Ottawa Granite Blog & News

Ottawa Granite: From the Mines to Your Countertops

You see Ottawa granite in homes all across our area.  But as you know, Ottawa granite is not coming off the assembly line as a manufactured good.  Ottawa granite’s roots are from the earth, which is just part of the appeal of this magnificent material for your home.  So how does Ottawa granite get from the earth to your kitchen, bathroom, etc. With an elegant look and durability, it is a long, arduous journey for Ottawa granite to get from a remote place in the world to its last stop in your home.

Quarrying

Your Ottawa granite is sourced from many countries. Although this coarse-grained rock is widely distributed throughout the earth’s crust, it is nonetheless considered a valuable stone. Quarrying Ottawa granite is backbreaking work due to its weight and hardness. Before extracting pieces of this stone from the earth, their structure and natural grain are gauged for quality. Inferior or waste granite in quarries is crushed into gravel for road and railway projects.

Cutting

The large blocks of quarried granite are then brought to processing plants where they are cut into workable dimensions. The cutting process often involves drilling, hammering, and continuous sawing with the use of wire saws equipped with strong abrasives like aluminum oxide and industrial-grade diamond. Another method used to work granite is water jet cutting which combines high pressure water with an abrasive to cut through hard slabs.

Dressing and Polishing

Once the granite is reduced to manageable size, it is ready for stone dressing and polishing. This process refines the rough edges and surface of the slab. Dressing is the shaping and smoothening of the stone, followed by polishing, which hones the stone to a natural or cultivated shine. Polishing granite involves multiple stages, depending on the desired finish.

Calibrating

The polished granite is then calibrated to the appropriate size to be used as countertops or tiles. It is then delivered to established Ottawa granite manufacturers, such as TNT Tile & Marble Inc. (TNTGranite.ca). These companies further finish and sculpt the granite slab according to specifications.

Based on a 2010 market research survey, granite countertops have been best sellers, making up 56% of kitchen sales that year. Granite’s journey from the earth’s crust to your countertop is not only meaningful, but also makes for wise investment.