Granite is one of the most beautiful stone materials that can be used for kitchen countertops. But there's more to granite than just its stunning looks - it also has some amazing properties that make it a very desirable and popular material.Prefabricated countertops have already been cut to certain standard dimensions to fit the exact space that your are needing. While slab countertops are more custom and cut from a single slab of stone. Homeowners can select exactly what they want, and have that piece of stone cut to their specific size and dimensions.

Granite Countertops

The Pros:

Why do we lover granite? It's highly scratch resistant (especially when you have big heavy kitchen appliances that you're constantly moving around), heat resistant and stain resistant. Granite is also very resistant to chemicals like various acids and bases. However, you must seal your granite first.

Another pro of granite is the overall abundance of the material and the cost being generally cheaper compared to quartz.

According to Nancy Epstein, founder and CEO of Artistic Tile, “Like many stones, the sourcing location and cut of the granite affects the pricing considerably,” says Hernandez. That said, a good ballpark figure is about $40 per square foot—and sometimes sales can bring the pricing down to as little as $27 per square foot, he says. For more exotic varieties, expect to pay as much as $200 or more per square foot, says Epstein.

• Less expensive
• Lots of colors and styles
• Very durable
• Less maintenance
• Heat-resistant

The Cons:

Granite is a porous material that granite needs to be either pretreated, or sealed with the appropriate sealant before it can be used. This will prevent any staining or etching that may occur.

Also, it might need to be resealed from time to time (preferably once a year). This is very important because if not properly sealed, granite is susceptible to staining, which can ruin the look and feel of the stone.

• Composition varies in different slabs
• Potential to stain
• Susceptible to scratches

If you're in the market for granite countertops Surplus Building Materials has a huge selection of prefab and slab granite kitchen countertops! Also, make sure you ask out our home installations!