Granite worktops in Loughborough

Built by heat, not glue

Granite is igneous rock: molten material that cooled slowly underground until feldspar, quartz and mica crystals locked together. Nothing binds it but the crystals themselves, which is why a warm pan does not mark it as it might quartz, and why tins, knocks and scrapes barely register.

Those crystals also give granite its depth, and darker or speckled stones are very good at hiding crumbs and splashes between wipes.

Seeing your actual slab

A palm-sized sample tells you the colour family, nothing more. The slab that becomes your worktop may have bolder markings, bigger crystals or a vein across it. Unless you are choosing a plain black or grey, look at the real slabs, or clear photos, before anything is cut. That is also when we work out how pieces sit next to each other so the markings run on naturally.

Does it need sealing?

It depends on the stone. Close-grained granites absorb next to nothing; paler, more open ones can take in oil or wine left sitting on them, so we seal them after installation and they want resealing every so often. A quick check: drip some water onto the surface. If a dark patch shows within a few minutes, reseal. We tell you which kind you are buying.

Weight and what holds it up

At 30 mm, granite weighs in the region of 80 kg per square metre. The carcasses below need to be level, sound and screwed to the wall and to one another. Most fitted kitchens of recent years manage without any changes; a tired or damp-damaged unit may need attention first, and we flag it when we measure, not after.