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| Beautiful New Granite Countertops - An Extended Breakfast Bar with Decorative Corbels |
I recently had the pleasure of helping my neighbors, Jim and Carolyn, select granite countertops for their lovely home here in Jacksonville, Florida. They were tired of the neutral-colored Corian they currently had and wanted something with pizzazz in their kitchen which would hold up to daily use.
They had done their research and learned that granite is affordable, is available in hundreds of colors, does not harbor bacteria, is hard to scratch, and is resistant to burn marks from hot objects.
They had done their research and learned that granite is affordable, is available in hundreds of colors, does not harbor bacteria, is hard to scratch, and is resistant to burn marks from hot objects.
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| Old Corian Countertops |
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| Another Look at the Former Corian Countertops |
Off we went to my local granite supplier. Carolyn and Jim were amazed at all of the choices in the showroom. However, they were fortunate to find two beautiful related slabs of Mascarello granite with lots of yellow color and mica (shiny silver minerals) in them in the warehouse section. Jim at first was hesitant but Carolyn knew right away that she loved them.
The couple wanted to extend their breakfast bar and have the granite installed almost up to their electrical outlets. They wanted a rounded edge. Their installer did a beautiful job complying with their wishes and even included a much nicer stainless steel sink. Upon completion of the installation, he sealed the granite to preserve the color and clarity of the stone. Carolyn and Jim will need to repeat this process once a year and have been instructed to clean their granite with mild soap and water and to immediately wipe up any spills because granite can stain.
The couple wanted to extend their breakfast bar and have the granite installed almost up to their electrical outlets. They wanted a rounded edge. Their installer did a beautiful job complying with their wishes and even included a much nicer stainless steel sink. Upon completion of the installation, he sealed the granite to preserve the color and clarity of the stone. Carolyn and Jim will need to repeat this process once a year and have been instructed to clean their granite with mild soap and water and to immediately wipe up any spills because granite can stain.
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| A Beautiful Piece of Mascarello Granite |
Why is granite so strong and colorful? Why is each slab so unique? Granite is a natural stone product that was formed as a result of the Earth cooling during its early stages of formation. It is one of the hardest types of rock and is crystalline in nature. Crystalline grains fit together very tightly forming granite. Granite is composed of different minerals but quartz and feldspar are always components. These substances were pressed together over millions of years under immense pressure. The quartz and feldspar are the lighter colors, the whites and pinks that we see when we look at a piece of granite. The darker colors are produced by a variety of other minerals such as black mica or amphibole.
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| Beautiful Veins of Color in this Granite and a New Stainless Steel Sink Included |
Granite, composed of larger crystals, was formed nearer to the Earth’s core where it cooled more slowly. This granite is usually lighter in color. Granite which was formed closer to the surface of the Earth cooled more quickly and consequently is usually a much darker color and a much stronger stone. The regions where granite is predominantly found are Brazil, China, India, Saudi Arabia, Italy, and the Scandinavian countries.
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| Granite is Installed Almost up to the Electrical Outlets Now that you know the "scoop" on granite, give me a call at 904-553-0366 to learn about incorporating this beautiful product in your kitchen or bathroom. There are also many other countertop options available. Resources - "How Granite is Formed" by April Starr at http://www.helium.com/ and http://www.-natural-stone-interiors.com/ |
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