There are differences between granites that can make the difference between your kitchen surface being a pleasure and it becoming a big big problem.
For instance, some granites are easily scratched, pitted, and can dry out and twist, or they can break along hairline cracks.
In recent years cheaper granites have become widely available from India and China. We don't think the quality of those is good enough and it would harm our excellent reputation for quality and service if we accepted and sold those granites. We simply won't do it. The best granite in the world comes from South Africa, Belgium and New Zealand, and that's where we get ours. Granite slabs are priced by their quality rather like diamonds.
A hairline crack in a granite slab is a weak point along which the slab can easily shear. Cheaper granites can contain hairline cracks. If the slab is twisted during fitting, or if there's any movement at all afterwards, the slab can break. Refitting a granite surface after all the tiles and appliances have been fitted is a headache. That's if your supplier is still in business and/or is willing to help.
We've often seen a cheap granite slab that's 30mm thick at one end and thinner at the other, even down to 24mm .. quite a difference. Often there's a difference that's not immediately apparent until you look along the edge. If you try to use a granite like this to, for instance, build an L section, you'll end up with an obvious difference in heights underneath.
A polished edge from Granite Worktops (UK) Ltd takes an hour's labour per foot. Other companies spray wax on the edges to produce a shine, but that takes minutes and wears off quickly (try scratching it with a coin, it will remove the wax). Our work is guaranteed for years. In practical terms, our edges will never wear.
Many companies say they have employees who fit their granite surfaces, but almost everyone uses contractors, and often there's one contractor to measure out the worktop, another to make it, and another complete stranger to fit it. The person making the worktop doesn't know anything about how the slab will be brought into the house and fitted, where the steps are and so on, and you've no idea who will come to your house to fit.
With Granite Worktops (UK) Ltd, it's me, Paul Bond. I measure, I build, and I fit. Everything is under my control and I am very conscientious about the quality of my work.
Check the hardness of the surface. Ask for a sample you can try to mark with a normal kitchen knife. A cheap granite will easily mark because it's softer than the quality South African granite we use. It's possible, but much harder, to mark a good granite. Of course, a scratch can be polished away, but you'll always be able to see the dip.
All Granite contains holes which, when the surface is polished, shows as pitting. Get close and look at a light's reflection on the surface. If you make bread or bake on the surface, flour gets into these holes and the surface will require a light scrub to get it clean. The fewer pits there are, the higher quality the granite. Check your granite slab isn't too pitted (ours aren't).
Cheaper granites can have inconsistent colouring from one end to the other end of a slab which becomes visible once you try to butt one slab against another, for instance in a corner. Our granites have consistent colouring.
Low quality workmanship is shown partly in the joints between granite slabs. A quick and cheap joint is formed by simply butting two slabs together with silicon sealant. Our joints are also pinned underneath to make sure the slabs stay together and don't move over time.
We don't recommend you try this, but as a matter of fact, granite should dry out properly before fitting. When it's cut it's drenched in water to cool the sawblades. If you put a blowtorch to cheap granite you often see condensation appear .. in other words, it contains water. That doesn't happen with ours because we thoroughly dry ours before we seal it (our granite is sealed before installation so it completely repells water, water should act like mercury on a granite surface).
Why is water in granite a problem? Granite can bend, like wood, as it dries out. So you might have a lovely kitchen to start with, but as the granite dries you may start to discover that the joints are no longer as tight as they were. If the granite is fixed in place, it might even simply break one day along a hairline crack. Our granite is dry and won't bend.
There are many companies selling cheap granite and offering no real peace of mind, I've seen problems you just wouldn't believe .. and they seem so brazen about it. Ask how long they've been trading, ask for several references.
I'm Paul Bond, this is my company and I've worked in marble and granite my whole working life. Granite Worktops (UK) Ltd and its former incarnation as a sole trader has been trading successfully for 17 years, providing exceptional customer satisfaction and high quality work throughout. All our work is 100% guaranteed.
Perhaps you can see why we chose to only use the best quality granite. We don't want any unhappy customers. Actually, we like to spread a little happiness. So that's why we concentrate on providing a quality product and great service backed by a solid and meaningful guarantee. We think you'll agree that's worth having.
What next? Either choose a granite, ask us a question or go straight to ordering your granite worktop.