Popular Stone for Architecture and Sculptures Granite is one of the most popular, durable, hard and beautiful natural stones, which is used in interior as well as exterior applications. This versatile stone is ideal for architectural uses and in making sculptures. It is extensively used in homes because of its incredible beauty, amazing quality, and easiness to clean. Stone Age offers natural stone tiles and slabs, made with granite stone. Granite is a type of ingenious rock, which is formed out of volcanic material, like Magma. It is mainly consists of Potassium, Feldspar (up to 65%) and Quartz (atleast 20%), and contains very less amount of calcite. The natural stone may also contain other minerals like mica, horneblend and seldom pyroxene. It is usually found in dark colors, although there are different types of granite, depending upon the percentage mixture of the minerals. The word granite is derived fro the Lati word Gra u - a grain, which is in reference to the coarse-grained structure. Mostly granite is found in white, black, pink or gray in color. Black granite is identified as an Anorthosite, which contains very small amount of quartz and feldspar. It also has a different composition, as compared to true granite.
Characteristics
Strong and highly durable Beautiful and one of the oldest stones Resistant to acidic solution effects Resistant to rainwater and cleansing agents Versatile and hardest building stone High load bearing capacity Crushing strength Amiability to cutting and shaping
Uses
Antiquity: The stone was popularly used to make historic structures and monuments. One popular example of this is the Red Pyramid of Egypt. This pyramid is named so due to the light crimson shade of its exposed granite surfaces. The Great Pyramid of Giza is also beautified with Red Aswan Granite. The Brihadeeswarar Temple and the temple made by Rajaraja Chola I of the Chola dynasty are also built with granite. Sculptures and Memorials: Due to its hard characteristics, the stone is used for gravestones and memorials.
Building: This ingenious rock is extensively used as a building material. It is used as a facet stone in buildings, bridges, paving, monuments and many other exterior projects. It is also used in the form of flooring tiles in various public and commercial buildings and o u e ts. A eri a’s first railroad, k ow as The Gra ite Railway , was uilt with granite. Polished granite is used to make kitchen countertops, bath vanity tops, backsplashes, bathroom sinks or basins, tabletops or desktops, fireplace mantles, tile floors, stair treads and several other design elements.
Engineering: Traditionally, polished granite surface plates were used by engineers, because of its impervious and inflexible nature. The best engineering and the most unusual use of granite was in the construction of the rails for the Haytor Granite Tramway, England. Other Uses: It is also used as grave markers and as gemstone.
Stone Age, one of the leading Indian stone suppliers, offers tiles and slabs and paving stones made with granite to give your home interiors and exteriors a beautiful and fascinating look.