How does a natural stone turn into a countertop?

Much of what makes granite so unique is the history behind the stone. At G&L Marble showrooms, where granite slabs are neatly stacked in bundles for viewing, it is easy to overlook the long process of getting granite into your kitchen. So how does a rock become a countertop? 

 

First, the granite must be discovered. Natural stone quarries are located throughout the world. Every continent has its own distinctive rock types and colors. Through a process of prospecting and studying geological surveys, sites are chosen for their structure, color and marketability. These sites may be located in extremely remote locations such as Madagascar, The Amazon region of Brazil, or in the desert region of Namibia, located on the continent of Africa. Once a site is chosen, and mining licenses are obtained by following strict environmental guidelines, quarrying begins.

 

Next the granite must be extracted from the earth. Extraction is a process of drilling and wire sawing to release huge benches of stone. The benches are then drilled and split into blocks. The finished blocks on average are 10’x6’x6’ and can weigh as much as 40 tons. Blocks are inspected for any cracks, major flaws and for color range.

 

Transportation from the quarry to the processing plant is varied depending on the location of the quarry. From our desert quarries in Namibia, many of the blocks trucked 1200 miles to our plant in South Africa. Other blocks are sent by truck to the port of Walvis Bay, Namibia and then transported by ship to Italy for processing. Upon arrival at the processing plant, blocks are selected for cutting. Using 40 ton Gantry Cranes, the blocks are positioned on large trolley carts and pulled under the gang saws for cutting. The gang saws are enormous machines. The massive blades are aligned and spaced on a large carriage up to 18’ wide. Driven by electric motors the carriage is pushed and pulled back and forth. While the blades are moving, a cutting slurry comprised of steel grit and water is poured over the blocks to provide the abrasion for the cutting.

 

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Completion of the block cutting requires between 2-7 days (depending on the hardness of the stone). The quality of the cutting is dependent on the skills of the gang saw masters who are in charge of the cutting. Because of the variables in stone hardness, density, the slurry, blade tensioning, and cutting speed, the sawing process requires constant monitoring by the masters. The rough cut slabs are then thoroughly cleaned with water and prepared for the next phase of processing.

 

The next phase is determined by the specific type of stone. Many of the granites quarried today go through an epoxy process to enhance the quality of the stone. For example, the large quartz crystals found in some granite have fissures or crazing to them. The fact is, if there weren’t fissures it would not be quartz. These characteristics are inherent to that mineral. These fissures are not defects, as we say in the stone industry, “Mother Nature doesn’t make mistakes”. However, with today’s epoxy technology, a greater variety of exotic granites can be processed for countertops. 

 

The epoxy process begins by loading the slabs into an oven to completely dry the stone and bring it to an even temperature before the epoxy is applied. Epoxy resin is poured and then troweled on in a thin layer over the entire surface of the slab. Slabs are then rolled into a vacuum chamber drawing out any air pockets so the epoxy can penetrate deeply into the slabs. The epoxy is then oven cured into extremely hard coating. 

 

The polishing process is the same regardless of whether a slab has been epoxied.

The polishing line is a long conveyor-fed machine which sends the slabs under 21 separate grinding, then polishing heads. The polish is achieved by a series of grits on rotating polishing heads starting from a very coarse 60 grit diamond abrasive to 1800 grit polishing bricks. When the epoxied slabs are polished, all the epoxy is ground from the surface. What remains is the epoxy that has penetrated below the surface into any fissures, pits or voids. After quality inspection the slabs are ready to be bundled, loaded into a container and shipped. Once the slabs have been packed into bundles (think slices of bread in a loaf), they are loaded into shipping containers. These containers are then loaded onto a cargo ship bound for different destinations. Our containers (shipped from all over the world) are brought into the port of Savannah or Charleston. Shipping times vary depending on the port of discharge, however, 4-6 weeks is typical travel time from any factory to our warehouse.

 

Upon arrival at the port of entry, customs clearing along with the random USDA inspections take place. Once cleared from the port, the containers are then loaded onto a truck bound for our Winston, GA warehouse.

 

At the warehouse, the containers are unloaded by overhead cranes, then staged for quality control. During quality control each individual slab is inspected for any processing defects, cracks, quality of polish etc. From our main warehouse bundles are shipped to our showroom locations in Alpharetta, Atlanta, Birmingham, Destin, High Point, Jacksonville, Knoxville and Raleigh. The handling of the slabs (weighing in excess of 1200 lbs) is done by use of overhead cranes or mechanical loading booms. At our showrooms the slabs are on full display for customers to make their selections. Our showrooms are equipped to layout a bundle of a chosen material so the customer can actually pick their individual slabs. Upon selecting and approving specific slabs, the customer then contracts with a fabricator to cut and install their countertops. Fabricators place the customer’s slab order with G&L and we ship to their shop within 2-3 days from placing the order.

 

When looking at a granite countertop, it is hard to imagine the extensive and time consuming process it has undergone before arriving in your home. Thousands of miles have been traveled and hundreds of hands have extracted, polished, trucked, shipped, received, measured, cut and installed that piece of stone. Natural stone has a history in regards to its formation, but simply getting from the earth to your home is a story in itself. It is this story that explains why people who enjoy their granite countertops. appreciate natural stone. Every piece is as unique as the homeowners themselves. This appreciation of natural stone separates granite from “just another building material”. Yet despite the many processes that are involved, natural stone remains very competitively priced. In many cases it is priced lower than solid surface products, even though solid surface is produced at a fraction of the cost. Natural stone is in a class by itself. The only truly natural choice is natural stone.

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What you need to know about Installing Marble in Kitchens

 

 

The speech. You know the one. You tell someone you want marble countertops in the kitchen and you’ll hear it-probably more than once. People will tell you you’ll never be able to drink red wine again. They’ll tell you you’ll need a degree in chemistry before you will be able to clean the counters for the first time. Bottom line, they’ll tell you no. But you’ve seen marble kitchens in the magazines. You’ve been to Europe. You remember the white marble in the soda fountains of your youth. So what is everyone so afraid of?

                        The truth is, you can put marble on your countertops. It is after all, your kitchen. You could upholster the countertops with silk if you wanted to...it all boils down to how much maintenance you are willing to live with. So how much time and energy is involved? We’ve spoken to the Marble Institute of America (MIA), stone fabricators and homeowners to compile what it’s like to live with marble. Here’s what we found out.

                        Typically when a homeowner is looking for natural stone countertops the first stone they think of is granite. The reason for this is granite's reputation for durability and performance in the kitchen. According to the MIA, granites are undoubtedly the most popular stone type used in countertop applications today. These stones are some of the hardest, offering high levels of resistance to abrasion, scratching and heat. The primary minerals in the granite are resistant to virtually all chemicals commonly found in a residential setting.

                        Marbles on the other hand are made up primarily of calcite crystal. Due to their mineralogical makeup, all marbles are vulnerable to either abrasion or chemical attack. Scratching could occur from common kitchen utensils. Lemon juice, tomatoes, vinegar and any other acidic solutions would etch the surface, removing the polish on the stone. Although red wine is the most commonly feared liquid near a marble kitchen, foods that have both acidic and oily qualities are usually more harmful because the oil acts as a carrier into the stone. Salad dressings and marinades are common culprits.

                        The use of abrasive cleaners must be avoided for the same reason-no bleach or ammonia based products should be used. So how do you clean the counters? There are many marble friendly natural stone products on the market. If you have someone come in to clean your home, be sure that they are only using the products that you provide, not the strong chemical based commercial cleansers typically used. Because of the high absorption rate of most marbles, a sealer should be applied to help slow the rate of water and stain absorption into the stone. Depending on the life to the sealer, it will need to be reapplied periodically. Sealers are readily available on the market and can be easily applied by the homeowner.  However, many homeowners have a misconception about stone sealers. Even though a stone is sealed, it does not mean that it is an impervious surface. The sealer can help slow the absorption process, but it does not mean that no staining will occur. Although sealers have improved in recent years, there is not a product that will completely protect marble from staining or etching. It is simply a characteristic of the stone that this will occur.

                       

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The vulnerability of the polish on marble is one of the reasons marble is often honed when used in the kitchen. Removing the polish helps to camouflage the wearing of the stone and makes the surface have painted, or "aged" effect. It is difficult to see etches or rings on the stone when it is honed because the entire surface has already gone through an etching process in order to remove the polish. Jennifer Van Horn is a homeowner with honed Piel Serpentine marble in her kitchen. "I like the honed marble surface because the veins and pattern of the stone help to hide the surface dirt on the counter. I have polished concrete where my range is and it shows every little thing. On the marble, it's hard to tell what is part of the stone and what isn't." This camouflaging effect is one of the benefits of having a marble with veins. A white marble with little veining, for example, would be more likely to show wear, while a darker material with more movement would help to blur the line between stains and variations within the material.

                        So how do fabricators feel about installing marble in the kitchen? Mike Knox of Stonecutters Guild in Huntsville, Alabama, responds, "Here's what marble will do in your kitchen-it will ring, it will stain, but it will be beautiful. Most of my clientele has traveled the world and they see painted marble, they see that there is nothing more real than that. I love working with marble and if a client wants it, I'll do it. But I'll also tell them that they are not going to call me every week to clean up an orange ring or a glass ring. If the homeowner is not going to appreciate what marble does and how it looks as it ages, I won't do it in their kitchen." John Howard, a salesperson in the G&L Marble Atlanta showroom is in agreement. "In the last few years more and more homeowners are asking for marble or limestone for the kitchen. They see it in magazines, their designer tells them about it, and they want it. I always tell them about the staining and the scratching and if they still want it, then I say 'go for it'. However, there are people that want the marble to look brand new forever, and for those people I don't think marble is a good idea."

                        If a homeowner is hesitant to have marble in vulnerable areas of the kitchen, for example, around the range, then mixing materials in an option. Installing granite in the work areas and marble in the areas that receive less traffic is one way of having the best of both worlds. Kitchens today often combine more than one cabinetry style or finish, and the same is true of countertops.          

                        In the end, the only person that can answer the question of whether marble is right for the kitchen is the individual homeowner. Homeowners need to ask themselves what their needs are and have the proper expectations of marble as a work surface. Every kitchen is used differently. Some kitchens are used more than others. Some kitchens are used by small children. Some kitchens are designed to look as if they have been there for many years and would benefit from an "aged" surface, while others may be served better by a countertop that looks the same as it did the day it was installed. Regardless, with more natural stones on the market than ever before, there truly is a natural stone out there for everyone. It is simply a matter of determining which is the right choice for you. 

 

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