How to Know If Granite Is Right For You

Is granite right for your kitchen countertop or bath vanity top? It's not hard to find out. Take a look at your home, lifestyle, and style preferences to get a good idea if you should install granite. Here are a few things to consider to know if granite will work in your home.

Your Kitchen or Bathroom Gets a Lot of Use
If this is true of your home, then granite is an ideal countertop candidate. It's a durable material that holds up well under spilling and dropping and will sustain the pressure of use from both adults and children. You don't need to be afraid to use granite countertops, cook on them, or eat on them. While somewhat porous, they don't stain as easily as you might think. If taken care of, granite countertops will also be highly scratch resistant. Granite is also heat-resistant making it ideal for kitchens; and mildew and mold resistant making it perfect for bathrooms.

You Avoid Cleaning as Much as Possible
Granite countertops will understand if you don't enjoy spending all your time cleaning. They don't require a lot of special attention to stay beautiful. In fact, regular washing with mild dish detergent and water is all that's needed most of the time. You may want to apply stone cleaner to add extra shine and polish. Putty knives do the trick to remove bits of food that have gotten stuck on the surface. And once a year, you'll want to add a sealant to keep the granite waterproof and protect the finish. But that's all.

You Want a Material That Will Last
As you may notice on your own, granite countertops and bath vanity tops are not a fad. They've been in use for a while and make up one of the few household items that won't go out of style any time soon. Part of that is the stone's natural versatility. It's commonly a neutral but still has a lot of dimension and visual interest. If you want a material that can be both modern and classic at the same time and will survive beyond today's trends, then look to granite.

You Want a Countertop That Goes With Your Style
Granite is also versatile, working with a variety of design styles. For one thing, granite countertops literally come in hundreds of colors. There's variation even within color choices. You can go neutral with blacks and browns, or add a splash of color with reds, greens, and blues. Granite looks perfect with the modern designs so popular today, but also looks right at home in more traditional kitchens. The size of your kitchen doesn't matter either. Granite will pop in a large kitchen, and will make a big statement in a small galley. The limits are really only set by you.

You Want a Countertop That Adds Value to Your Home
Even a little bit of granite, such as in a bathroom or smaller kitchen, adds instant value to a home. It's a perk for buyers and will make your life in your kitchen more enjoyable.

Granite meets all these desires and beyond. It's durable and easy to maintain but is also an attractive addition to any home. So is a granite countertop right for you? If you answered yes to any of the above, then no doubt it will be a perfect fit.

Tips to Use Granite to Remodel Your Kitchen

All of us love to be experimental with the look and interior design of our homes. As for the kitchen, we think that we have limited options. But we can use granite to remodel the kitchen. It is not only durable, but is known to be resistant to stains, cracks and burns. You can have granite countertops in the kitchen. This will look stylish and if you consider the durability factor, nothing can be better than a granite top.

A kitchen island will look especially good with a raised breakfast bar. This is a good place for quick snacks. Moreover if you are busy preparing the dinner, you can always ask the children to come and do their homework on the table. This place can also serve as a cosy place where you can enjoy a drink before the dinner. Granite is known for antibacterial properties. A granite slab is a good place for preparing the food. Apart from granite tops, you can also install a granite sink. In fact effective use of these natural stones can add a much needed spruced up look to your kitchen. Besides it would also serve as a way to depict your environmental friendliness and go green attitude.

Most granite sinks are extremely hardy and they do not retain the stains. Moreover because of the tough quality of the stone, it is difficult to make dents. Like all materials even granite needs good handling, and it is always better to clean them with granite polish. Instead of using regular cleaners which often contain harmful chemicals, granite polish creates a smooth surface and helps in retaining the luster of the granite surface. As for the size of the sinks, it is always determined by the space you can spare for the installation of the sink.

If you want to match the color of the countertops with the sink, you can choose the same material. Keep in mind the basic fact that countertops are easy to change. But in order to remodel the look of the kitchen, you can also install granite floors. They can be cleaned easily and it is easy to maintain. Moreover compared to any other material, granite flooring is considered to be attractive and durable. For a rustic look, you can add the matte floor. A polished floor will enhance the look of sophistication.

After you have installed the granite floor, you can select the neutral tones for the rest of the kitchen. They are generally subcategorized into two types-cool and warm. Adding neutral tones along with granite floors can do wonders for the kitchen. Granite can also be used as accents. Granite goes well with any kind of woodwork. So if you want to make a difference to the way the kitchen looks, you can combine wooden cabinets with granite accents.

To sum up if you are looking forward to spruce up the look of your kitchen then go for the judicious use of granite slabs. They are not only durable and resistant but also will allow you to create a look that is nonpareil and exquisite.

Spruce Up Your Kitchen Décor with Granite

Granite is certainly one of the wonders of nature. Formed in the surface of the earth, it is a grained igneous rock. There are three different ingredients that have contributed to the wide range of color and texture of the granite. They are quartz, mica, feldspar. However, since the ingredients are not mixed proportionately, the design of granite varies from one to another stone. This allows it to be used to create designs that are unique and varied from each other.

The natural stone granite, which thus finds a wide range of application, is extracted from the mines in significant qualities. After the extraction, the rocks are cut into large pieces of slabs and dispatched to the distributors across the globe. However, there are smaller pieces as well that are cut into tiles. Both these varieties are used in the home construction industry.

Now as a home owner you might wonder how you could use granite to enhance the décor of your house. Well there are multifarious ways by which the natural stone granite could be effectively used. To put simply, there is no limit regarding the use of the granite. It can be used to decorate kitchen, bathroom, living room and almost every part of your house. In fact not only house but granite can be used to decorate commercial establishments as well. In fact this stone can also be used in offices, hospitals and other institutions to create a beautiful ambience. Some of the advantages of granite is that it is a natural stone which is also very easy to install. At the same time, they hardly have any hassle for maintenance.

Now you might wonder where granite could be best used in your house? The answer is definitely the kitchen which is one of the most important parts of your house . Kitchen is the place that has to suffer the most wear and tears. The foot traffic is also higher than most of the areas of the house. So, when you are thinking of installing tiles there, you must consider the durability. And nothing seems to be better than granite in this respect.

In fact, durability is not the only thing that makes granite the obvious choice for your kitchen. They come up with thousands of different colors, textures and patterns. So, they are always a good choice to decorate the house and can break the gloom and monotony which usually a kitchen room has. Granite is also resistant to heat. This makes it an ideal choice for kitchen worktops. This stone is also resistant to moisture and scratch. So, it can retain the look for a long time. Above all, it can be very easily cleaned with a damp cloth. So, maintaining the look is very simple.

Granite can give your kitchen a look that is exclusive. Each of the stone has its own shape and texture and no two stones are similar. This is something that adds a unique look to the kitchen. However, if you are looking for an identical design, you have to pick granite from the same slab.

Granite has a touch of luxury and elegance like nothing else. So, this stone will not only add color, it will also bring class to your kitchen. However, while installing granite, one must ensure the floor has the strength to hold it, since granite is a heavy stone.