{"id":81,"date":"2013-07-01T11:14:31","date_gmt":"2013-07-01T11:14:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.universalgranite.co.uk\/blog\/?p=81"},"modified":"2013-07-01T11:33:25","modified_gmt":"2013-07-01T11:33:25","slug":"crawford-mack-discovers-what-makes-granite-so-special-and-the-ultimate-choice-for-kitchen-makeovers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.universalgranite.co.uk\/blog\/crawford-mack-discovers-what-makes-granite-so-special-and-the-ultimate-choice-for-kitchen-makeovers\/","title":{"rendered":"Crawford Mack discovers what makes granite so special and the ultimate choice for kitchen makeovers."},"content":{"rendered":"

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My geography lessons taught me\u00a0that granite was the signature rock of the continents and indeed of the planet earth itself. So when invited to write this piece, I was intrigued to learn how this naturally forming rock gets transposed from a hole in the ground to a centrepiece of a designer kitchen.<\/p>\n

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Colin Gillan, a director of Universal Granite in Stockport, helped fill in the gaps of the amazing journey granite takes over many millions of years, when time and pressure combine with a great deal of heat, to form this highly sought-after rock.<\/p>\n

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He explained that it is mined by drilling and injecting pressure into the holes to split the granite off into huge blocks. Then depending on the colour and type of granite required, will depend on where in the world it will be sourced, as being a natural substance, all granite varies in both colour and shading. Once mined it is shipped to processors for cutting into slabs, polishing and finishing, the most skilled of which are acknowledged to be in Italy, which Colin cites as the \u2018Rolls Royce\u2019 of granite producers.<\/p>\n

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Once they received the polished granite\u00a0from the processor, they produce the finished product in a custom built 15,000 sq.ft., manufacturing facility using the latest CNC machinery \u2013 also imported from Italy \u2013 following IS0 9000 quality guidelines.<\/p>\n

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What I also learned is that there are an amazing different number of finishes that you can have on you granite work surface from the traditional polished finish to a matt, flamed, satin and even a leather look. The polishing should make this porous material relatively impervious, but as part of their process, Universal Granite also seal their granite surfaces and can provide a 15-year warranty to that effect.<\/p>\n

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Never having had a granite surfaced kitchen, I was also keen to find out what it is about granite that makes it so special, which Colin helped me to put into perspective.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFirst and foremost it is the most visually stunning material you can use \u2013 black and star galaxy being the current favourites \u2013 but there are also many other choices, red, brown green and gold.\u201d<\/p>\n

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To demonstrate, he showed me a huge reddish brown slab that looked absolutely fabulous and a gorgeous brown slab speckled with dots of sparkling blue.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWith granite\u201d, he added, \u201cYour kitchen will be unique \u2013 no other kitchen in the world will have exactly the same look due to the subtle changes of colour and shading in the rock.<\/p>\n

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\u201cNot only that, it is the most hygienic surface you can use, it can bring a tired kitchen back to life and it can actually increase the value of your house.\u201d (Which reminded me of that estate agent mantra of how a kitchen can \u2018sell\u2019 a house).<\/p>\n

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Ok, I thought but surely granite is mega expensive? But to my surprise it was much less than I had imagined with Colin indicating that it could be as little as \u00a31500 more than a laminated work surface.<\/p>\n

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He also kindly offered me some safe advice if deciding to choose a granite supplier. All of which shouts the adage of \u2018buyer beware\u2019.<\/p>\n

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\u2022 Enquire where the material is from in the world \u2013 if your supplier doesn\u2019t know, then just how professional is their business?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Ask about the plus and minus points for\u00a0the type of granite you are considering. Will it have the appearance, strength and durability for your specific application?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Check out the supplier\u2019s premises \u2013 are they just a reseller or do they have their\u00a0own manufacturing base? (Scan the QR logo here to visit the Universal Granite site.)<\/p>\n

\u2022 Ask if they seal the product.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Beware if they cut on customer premises. For the most professional job the majority of cutting should be done in the factory using sophisticated computer controlled machinery \u2013 hob cut outs, sink cut outs, drainer grooves, etc.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Do they use scants or blanks? Thickness, appearance and shades all match in a scant \u2013 they don\u2019t in a blank.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Ask if they template or survey? Making a\u00a0template before manufacturing ensures it\u2019s a perfect fit in your kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Ask for a sample of the product of your\u00a0choice as the quality and appearance can change from company to company,<\/p>\n

\u2022 Universal Granite also supply and fabricate\u00a0other worktop surfaces such as quartz and Corian. These offer stunning effects different to granite and will be covered later.<\/p>\n

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So, if you are in the trade as an independent fitter or a kitchen company, or just a householder thinking about revitalising your kitchen, check out Universal Granite for your next kitchen make over. n<\/p>\n

Or if your need is more pressing, see their online quotation facility or just email your work surface dimensions to: info@universalgranite.co.uk<\/p>\n

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My geography lessons taught me\u00a0that granite was the signature rock of the continents and indeed of the planet earth itself. So when invited to write this piece, I was intrigued to learn how this naturally forming rock gets transposed from a hole in the ground to a centrepiece of a designer kitchen.   Colin Gillan, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":82,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.universalgranite.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.universalgranite.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.universalgranite.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.universalgranite.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.universalgranite.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"http:\/\/www.universalgranite.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84,"href":"http:\/\/www.universalgranite.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81\/revisions\/84"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.universalgranite.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.universalgranite.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.universalgranite.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.universalgranite.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}