Granite is a type of felsic intrusive igneous rock that has a granular and phaneritic texture. They can either be white, pink or gray in color depending on their mineralogy. It is always massive, hard and touch and has mostly been used as construction stone.  The colors in granite differ and the minerals that make up granite give it the unique colors we have come to see in granite stones. White granite is a granite that is made up of mainly quartz which is milky white in color and opaque white minerals whilst black granite is seen in commercial rock but it is not granite it is however gabbro.

In the 1990s, granite gained quite the symbolic status as a leader in the world of countertops. You had not made it until you owned a granite countertop. Today it is still seen as the most prestigious stone to be used on countertops. Although many other materials like quartz, marble and or stainless steel have tried to compete with standard that has been long held by granite countertops.

There are many benefits to opting for granite countertops other than adding a high level of class. Other benefits are that granite does not have a uniform appearance as they are derive straight from the earth and they lack perfection as they are designed by nature.  They are also very durable in nature.

Although granite is held in such high esteem, it does have a few cons. For one they need to be sealed before usage and this process needs to be repeated annually depending on the material used in the sealing, it might need to be repeated yearly. Granite will only be stain resistant if the sealing is done properly. If it is not done accurately and repetitively, your countertop risks being stained. Although granite countertops are generally durable for long periods of time, this is subject to usage and maintenance. If it is heavily abused and not properly taken care of it could break or chip.

Granite pricing usually begins at $60 a square foot and unfortunately for your pockets the price quickly accelerates from there. If you are in luck you may be fortunate enough to find granite pricing that starts from $50, depending on the manufacturer, the pattern and or the color of the granite slab. Granite is a natural rock and as such it will always be more expensive than quartz as one complete slab needs to be excavated from the earth as one chunk of stone. This excavation plus the shipping of the product takes a lot of time and money. The thicker the granite the more money you will pay and the thinner the granite the weaker the stone.

Granite is made up of several different crystals and as such the colors scheme offered vary depending on the crystal that predominate in the chunk of granite. Most common colors associated with granite are, gray, white, pink, black, orange, greens, browns and blues. Some of the crystals that are used in the compilation of granite are quartz, mica, feldspar and horneblend & biotite.