Granite kitchen worktops

Hardness

It's harder than a steel knife, lemon does nothing to it, and a hot casserole won't hurt it, though we'd still use a trivet. In a south-facing kitchen with big windows, it won't yellow like quartz can.

Dark or pale

What's sold as granite covers a wide family. In a kitchen what matters is how much it absorbs and the pattern.

• Dark, dense granites absorb almost nothing and rarely need sealing.
• Pale ones, white or beige with grey or pink grains, need a sealer, especially near the hob.
• Swirly patterns look like marble and behave like granite, but joints need careful layout.

Put a few drops of water on a sample and wait five minutes. If a dark mark stays, it'll need sealing.

Finish

Polished is the easiest to wipe. Honed shows fingerprints on dark stone. Leathered has a soft texture and hides crumbs and water marks. Flamed is for terraces and pools, not worktops.

Weight and overhangs

A 3 cm top is close to 80 kg per m². Up to about 30 cm of overhang on 3 cm needs no support, past that we fit steel brackets or legs. Granite is harder to cut than marble, so cut-outs and grooves take longer, and that's why a granite quote can come close to a marble one.

Old houses

Farmhouses round Troyes often have walls and floors that are a few centimetres out. We measure once the units are fitted and level, and scribe the back edge to the wall instead of leaving a gap full of silicone. If the slab allows, we cut sills, a splashback or a table from the same stone.

Upkeep

Warm water and washing-up liquid. No bleach or cream cleaner on polished granite, it dulls it. Reseal pale granite every one to two years. A chip on an edge is filled with tinted resin.

Every worktop is priced on a free quote. Compare on the kitchen page or call +33 7 45 20 76 39.