— Natural stone · Bayswater, Melbourne
Granite.
Granite benchtops, cut and installed from our Bayswater workshop. The hardest and least porous natural stone we cut, and the one that asks the least of you.
Living with granite
Hardness
The hardest of the natural stones. Knives, keys and dragged pans do not mark it.
Acids and stains
Lemon and wine do not etch it. Sealed, oil does not soak in. It is the natural stone for a kitchen that gets used hard.
Sealing
Sealed when it goes in, then every few years, depending on the stone. The test is simple: splash a little water on it. If it beads, the seal is holding. If it soaks in and darkens the stone, it is time to reseal.
Heat
A hot pan straight from the hob is fine. Granite formed under far more heat than a kitchen can make, and it does not scorch or discolour.
Outdoors
Sun and rain do not trouble it. Granite is the natural stone we put outdoors.
Colours
Blacks, greys, golds and greens with speckle or movement. True white granite is rare, and most stones sold as white granite are quartzite or dolomite. Ask, and we will say which.
In the workshop
Hard and predictable. Cut wet at a measured pace, polished to a deep gloss or leathered for a matte grip, and it holds a crisp arris on every profile.
The names people ask for
Titanium Gold
Black with gold and white movement. Dramatic, and on our floor in a leathered finish.
Black granite
The plain blacks, honed or polished. The quiet workhorse of outdoor kitchens.
White granite
Rare as a true granite. Most are quartzite, and we tell you which.
A bookmatched pair of Titanium Gold on our floor, leathered rather than polished. Bookmatching means two consecutive slabs opened like a book, so the movement mirrors across the join.
See how your pieces are laid out on the slab →
— 03 · Against the others
Granite against the other stones
Granite is the hardest natural stone we cut. Beside it, the three man-made slabs: what each is, and the places it does better or worse than granite.
Granite
Igneous rock, cooled slowly from molten stone, which is why it is the hardest and least porous stone we cut. Speckle or movement rather than veins.
In the workshop
Cut wet at a measured pace, polished to a deep gloss or leathered, and it holds a crisp arris on every profile.
Where each one differs from granite: green is better, red is worse.
Porcelain Large-format porcelain slabs
A large-format ceramic slab, fired from clay and minerals, with the pattern printed on the face. Thin, light and colour-fast.
Sintered stone Smartstone · Dekton · Neolith · Lapitec
Natural minerals pressed and fired into a dense slab with no resin, coloured through the body. Made for heat, sun and hard use.
Reconstituted stone Quartz-look engineered surfaces, zero-silica
Crushed mineral bound in resin and cured into a uniform slab. The same colour and pattern every time. Today's Australian slabs are zero-silica.
— 04 · Before you buy
The questions people type before they buy granite
01Is granite banned in Australia?
No. Granite is natural rock and the July 2024 ban is about resin-bound engineered stone, which granite is not. Its dust carries silica, so it is cut wet in our workshop, never dry.
02Are granite benchtops good?
For a kitchen that gets used hard, granite is the honest natural stone. Hot pans, lemons, knives and knocks do not mark it, and it needs sealing only every few years. What it does not give you is marble's veining.
03Does granite need sealing?
Yes, at install and then every few years, because granite is the least porous natural stone. Water soaking in rather than beading is the sign.
04Is there a white granite?
True white granite is rare. Most stones sold as white granite are quartzite or dolomite, which behave differently. We tell you which before you buy.
05Granite vs quartzite
Both are hard and take heat. Quartzite has marble-like veining and costs more to cut. Granite has speckle or movement, cuts faster and is usually the cheaper slab.
06What does a granite benchtop cost?
Usually the least costly natural stone for the slab, and the fabrication is quicker than quartzite. Slab count, edge and cutouts set the price, and the quote shows all three on your slab layout rather than as a rate per metre.
07Can granite go outside?
Yes. Sun and rain do not trouble it. Pick a leathered or honed finish outdoors so water marks do not show.
— 05 · Edges, thickness, fluting
What we can do with a granite slab
Granite takes every profile we cut, polishes to a deep gloss and holds a crisp arris. Leathered and honed finishes suit it outdoors. Try each edge on a granite sample in 3D, then open a live quote.