| Whether you are a seasoned home improvement | | | | colour lends itself to most decors. Paired it wooden |
| professional or a new homeowner just stating your | | | | cabinets and floors, it sets off the warm tones of |
| first Do-It-Yourself project, you have proved | | | | the wood. Matched with stainless steel, it lends its |
| yourself a discerning customer just by considering | | | | shine to the metal, making for a sleek contemporary |
| natural stone for your worktops. At this point you | | | | look. |
| get to wondering, is the cost of putting in a granite | | | | If you are looking to do bath vanities and sinks, the |
| worktop worth it? Granite is by far the best known | | | | aquatic tones of this stone make it a logical colour |
| option for worktops, but it is also hyped as one of | | | | choice. Paired with burnished bath fittings to offset |
| the most expensive. When you cut through all the | | | | the sparkle in the stone, you have yourself a subtly |
| chaff there area few points that emerge that should | | | | glamorous look. A simple wipe down keeps your |
| be considered: | | | | worktop shining like new for years. And no, you do |
| Price: While it is true that man made laminates or | | | | not need to keep sealing your counter (if at all) for it |
| prefabricated material like Corian are less expensive | | | | to retain its shine and polish. |
| to start out, people are drawn to the natural beauty | | | | For years granite has been portrayed as being |
| and lasting value that granite surfaces guarantee. | | | | expensive to buy and install, but slowly that stigma is |
| Durability: Granite is arguably the strongest and most | | | | falling away. For one, granite has become more |
| resilient of surfaces that will take use and abuse | | | | accessible. Suppliers today are sourcing their stone |
| better than most any other material. Since granite is | | | | directly from quarries, cutting out the middlemen and |
| naturally resilient and does not need babysitting, it | | | | their commissions. Buying in bulk also allows them to |
| becomes the material of choice for any kind of | | | | pass on the savings to the customer. A reputed |
| worktop. | | | | supplier of natural stone typically has an impressive |
| Cosmetic Appeal: Since it occurs naturally, there is | | | | inventory of products at any given time. |
| really no end to its possibilities for colour and shade | | | | Not only can you see more of the options, you are |
| variations. The fact that no two slabs are exactly | | | | also assured of the availability of your choices. Since |
| alike elevates it above the cookie cutter quality of | | | | suppliers have a large inventory, they are able to cut |
| man made materials like quartz. | | | | most counter tops from the same large piece of |
| Prestige: When it comes right down to it, the | | | | stone, this way the natural veining of the stone is |
| prestige and aura associated with a gleaming granite | | | | preserved and the effect is seamlessly throughout. |
| worktop, is what swings individual opinions. Though | | | | Most stone suppliers will also offer installation services |
| not a concrete measure of value, that is by far the | | | | by people they stand behind. Since you buy the |
| most important factor in our decisions. | | | | stone from them, they are usually able to work out |
| A case in point is the blue pearl granite that is making | | | | a decent price for the install. |
| waves in the world of worktop design. The stone | | | | What has been for long perceived as the domain of |
| comes in a base colour of blue and has flecks of a | | | | the well off has become over the years an |
| pearly white or silver mixed in. The blue base itself | | | | affordable style upgrade for most homes. Home |
| has suggestions varying from grey to dark blue, to | | | | builders today are using granite worktops in new |
| sometimes a deep ocean green, giving the stone an | | | | homes in an effort to rope in an increasingly |
| overall light or dark cast. | | | | demanding clientele. As for the consumer, the |
| The flecks act as highlights and reflect the light, | | | | bragging rights make it all worthwhile. |
| giving the surface an iridescent sheen. The blue grey | | | | |