Granite is a rock that forms when the magma that results from the melting of rocks in the earth's crust cools. ExFrO - A Leading Granite ???????Exporter in India has shared several types of granite, depending on their granular appearance and colour.
Among its main components are mica, quartz and feldspar. The hardness of granite depends on its chemical composition and the same happens with its colour, for example, the more quartz it contains, the darker and less hard it is. Its appearance is grainy and somewhat thick in texture.
Granite results, due to its large amount of quartz, with a high resistance to wear. Its density lies between 2.63-2.75g/cm³ and resistance to pressure lies between the range 1000-1400kg/cm².
Regarding its extraction, the granite is obtained from open-pit quarries where the task can be carried out with disc cuts, arm shearers and diamond wire cuts. Granite deposits are found in Egypt, India, South Africa, the United States, China, Argentina, Spain, Brazil and Ukraine, among others. This is because it is the most common plutonic rock on the Earth's surface.
Currently, there are more than 500 shades of granite. The range is very wide: pinks, creams, reds, blues, browns, whites, blacks, and greys; as well as endless options among its finishes, which can be brushed, honed, sandblasted, flamed and polished, among others.
Regardless of what type of granite it is, the applications of this material are diverse. It is used in construction, for example, because the granite finish is exceptional not only from a technical point of view, due to its durability and resistance properties; but also aesthetic.
With granite, tables, slabs, wall coverings, kitchen furniture, floors, tables, chairs, all kinds of commercial pieces, and kitchen sinks, among other applications, are made. Today granite has acquired a great role in the design of kitchens and bathrooms, among endless functional and decorative applications.
Both marble and granite are used for construction and design with great success. Marble is a very resistant metamorphic rock, but it is also porous and with little resistance to acids, temperature and water. In contrast, although granite is also a metamorphic rock, it is more resistant to wear and staining. Also, granite is a much less expensive material than marble.
To differentiate marble from granite, it is enough to try to scratch its surface with a sharp element: Granite does not scratch, but marble does. Marble is softer than granite, which allows it to be shaped more easily.
Both materials are susceptible to hard knocks, but granite is much more durable than marble and not as prone to chipping and scratching, which is why it is more of a choice for kitchen design, where the surfaces are used much more with elements. sharp and can scratch; while marble is chosen par excellence for bathrooms and other sectors of the home in order to preserve its properties.
It comes to our house in the form of countertops, stairs or columns. But few know how natural stone is processed from the moment it is extracted in the quarry until it reaches their homes. That is why today we are going to explain the transformation of a block of granite from its extraction to its distribution.
Granite is extracted directly from quarries, generally in the open pit, through controlled drilling and blasting of large blocks or with diamond wire cutting equipment. A process that in recent years has been streamlined thanks to the use of machinery adapted to this hard task.
Once extracted, the stone is fractured into blocks as well as other smaller products or posts that are used to build traditional masonry walls. The largest blocks are sent to the looms to continue their transformation.
The basic foundation of the looms is due to the pendular movement of a prompting frame between which and the granite block a fluid composed of an abrasive mixture (formed by strips and metallic shot, lime hydroxide and water) is applied.
In this way, the granite is cut by friction. The natural finish left by the saw is smooth, although with slight grooves and undulations.
The boards that come out of the looms, after being washed remove the remains of the cutting fluid (shot, strapping...) and then pass to the treatment area. Different finishes are achieved using a wide range of machinery.
The most common finish for the surface of the boards is polishing, which allows a smooth and shiny surface to be obtained, highlighting the texture and colours of the granite.
Other treatments are also usually applied, such as flamed, which gives the rock a rough and vitreous appearance, perfect for installing on pavements as it is non-slip.
Other possible finishes are bush hammered (also known as wrought, it is achieved by hitting the material manually or mechanically with the bush hammer, a toothed steel hammer), honed (achieved by means of an abrasion process in polishing trains or articulated arm polishers, without getting shine), sandblasting (achieved by repeatedly shooting silica sand against the material through an air gun), ageing (process characterised by the wear of the surface of the stone by continuous vibration) or scaling (carried out with traditional tools, causing stone fragments to fly with controlled blows).
After receiving the corresponding treatment, the granite slabs are classified by type of finish and material, including a colour code to guarantee the traceability of the product (origin, date and manufacturing process).
From its selection, it is packed for its subsequent commercialization through road or ship transport, especially for export granite. Then the professionals will be in charge of adapting the granite to the type of project to be carried out.
