Granite
Granite countertops: how to choose the actual slab.
Granite goes into more Connecticut kitchens from our yard than any other stone. Most people who come in for it have already decided on granite. What they have not done yet is pick a slab. That is a different job from picking a material. This piece is about the slab. Our granite page shows what is in the racks right now.
If you are still choosing between materials, start with granite or quartz and quartzite or granite. Come back here once granite has won.
Can you walk into the yard and pick granite yourself?
Yes. Our yard is at 97 Airport Road in Hartford. It is open weekdays 8:30 to 4:30 and Saturday 9 to 1. The granite stands outside in daylight. The slab you tag is the slab that becomes your countertop.
People ask this about yards in Middletown and around the state, because plenty of slab yards sell only to the trade. Our piece on where to buy stone in Connecticut explains who sells to whom. From Middletown we are a straight run up Route 9. Rocky Hill is on the way.
The name on the tag is a trade name.
To a geologist, granite is one specific rock. Hobart King of Geology.com describes it as mostly quartz and feldspar with minor amounts of mica, amphiboles and other minerals.
The stone trade uses the word more loosely. King explains that in the industry, "granite" means a rock with visible interlocking grains that is harder than marble. Under that rule, gabbro, basalt, pegmatite, schist, gneiss, diabase and diorite can all be sold as granite. Gabbro is the common one. It is sold as black granite. King notes it usually contains very little quartz.
None of this is a scam. It is how the trade has always named stone. It does mean the word on the tag tells you a slab is hard and grainy. It does not tell you how dense that slab is. Density is what decides sealing, which is covered below.
This is a different problem from mislabeled quartzite, where a slab sold as quartzite turns out to be marble that etches. We cover that in the quartzite and granite piece.
Why do two slabs with the same name look different?
Granite comes out of the quarry as blocks. The blocks are shipped to a plant and sawn into slabs. Use Natural Stone, the Natural Stone Institute's consumer site, explains that slabs from one block are usually numbered so you can buy the neighbors. Even neighbors are not identical. The pattern can change over a short distance.
Two slabs from different blocks can look like different stones under one name. The next container of a variety is not a promise that it will match the last one.
Three things follow from that:
- Pick the slab, not the name. A photo of River White tells you what the variety can look like. It does not show you the slab you would get.
- Count your slabs before you fall in love. If the kitchen takes 2 or 3 slabs, they should come from the same block and sit next to each other in the bundle. Ask how many are left.
- Tag what you chose. Our buying piece covers getting the name and lot number written down.
Which finish suits your kitchen?
Most of our granite colors come in three finishes. The same slab can look like a different stone in each.
- Polished. Glossy and reflective. It shows the grain and pattern most fully. Use Natural Stone calls it low maintenance.
- Honed. Smooth and matte, with no gloss. It hides small imperfections because it reflects less light. The same source notes the pattern shows less vividly than on a polish.
- Leathered. Brushed after honing so the surface has a soft, bumpy texture. It hides fingerprints, smudges and water spots well. The tradeoff is that the small pits take a little more effort to clean.
You can compare finishes in our racks. Our granite page lists River White and Colonial Cream in both polished and leathered, White Ice in polished and honed, Negresco honed and Black Absolute leathered. Ask to see the same stone in two finishes side by side before you decide.
What does sealing actually do?
The Natural Stone Institute says the products called sealers are really impregnators. They soak into the stone and work as a repellent. They do not form a coating. Sealing makes a stone more stain resistant. It does not make it stain proof. What it buys you is time to wipe up the oil or wine.
How much a granite needs it depends on that density question. Use Natural Stone puts it simply: darker granites are generally very dense and sometimes do not need a sealer at all, while lighter granites are more porous and can need several coats. The Institute goes further and says most granite countertops do not strictly need sealing, though many benefit from it.
We seal every natural stone before installation anyway. After that, our granite page suggests resealing every 1 to 2 years depending on use. The test we give customers is simple: leave a few drops of water on the counter for 10 minutes. If the stone darkens under them, it is time to reseal. If it does not, leave it alone.
Two cautions from the Institute. Rust removers and some toilet bowl cleaners contain traces of hydrofluoric acid, which attacks granite and quartzite. No sealer protects against it. The Institute also says a homeowner who cleans up after each meal will rarely, if ever, have staining problems with granite.
Where do the seams and overhangs come from?
Seams come from slab size. Our granite page lists a River White slab at 132 by 80 inches and a White Ice at 124 by 80. A run longer than the slab needs a seam. So does an L. Use Natural Stone says a typical granite kitchen has 2 or 3 seams. A large island can often be cut from one slab without any.
This is where choosing in person pays off twice. When we template your kitchen, we lay the cuts out on the slab you tagged so the veining lands where you want it. That also decides where each seam falls. Our fabrication process piece covers the seam rules: never over a dishwasher, always over cabinet support and away from inside corners.
Overhangs are the other half. The seating side of an island hangs past the cabinets with nothing under it. How far stone can go unsupported depends on the stone, the thickness and the layout. Fabricators want that decided with them, not after. Past a point the overhang needs brackets or corbels. Settle the overhang before templating, because it is cut into the stone.
What should you bring to the yard?
- A rough sketch. Measure the longest run and the island. It tells us how many slabs you need and where a seam would land.
- A cabinet door or a paint chip. Granite looks different next to the colors it will live with.
- An idea of the finish. Or just an open mind about it. Seeing polished and leathered side by side settles it fast.
We work across the area, including West Hartford, Glastonbury, Rocky Hill and Middletown. Come to Airport Road and walk the rows, or tell us about the kitchen and we will get back to you within one business day.