Granite flooring is one of the most popular options when you talk about flooring in your home, office, shop, or any other place. Amongst all the other options granite flooring provides you a marvelous, affordable, durable, and strong option for the floors.
Granite is a natural stone that is formed by the crystallization of magma under extreme pressure over many decades inside the earth. This is the reason every granite stone is unique, huge blocks of these granite stones are mined from the granite mines in various parts of the country.
In India, the best granite stones are obtained from the mines in the state of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka. There are many industries that are set up in various parts of the country for processing and finishing the granite stones, that prepare them for their final application.
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Granite Flooring Cost
The best thing about the granite stone is that it is available in a plethora of varieties. This quality of the stone extends its reach to almost all classes of the population.
There are varieties of granite stone that can be bought at as low as Rs. 50 per square feet and then there other varieties that are sold in the market for as high as Rs. 5000 per square feet.
So there are huge differences in the cost of the different types of granites. Some of the factors that determine the price of the type of granite are as follows.
- The consistency of the pattern.
- The thickness of the granite slab.
- Quality of the granite slab.
- Origin of the granite stone.
- The natural texture of the granite stone.
- Transportation and logistics cost.
Granite Flooring Textures
One of the biggest advantages of using granite flooring for your home is that it has innumerable shades and textures. The granite stone has a typical granular texture that is exhibited in all its varieties.
The granite stone is available in many different colors like black, green, grey, white, red, and brown. It is naturally found more in the dark color variants and the light color variants are not very commonly available.
The beauty of the granite flooring is that it can give you astounding and spectacular floors with unique and amazing textures and patterns that no other flooring material can match.
Uses Of Granite Stone
Granite stone is a beautiful natural stone that comes in many amazing textures and patterns. It is also highly resistant to water and moisture and this makes it a good candidate for usage in many parts of the home.
One can use granite for the purpose of flooring and wall cladding in any part of the home. It is a multipurpose stone that is suitable for almost all home activities and tasks.
Most of the homeowners generally use granite for the purpose of flooring or wall cladding in the kitchen, bathroom, living area, bedroom, porch, staircases, external wall cladding, etcetera.
Other than homes, granite flooring is also used in many other places like offices, shops, malls, public places, and many other places that have high traffic and require low maintenance.
Advantages And Disadvantages
There are many advantages and a few disadvantages of granite flooring, let’s have a look at some of the main advantages and disadvantages of granite flooring.
Advantages Of Granite Flooring
Durability
Granite is a hard natural stone that does not break easily, if used properly it can last for a lifetime. It is also effortless to maintain the granite flooring; this beautiful stone maintains its shine and luster for a very long period of time.
Stain Resistant
Granite has fair resistance to various kinds of spills that generally happen in a home. Any spell can be easily cleaned with a damp cloth and this amazing stone will not develop any kind of stain on it.
Heat And Scratch Resistant
Granite flooring is highly resistant to heat and scratches, so it is also suitable for places with rough usage. It is also tough enough to easily tolerate the impact of any item which is dropped by accident on it.
Naturally Cool
The granite stone is a naturally cool stone and it can maintain a cool temperature even in warm and tropical conditions. This makes it very suitable for places that have a higher average temperature, especially during the warm summer season.
Maintenance Free
Once the granite flooring has been properly installed it does not require a lot of maintenance. All you need to do is properly broom and mop them at regular intervals you keep them in perfect condition. This is the reason it is preferably used in high traffic areas.
High Density
The granite stone has a quite high density and as such it does not absorb any kind of liquid or chemical easily. This makes it the perfect choice for kitchen countertops, washbasins, and other such areas.
Disadvantages Of Granite Flooring
Hard To Mold
Granite is a very tough stone as such it is not easy to mold it in any kind of required shape. A marble stone can be molded into many shapes and designs but it is not easy to do the same with the granite stone.
Making Seamless Floor
It is quite easy to make a seamless marble floor but with granite, it is not a very easy process. The reason for this is the grains of the granite are very unique and different and as such, it becomes quite a challenge to join the different parts and make the floor seamless.
Variable Price
The assessment of the right price of a piece of granite stone is not very easy, especially for a layman. Granite comes in many different varieties and there can be a huge difference in the price of these varieties. So getting the right piece at the right price is quite a task.
Heavyweight Stone
The granite stone is very dense and as such even the small blocks of the granite stone can be pretty heavy. This makes the transportation and installation tasks a little bit difficult. The excessive weight of the stone also increases the logistic and porting costs.
How To Install Granite Flooring
The process of installing granite flooring is quite easy as compared to the other flooring options like wooden flooring or marble flooring. It does not require a lot of polishing or buffing after the flooring installation process is completed.
The blocks of granite flooring tiles are available in the pre-finished and pre-polished form in the market. They come in ready to use condition and all one has to do is properly install them on the floor or countertop, as per the requirement.
Although one needs to take care to employ the right labor with proper skill and experience in the field of granite flooring. It is quite a task of skill to maintain the proper level, seam, and pattern while laying down on the granite floor.
Selecting Best Granite For Flooring
How to select the right granite stone for your flooring? This is the question that one must definitely ask and enquire about before laying the floor. The granite stone is available in many varieties and as such selecting the right granite stone can be pretty confusing.
For finalizing the right kind of granite for your flooring needs you should carefully ponder on the following points.
- Try to select the best color that matches and complements your space.
- Get the right texture of the granite stone as per the room it is to be used in.
- The thickness of the stone should be according to the proposed use in the home.
- Granite can be obtained in smooth, rough, sandblasted, and leather finish as per your requirement.
- There are different grades of granite stone that can be used as per your budget.
- Do not fall for the shine and luster of the granite stone as all that glitters is not gold.
