Granite

Granite is an igneous rock — quartz, feldspar and mica cooled slowly under pressure. That structure is why it behaves the way it does on a job: hard, dense, and largely indifferent to heat and UV.

For specifiers, granite is the low-drama choice. It is the stone you put where a client will not be careful, and where a fabricator needs a material that cuts predictably.

Where it performs

• Kitchen countertops and islands, particularly in rental, hospitality and multi-family work
• Exterior cladding and paving — it holds colour in Nevada sun where marble will not
• Commercial flooring in high-traffic circulation
• Pool coping and outdoor kitchens

What to watch

• Granite reads as grain and fleck rather than vein. If a client is asking for movement, granite is usually the wrong family — look at quartzite.
• Colour consistency varies by quarry and by lot. On a large run, reserve from a single block.
• Some lighter granites are more porous than their reputation suggests and take a sealer.

Finishes

Polished is the standard and gives the deepest colour. Honed reads flatter and hides wear. Leathered and brushed add texture and are forgiving of fingerprints on dark stone. Flamed is a rough exterior finish for slip resistance.

Thickness

2cm and 3cm are both stocked. 3cm is standard for countertops without a build-up edge; 2cm is common in cladding and where weight matters.