Granite Slabs Vs Granite Tiles

You're redecorating and have finally narrowed down your choice to granite. Now you must decide on a slab or tiles.

Why Does It Matter?

Countertops are often heavily used items in your house. Making sure your granite countertop can handle your busy family will ensure its life and luster. Although the basis for both slab and tile is granite, installation, cleaning and upkeep, and price can be the factors that alter your decision.

Installation

It may seem that tile and slab countertops are installed the same, but one requires additional labor time and supply materials. Tiles are smaller and must be laid together aligning geometrically and held together with the use of grout. Since a slab is one continuous piece, it demands less time, precision and supplies to install. Without the need to apply several pieces in a particular pattern, the design is guaranteed to be flawless.

Caring for Granite Countertops

For those who have certainly one of individuals beautiful new kitchen areas having a granite counter, you realize when home cleaning occasions appears that the counter needs some extra choose to look its best. A black or black colored granite counter sometimes shows water marks if you don't dry it correctly or make use of a special cleaner.

But much more important than routine cleaning of the counter top while home cleaning is re-sealing it regularly. In case your counter top has been around for over a year, it's certainly time for you to reseal it. You don't want it to visit unguaranteed or you might have the unfortunate occurrence of chemical damage and stains. Re-sealing your granite counter top isn't a difficult process and you may do-it-yourself.

Granite VS Marble Countertops

When building the kitchen or bathroom of your dreams, the two most popular choices for countertops are granite and marble. No luxury household is complete without one of these natural stones. But which one is better to use and easier to maintain? No one can make the decision for you, but you can learn the facts about each so you can make an informed decision.

Marble results from metamorphism of sedimentary carbonate rocks such as limestone or dolomite, whereas granite is an igneous rock formed from magma. Marble comes in a variety of light to medium colors and patterns of veining. Granite is a composite of mica, quartz, silicon, feldspar, and other minerals and comes in a vast array of colors and patterns. It is found in the Earth's continental crust and has a medium- to coarse-grained texture that is characteristic of the material. Due to their differences in composition and mineral make-up, marble is more porous and susceptible to scratching and etching from acidic foods and drinks when compared to granite. Also, granite can stand up to heat from cookware and marble will scald if exposed to high temperatures. Because of the porosity of these stones, they can both be susceptible to staining, though marble is more likely than granite to do so.

Sealants are recommended and applied to the surface upon installation to prevent staining of both granite and marble. Resealing your stone is a relatively straightforward process and should be done every 6 months to a year for marble, and every 1-3 years from granite. However, depending on the amount of use your stone gets and its color - lighter stones are less dense and more porous and darker stones are denser and less porous - resealing as often may not be necessary. Using proper cleaning agents specifically formulated for natural stone products will extend the life of your sealer and ensure your marble countertops and granite countertops will stay beautiful for many years to come. Harsh chemicals and abrasive cleansers should not be used to clean your marble or granite countertops.

If you're considering marble or granite countertops in your kitchen, granite is a better choice if your countertops are used constantly for cooking and preparing food. If you're more of a "take-out food" kind of family, marble shouldn't be a problem, despite some of the disadvantages of the material. On the other hand, marble is an excellent choice for vanities and other bathroom applications.

In terms of cost, there are many factors that influence the price of natural stone countertops, such as color, finish, country of origin, and availability of the material. Contact or visit local suppliers of natural stone products, as well as fabricators and designers to better understand the selection of the material and process it will take to complete your project. It is not recommended to select natural stone through pictures or small samples. To truly appreciate the individuality and beauty of each slab, you need to see it in person. Since it is a product of nature, no two slabs will be exactly alike, but this is what makes natural stone so appealing.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5635989

Buying the Best Granite Tiles

Written By Simon Word 

Granite Flooring tiles suit well for the interiors and exteriors purposes of your house. They are accessible in three different finishes like honed, polished and flamed. There are plenty of colors, patterns, shapes and sizes in these tiles. You should follow necessary steps to care of them before installing. Due to the advanced culture and technology, people expect everything to almost certainly be well-developed and perfect. Everyone wishes to decorate their homes in a beautiful way to grab the their neighbors and onlookers' attention. We all take pains to go with our furniture choice, according to the flooring colors to make our home look stylish.

There are a lot of choices when you think about the Granite Flooring tiles. Though, you can use many other materials to redecorate your home, now-a-days, the most popular one is granite. Try to choose the tiles which are small sized and square shapes with minimum thickness for use on the floor. Make sure, you grout them with the perfect adhesives and stay happy with its long-lasting performance. Granite tiles come in different colours based on the raw materials and added colors. It is a strong and hard flooring material when compared to others.

Granite Tiles in the Bathroom - VIDEO

Here is a great video showing the process of installing granite tiles in a bathroom. If you are thinking about doing your own tile job in your bathroom for your floor or shower, this is a great video to watch first! The final result is quite impressive!!
 

 This video was put together by DJsandDoors

Advantages & Disadvantages of Granite Tile for Bathrooms and Kitchens

By Abbas A Javadinia 

Granite is used in the building and renovating of homes. It is a very versatile and strong stone that is being used more often in the construction process. Granite is also being used more often in kitchens these days. Homeowners fall in love with the fact that granite is hard, has a high density and a beautiful natural appearance. Granite just seems to enhance the visual appearance of a room, especially a kitchen.

Granite is also an excellent material to use for flooring. If you are looking for a very distinctive look, then choosing granite tiles for your floors is the way to go. These tiles feel wonderful when you walk on them, they are scratch and stain resistant and an excellent choice for counter tops as well. Granite tiles can even be used on kitchen walls as well and are available in a number of different colors and designs.

The Advantages
People tend to opt for granite in their kitchens because of the fact that they are very cost effective to use. If you have a low renovation/construction budget, then choosing granite is one of the best options that you have.

These tiles are very durable and can handle a lot of wear and tear - great if you have kids in the home! Granite tiles will last for years and years before you even have to consider remodeling your kitchen.