Granite countertops are cut from solid natural stone. Quarries remove granite in large blocks, which are sliced into slabs and then shaped for your kitchen or bathroom. Nothing is added to the stone except a sealer after installation.
Granite is still a favorite for Summerville homes. Quartz has become popular too, but many homeowners want a surface that comes straight from nature, and no factory can copy that look exactly.
Granite is an igneous rock. It forms when magma cools slowly underground, which makes it dense and hard. Marble, by contrast, is a metamorphic rock that forms under heat and pressure, so it is softer and more porous.
The stone is made mostly of quartz and feldspar, with mica and other minerals. These give granite its speckled grain and color range, from jet black and deep green to white, gray, gold and brown.
Look closely and you will see crystals of different sizes scattered across the slab. Engineered stone repeats the same pattern, while every granite slab has its own movement. That natural variety is why we invite you to pick your slab in person. Learn more on our main
granite countertops page.