sold to customers.

 


VI Granite & Quartz Countertops
1955 Boxwood Road, Nanaimo BC, V9S 5X9     Tel: 250 802-2518    Email: bill@vigranite.ca

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