Deciding to purchase granite for your kitchen countertops and even for your bathroom is a big decision and one that should not be made lightly, since granite is an expensive building material. It is popping up in new and remodeled homes all over the country and gives a kitchen and a bathroom a modern, refined appearance. Before you decide to buy, though, there are a few things that you need to know.

The first thing, as mentioned before, is that granite is an expensive purchase and you need to make sure that you are able to get enough of the same pattern and color to cover your whole kitchen and bathroom, too, if you plan on using it in that room, as well. It could help unify the house if you use it in all the rooms that require counters.

Granite can cost thousands of dollars per slab (think over $10,000 if you have 90 square feet of counter space) and the more intricate the pattern on the stone, the harder it will be for the store to match it up with another piece. More uniform patterns will be less expensive and easier to install.

Budget slabs of granite are available, but not all granite is created equal. In addition to this, you may not be able to get enough of one slab of granite to cover your whole counter space with.

Another issue is the color and pattern of granite. Since it is a natural stone, it is available in limited colors and patterns and this can affect whether you decide to go with granite or another material for your counters.

Something else you should know is that the measuring, cutting, and installation of granite needs to be left to the professionals. If you do this wrong, it cannot be undone. Once the granite is cut, it is cut, and you will be out thousands if you did not measure or cut correctly. Let the professionals take the measurements for you and do all the work unless you have done it before and are sure you know what you are doing. You will thank yourself later.

It will need to be sealed before you can place food and other items on it, since stone is porous and will stain easily. It will need to be sealed about once a year to help preserve its durability.