What Are the Various Types of Granite Worktops?

By: Phill Monroe

Second only to diamonds, granite is a very durable igneous rock found in many parts of the world. Igneous rock is formed by molten rock commonly known as magma. Commercial grade granite on the other hand is an intrusive rock which is a type of granite that was formed by cooling magma beneath the surface of the earth. Granite is so named because of its “granular” texture.

There are various minerals found in granite – feldspar, potassium, micas, quartz, hornblende and plagioclase. The different types of granite are formed by the crystallisation of the minerals and are then filled in by quartz as it is the last mineral to crystallise. The durability of granite is dependent on the quartz. It might seem to be coloured gray but quartz is colourless though it reflects the colours of the other minerals around it. The mineral feldspar is white while K-feldspar has variants of pink, orange, blue and yellow. The hornblende is responsible for the salt and pepper granite.

There are different kinds of granite in terms of source of origin, colour and dominant mineral found in it. Take for example lithium granite. It is called as such not for any other reason aside from the fact that it contains a large amount of lithium. A granite with a large quantity of hornblende is therefore called hornblende granite. A Nero Assoluto is black granite which literally means black absolute. The term has become generic and unless you specify from which part of the world you want your black granite to come from, chances are you’d get black granite from who knows where.

There are probably thousands of different granites from all over the world. What are found in the quarries of India are not found in the quarries in South Africa. What is blue in China is not the same blue in Angola. The Van Gogh granite is a beautiful swirl of blues and light yellows. The Azul Bahia granite is a bright ocean blue swirls of beauty. Both are from Brazil. Note that the world’s major supplies of granite stone are India and Brazil.

It would be quite a hard task to enumerate all the names of the granite available in the market today. In India alone there are over 300 colours of granite. This is not to mention the different variants, gradation and the dominant crystals in it. The basic colours are: black, brown, yellow, rose, blue, green, off-white, red and lavender. A sampler of granite countertops are: Mahogany, Dakota Mahogany Ananthapur Grey, Apple Blossom, Apple Green, Ash Pearl, Autumn Pink. Deserts and Dark, Forest Green, Daisy Blue, Juprana, Florenza, Jakhranda and more.

Maintenance is quite easy. For everyday cleaning, a non abrasive cloth dipped in soapy water should do it. Polished granite is highly resistant to scratches, stains, heat and weathering. It will not fade. It will not chip. Granite slab is quite expensive but its durability and easy maintenance makes investing in one worth it.