Granite worktops cut from large slabs You need to ensure that your granite worktops are cut from large premium grade slabs, which are normally 3 meters by 2 meters. This ensures that all your kitchen worktops are cut from one large slab. Sometimes if you have a large kitchen it might need to be cut from more than one slab in this case you need to ensure that each slab is from the same block. When granite is quarried out of the ground it is in the form of blocks, which are normally the size of a minibus. These blocks are then cut into slabs using diamond bladed gang saws. These slabs are than polished on a face polishing line and go through quality control before being shipped to the UK. Each block of granite will normally vary in colour, shading and veining the extent of this variation depends on the type of granite.
The benefits of having your granite worktops manufactured from a large slab is the colour, thickness and veining will be very consistent throughout your kitchen. As granite is a natural material it can vary quite a lot especially the lighter colours. Also cutting from large slabs means you are not restricted to certain lengths or widths.
Some companies will advertise say 3 lengths for a fixed price. These lengths are blanks or pre-cut lengths that are normally produced from small or rejected blocks in the quarry. These small rejected blocks are normally cut to size and polished on older machines, which commonly do not calibrate the thickness of the slab. As blanks are sold at a quarter of the price of large slabs it is not economically viable for these to be manufactured on state of the art machinery. These pre-cut lengths will then more than likely be mixed and matched to suit your kitchen resulting in variations in thickness, colour and veining. Also as pre-cut lengths come in small sizes this means you will be restricted to certain lengths and widths resulting in more joints in your kitchen worktops. Companies that are willing to cut corners on material will more than likely try to manufacture your worktops onsite as well, which as I mentioned in my last blog cut onsite granite worktops is the worst way to manufacture a granite worktop.
In summary as I say to my clients if you cannot afford to get granite worktops done the right way. Then save your money and buy a laminate worktop, which you can then change for quality granite worktops once you are in a better financial position. As the last thing you want is poor quality worktops, which will be slightly cheaper than a quality granite worktop. On average we replace about three poor quality worktops a week that have be manufactured onsite using blanks. The last thing we want is you to become a part of this statistic.