Information

When looking for countertops, you may come across many options from the different suppliers. This can leave you needing more answers than when you first started your search. Here are some of the common facts and misconceptions about granite, quartz, and marble. 

Before you buy

Before buying stone, it is important to make sure you understand what quality of stone you are getting. The granite industry is an unregulated industry, therefore suppliers can make up words defining their quality, but here’s a useful gate: First Quality or Grade A contains none or extremely minimal visible material defects, has quite consistent color and granularity between pieces and consistent physical properties. Second Quality will contain small visible defects or inconsistencies, some color variation and potential inconsistent physical properties. Commercial Grade will contain significant visible surface defects which may have been filled or repaired, significant inconsistencies in granularity and color will be the weakest of all in terms of physical properties. The problem with these definitions is that they mean different things with different stones. Here at HP Granite, we are not satisfied with anything but First Quality as we are driven to provide excellent services with excellent products and want our customers to be given the best of the best with no exceptions.

Defects

    So, what qualifies as defects or bad parts of a slab?  Cracks and filled areas are obvious faults unless the stone is one where that is normal and present on every slab quarried.  What about color variations and veins?  Well, it all depends on you, the customer, and what you like.  One customer may regard a vein as a defect while another may regard it as the highlight feature of the slab.  When we receive slabs at HP Granite we always do a quality inspection. If we see color variations and veins in stones which do not normally have them, we will call the customer to have them take a second look at the slab to make sure it is what they want before cutting the slab.  We also encourage our customers to be part of the stone selection process by picking out the exact slab to be used on your project at one of our suppliers’ warehouses.

Remember..

Remember, though, that stone is a natural product and not as uniform as man-made products.  Within any slab there are likely to be color shifts and changes in granularity.  These aren’t defects; they are part of the unique character and beauty of every piece of natural stone.  In the case of stone, variations are the signature of the hand of mother nature.