Choosing the right granite for your kitchen remodel or bathroom upgrade is not always an easy task because of the huge varieties from which to choose. Granite encompasses all the colors of the rainbow, even white and black. How can a single type of natural stone be so wide ranging?
Granite is the most abundant type of rock in the world and has been used as a dimension stone for hundreds of years. Yet few people really know much about it. You will learn some fast facts about granite and the colors of your granite countertops that will help you in choosing the right one for your kitchen or bathroom.
The basics
Granite is a type of stone formation called an igneous rock. It comes from slowly cooled magma deep in the earth, which means it exists under conditions of high pressure. This makes it highly dense and durable. The word “granite” comes from the word “granum” because you can see visible grains of minerals on the surface. When magma comes out in the form of lava, it cools quickly and without much pressure, so it does not form any visible grains. It just looks like a solid piece of ordinary rock.
The most common colors of granite are white, pink, yellow, grey, and black, primarily because of its composition. Quartz is milky white, feldspar is white, potassium feldspar is pink, biotite is black or brown, muscovite is yellow, and amphibole is green. They come in different combinations and depending on their quantities and the rate of their formation, these minerals determine the color of the granite itself. For example, granite with large quantities of potassium feldspar will look pink, while large quantities of amphiboles make it look green.
Quartz and feldspar are the predominant minerals in granite, comprising between 20% and 60%, and 10% to 65%, respectively. Other minerals are biotite or muscovite (between 5% and 15%), and amphiboles. These will make up the colors of the granite, as well as determine the durability of the stone.
The amount of the different kinds of mineral you will find in granite depends on the source of the magma from which it came. If it has a good amount of potassium feldspar, you will get a pinkish granite. If it has a lot of quartz and amphibole, you will get the distinctive speckled black and white granite most commonly used for kitchen countertops. As a rule of thumb, with a higher the percentage of quartz, you get harder granite.
Below are some common colors of commercially available granite and a brief description of each.
Speckled gray granite
The most recognizable type of granite is the speckled gray on white stone, which comprises of equal proportions of quartz, amphiboles, and feldspar. This accounts for the speckled look, and its relative durability, which makes it popular for kitchen countertops.
White Granite
The composition of white granite is milky white quartz and white feldspar. However, it is unlikely to be a solid white. You are likely to have dark streaks or specks in there, which are most likely amphibole. White granite forms because conditions did not favor the formation of more amphiboles, or there simply weren’t other minerals from the source material. If you do see solid white granite, it is probably not granite, or even a natural stone. It is more likely an engineered stone.
Black granite
Black granite is available, but it will not be a solid black. If you see completely black granite, you might think that it has a large percentage of biotite. However, if it has less than 20% quartz, it is not true granite. It is more likely to be gabbro, an intrusive rock that has similar properties, if not composition, to granite.
Pink granite
As mentioned before, pink granite has a large proportion of potassium feldspar. It will be interspersed with milky white quartz, dark amphiboles, and white feldspar minerals.
Red granite
Red granite is similar in composition to pink granite, except that the potassium feldspar has a darker color than usual. The red hue may also be due to contamination of the feldspar with iron oxide.
Blue Granite
Despite what you may hear, blue granite is unlikely to be true granite. It may be a type of igneous rock called monzonite, which is less than 5% quartz, or anorthosite, also an igneous rock which is composed mostly of a feldspar mineral called blue labradorite and no quartz. It is quite beautiful, but it still is not true granite.
Green granite
Predominantly green granite is rare, although it is sometimes available when the granite contains a green feldspar mineral called amazonite. In most cases, though, green granite is most likely a type of metamorphic rock with an abundance of serpentine such as marble, or other types of rock, such as soapstone.
In most cases, you will find granite referred to by type instead of color. Here are the common ones:
• Santa Cecilia granite – deep red with brown and dark streaks
• Uba Tuba granite – with a large amount of biotite or muscovite, it is a dark granite from Brazil
• Venetian Gold granite – earth toned granite with specks of black and red
• Giallo Ornamental granite – mostly white, with swirls
• Tan Brown granite – a tan and pink beauty, this is a very popular granite for traditional kitchens
All these granite colors and types can be confusing for most homeowners. Fortunately, Keystone Marble and Granite can help straighten you out. With showrooms in Lancaster and Horsham, Pennsylvania as well as New Castle, Delaware, we will walk you through each slab and explain how each can benefit you in your kitchen or bathroom remodel. If you prefer engineered stones, we also carry the top brands in the industry such as Cambria, Caesarstone, Silestone, and MSI, all with manufacturer warranties.
Once you have chosen your slabs, we provide free professional design consultation and quotes, so you know exactly where you are before committing. We also have a quick turnaround, so you will get your products on time and on budget.
We are experts at fabricating and installing granite counters, so you can be confident that you will get the very best in product and service quality. Our service areas are surrounded Columbus, Ohio, Delaware cities, Lancaster and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Give us a call or send us an inquiry through our website to set the ball rolling!