Everyone notices a smooth, clean finish to a kitchen, and nothing completes this look like granite kitchen countertops. This coveted and beautiful stone has been used to construct portions of homes since the days of ancient Egypt, and the processes that involve harvesting, cutting, finishing, and installing these stone slabs have evolved and improved in recent years. Though acquiring the natural stone begins in the same place (rock formations and land features around the world) perfecting their look and forming them into granite kitchen countertops has become an efficient and partly machined procedure. There are several different cutting, edging, and polishing tools that are used to take the granite kitchen countertops from the earth to your home kitchen.

The first stop for freshly harvested and raw blocks of granite is the saws. Block saws and gang saws cut through the rough blocks of granite to get a uniform size in order to start shaping the granite kitchen countertops. Diamond wire saws are most commonly used for this first step because diamonds are the hardest stones on the planet. It is the only material strong enough to penetrate the tough granite. (Lasers can cut through these blocks, but are usually used in the smaller saws and they are more expensive).

Next, the uniform slabs of granite are processed through the polishers. These polishers are used to give the granite kitchen countertops a smooth and glossy appearance. This step is crucial to the aesthetic appeal of the granite countertops, as they are known for their mirror-like finish. Appropriate rotating pads are applied to the slabs, and the abrasive materials work to buff and smooth the rough exterior. There are different grade of buffing pads to achieve specific results, depending on the type of granite, desired finish, and preferred over-all appearance of the completed counter tops. There are several different types of sealers to seal the stone and complete the polishing process.

After the gang saws and polishers have made the initial cuts and polish, the granite slabs are sent to the bridge saw, to further cut the slabs to the appropriate sizes.

Finally, the sink cut-outs are made. Laser machines or razor-sharp spinning blades that are finished with diamonds work to make smooth and precise cuts. Routers are implemented in order to make detailed edging to the design of the kitchen countertops. These routers use different edging bits to make the edge profile, depending on the requested design. After the routers cut away the final design, subsequent polishing is made to ensure that the edge polish is uniform, and glossy.

Once the granite kitchen countertops have made it through inspection, these beautiful masterpieces are ready for installation in your kitchen. From beginning to end, granite countertops are treated with care. True granite kitchen countertops are usually more expensive than laminated countertops but less expensive than man made, engineered stone (Zodiac, Quartz, Silestone, etc.)

Considering the work that is put into their manufacturing, and the finished product that results, it is worth every penny.