Granite has long been used in construction for its exceptional properties, as it is not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly resistant to wear. We must emphasize that one of its main characteristics is durability.
Being a stone, it has been highly valued by urban architecture, as it blends perfectly with the surrounding environment. It soon became the main protagonist at home, mainly in contemporary kitchens and bathrooms, the uses of granite being almost infinite.
Its attractive crystalline texture has meant that it is also used for furniture and accessories, generally in combination with other materials.
What are Granites?
Conceptually, granites are rocks composed essentially of quartz and feldspar and to which, in much smaller quantities, mafic minerals such as biotite or felsic minerals such as muscovite are usually associated.
They form through a slow cooling process, which gives quartz and feldspar crystals time to grow. Thus, you can see in it colours that correspond to the shades of feldspars and micas, coloured granite grains of different types, with grain sizes that can range from a few millimetres or centimetres in diameter, so to speak.
Nowadays, thanks to the modern machinery that we have, working with granite is very affordable, economical and interesting. Its aesthetic and ornamental value is as valid as its hardness and resistance.
Hence, it is also widely used in spaces with considerable traffic and in places where acid rain is relatively constant. Hence, in other areas such as funerary art or the construction of monuments, it has become an almost indispensable material.
Main uses of granite
Interiors: kitchen countertops, bathrooms, floors, stairs, decoration, etc.
Exteriors: building facades, public works, large surfaces, pavements, curbs, cobblestones, urban furniture, walls, fountains, columns, balusters or chimneys, etc.
Thus, the most common uses of granite can be summarized in certain arts and works, as we see below:
- Construction: it is commonly used in facade cladding, in pavements, floors and floors, in the erection of columns, in stairs and curbs, in walls and low walls, paving stones, foundations, blockwork, guttering and copings, in lintels and in ashlars.
- Interior decoration: its use is common in the design of countertops for bathrooms and kitchens, in bathroom furniture, in fireplaces and in baseboards.
- Urban furniture: it is common to see granite constructions on the street. It is usually used to make tables and benches, fountains, barbecues, and even ornamental monuments and decorations.
- Civil works: it is also widely used in public and civil works, for example, to build reservoirs or breakwaters.
- Industry: in the field of industry, we see it commonly used as a manufacturing material for the cylinders that grind pulp in stationery shops or oil mills.
- Aggregates: aggregates are also extracted from the crushing of granite and other materials. It is used to produce decorative gravel, aggregate for concrete or ballast for railway tracks.
- Funerary art: it is common to see it on tombstones, mausoleums and pantheons, among others.
- Sculpture: Many monuments have been made and today decorate our cities in squares, roundabouts, etc.
Advantages of granite in construction
- It has great resistance to compression, bending and abrasion.
- Firm, consistent material with high resistance to loads and wear
- Low porosity once polished, translates into a material that is very easy to maintain and clean.
- Homogeneous materials are easy to combine with each other and with other construction materials.
- It perfectly withstands all inclement weather, which makes it suitable for any geographical situation.
- It has great quality and beauty. It’s used for interiors as well as exteriors.
Granite maintenance
When cleaning granite ExFrO – A Leading Granite Exporters in India suggests not to use products that contain abrasives or acids in their composition, as they could cause damage to the surface.
For its regular care, it will be enough to use the mop or help us with a microfiber cloth soaked in water and with a specific cleaning product, which you can easily find on the market.
Keep in mind that so that the surface does not lose its shine over time, it will have to be given sealing coats at least twice a year.
Although you do not have to worry as there are treatments that ensure greater durability and resistance over time of this stone, to protect it from stains and make it last longer intact.
The latest in granite in the home: B/W contrast
The game of contrasts of black and white or grey and white is once again the centre of decoration in the home. And it is that the classics always come back and with granite, it could not be otherwise.
The combination of furniture finished in medium grey and countertops in white is once again the centre of the most modern and cutting-edge kitchens and bathrooms. This seeks contrast, highlighting parts of the kitchen or toilet.
White on surfaces tends to lighten and brighten furniture in dark finishes. And black is the unanimously elegant classic colour. It gives space character and personality.
In the bathroom, it is applied to sinks and wall cladding. In other rooms of the home, black and white granite is being applied to give rooms elegance, applying it to tables and even floors.
Discover everything that granite can do for you and turn your house into an elegant, classic and comfortable home.
