Making the Cut: Granite countertops and Vanity Tops from Quarry to Installation
What you will learn: What happens at the granite quarry; what tools are used to cut granite at the
quarry; what is typical of an average installation; what tools the contractor might use; what to do with
leftover pieces of granite after the granite countertop or granite vanity top is installed.
One of the greatest features of granite as a countertop or a vanity top is that there is very little
processing required. The natural material itself makes a perfect surface for these types of applications.
But by the same token, granite doesn’t come ready-cut for your project – this work must be done at the
quarry, and in some cases on an installation job also.
Granite is typically available in both slabs and tile, but is initially cut from huge blocks removed from
the earth where the granite has formed over millions of years. This removal of specific types of rock, of
which granite is one of the most popular, is accomplished by various means including the use of huge chisels
that separate the granite from surrounding stone. This method involves loosening the granite at its natural
joints, allowing it to be dislodged.
Cutting granite at the quarry
Once the granite is removed from the earth, it needs to be cut to size accordingly. This is typically
done with wire saws that are often treated with a varying range of abrasives from sand to aluminum
oxide to diamond, along with water which acts as a coolant. Other types of cutting devices are often
used in tandem, or in the absence of, these wire saws. Water jet cutting, for example, uses a focused,
high-pressure stream to cut stone along specified cutting lines. Once it has been established that the
granite blocks are to be used for countertops and tile, they are cut and polished into the familiar forms
for these purposes. The granite tile and slabs are calibrated to ensure that the thickness of the granite
is uniform and gauged to make sure that they are square; tiles are beveled to produce their smooth edges.
Once this part of the process is completed, they are ready for your project.
Granite at your site
Now that the granite countertops or granite tile have been obtained, they are ready to be placed on your base
cabinets – the moment you’ve been waiting for! However, this involves a few steps to make sure that the granite
surface is matched to fit your space, checking the drawings and measurements of your installation space, and your
sink and fixtures. With regard to the granite slabs themselves, most of the cutting that has to happen will take
place at the quarry, including spaces for sinks and fixtures, although sometimes it is done on site, or "in the
field." This can be somewhat of a messy job, if not for some key equipment used to cut down on the large amount
of dust that comes from cutting granite for your countertop or vanity top.
Cutting equipment and methods
One of the primary pieces of equipment the installer may use is a hand-held, diamond bladed radial saw with a
vacuum attachment. This allows the installer to cut the stone with space for a sink and fixtures, while minimizing
the mess created as the granite is cut. In the case of using granite tile for a countertop, a dry-run is often a
way for an installer to measure what needs to be cut, and by how much. This means laying the tiles without fastening
them to a base cabinet in order to make sure that the dimensions for a sink hole, for instance, are going to be accurate.
Templates of sinks and cook tops generally come with those items on purchase, and they will be extremely valuable resources
for the installer in achieving the level of accuracy vital to a successful installation. Often, your installer will create
a new template, based upon the measurements taken on site. Once the measurements have been made, the granite countertop
can be installed over a sub-counter that is usually fashioned out of plywood, with a vapor barrier between it and the granite.
The granite is then held in place with the use of a grade 2-part epoxy, which can be mixed with the color resin that most
closely matches your granite countertop, granite tile, or granite vanity top.
Ideas for leftover granite pieces
Once the job is completed, and if there has been some on-site cutting, you may find that there are some stray pieces of
granite leftover. You need not consider this material as wastage; there are lots of ways to make the most of all of the
granite, even the leftovers. For instance, many of these stray pieces of granite can be made part of a backsplash. Another
great use of stray pieces of granite from your countertop project is custom-made coasters or elegant custom bread boards,
once the edges have been honed to a smooth edge. Installers may have even more great suggestions along these lines, enabling
you to make the most out of your investment in the granite you’ve chosen.
Granite is an extremely wise choice for countertops and vanity tops. Durable and attractive, granite countertops and vanity
tops will add value to any property. When it comes to an attractive space truly reflecting refinement as well as one that
will be long lasting, your granite project will definitely make the cut!
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