Kitchen countertops

What to consider

Heat beside the hob

Granite generally copes with normal kitchen heat better than many worktop materials, but a pan taken straight from a high flame can still cause local thermal stress, mark a sealer or affect any resin used to treat the slab. Plan a trivet or a heat-resistant zone beside the hob rather than relying on the stone.

Food preparation

Granite is widely used where food is prepared. Hygiene depends on the surface being cleaned and, where it is absorbent, kept sealed. Cutting directly on stone blunts knives and can mark some finishes, so a chopping board is still the norm.

Sink and hob cut-outs

Cut-outs remove material from the narrowest part of the top and are a common place for cracks during handling. Decide the sink type (undermount or top-mount) and the hob model before templating, because the cut-out size comes from the manufacturer’s template, not from the stone.

Overhangs and islands

Breakfast-bar overhangs and island ends need support designed by your fabricator. Unsupported overhang limits depend on thickness, material and the edge build-up, so treat any figure you see online as a starting question, not an answer.

Joints and slab length

If a run is longer than the slab available in your chosen lot, there will be a joint. Ask your fabricator where it will fall: joints are usually kept away from the sink and hob, and on patterned stone they are more visible.

Edge profiles

Eased, bevelled, bullnose, mitred and other profiles are cut by the fabricator. Rounded edges are generally kinder to knocks in a busy kitchen; sharp square edges chip more easily. Agree the profile before you confirm the material thickness.

Limitations and when to get technical advice

Dark Emperador is a marble. Marble is softer than granite and is etched by acids such as lemon juice, vinegar, tomato and many kitchen cleaners, so dull marks on a polished surface are likely in a working kitchen. Some people accept that; choose it knowingly and ask your fabricator. Black Marquina is listed as granite by the source catalogue, but the trade name is usually used for a marble, so do not apply granite assumptions to it until its family is confirmed. Porcelain slabs (15 mm) are sometimes used for worktops, but cutting, support and edge treatment depend on the manufacturer’s guidance, which we do not hold. Strongly patterned slabs can contain natural fissures that your fabricator should inspect before cutting. If you are unsure whether a material suits your layout, send your drawings with the request and we will pass the question to technical review rather than guess.

Finish

Finishes are not recorded in our catalogue, so the finish of each slab is confirmed in your quotation. In general, a polished face is the easiest to wipe clean and tends to resist staining best, but on dark stone such as black granites it shows fingerprints, water marks and smears. Honed and leathered finishes hide fingerprints and glare but are usually more open, so oil and coloured liquids can mark them more readily and sealing needs checking more often. See our finishes guide.

Thickness

We offer granite slabs in 20 mm and 30 mm. A 20 mm top is lighter and often given a thicker-looking front edge by laminating or mitring a strip underneath; it is commonly fully supported on the cabinets. A 30 mm top is heavier to handle and transport and is often chosen where a fabricator wants more stiffness at overhangs or around cut-outs. Neither thickness is right for every kitchen: your fabricator decides what the layout, support and edge detail need. See 2 cm vs 3 cm granite.

What to measure

Measure each worktop run separately, along the wall, and note its depth. Sketch L and U shapes with every leg labelled, and say whether figures are in metres or millimetres (for example 3.25 m or 3250 mm). Approximate sizes are fine for a first quotation; your fabricator will template the final sizes.

• Run length (m)
• Worktop depth (m)
• Number of runs or separate pieces
• Island length × depth (m)
• Upstand or splashback height (m)
• Cut-outs: number and type (undermount sink, top-mount sink, hob)

We ask for kitchen quantities in square metres (m²) of finished worktop, plus the list of piece sizes above. That lets us check which slab sizes in your chosen material can yield your longest piece. The number of slabs actually needed, including waste around cut-outs and offcuts, is confirmed by your fabricator from the cutting plan. If you already have a fabricator’s cutting list or slab count, attach it.

What we supply

Stones Forever is a material supplier: our quotation covers the slabs. Templating, cutting, edge profiling, cut-outs, polishing of cut edges and installation are normally done by your fabricator. Some past deliveries have included pieces cut to size, including countertops; if you need cutting, say so in your request and we will confirm whether it can be arranged before we quote. Please do not assume it is included.

Site conditions to tell us

• Base cabinets installed, level and strong enough to carry stone before templating.
• Access route for the finished tops: stairs, lift size, door widths and turning space for long pieces carried on edge.
• Wall straightness where the worktop meets the wall, and any upstand or splashback to be fitted.
• Sink, tap and hob models chosen, with the manufacturers’ cut-out templates available.
• Building rules for deliveries, such as permitted hours, loading bays and lift bookings in towers.
• Whether an existing worktop has to be removed first, and by whom.

Natural variation

Granite is quarried, so colour and pattern vary between blocks and across a single slab. In a kitchen the variation that matters is at the joint and between an island and the perimeter run. Ask for slabs from the same lot and, where possible, view the actual slabs. Materials with bold movement (for example Viscon White, Black Forest or Alaska Gold) change more from slab to slab than even or finely speckled ones (for example Absolute Black, Steel Grey or Black Galaxy). See natural variation.

Technical documents

If your designer, consultant or client needs technical documents such as test reports, data sheets or certificates, list them in your request and we will tell you what can be provided for the materials you choose.

What affects the cost

• The material and its grade (Standard, Premium or Extra; what each grade means is confirmed with your quotation).
• Thickness: 30 mm uses more stone per square metre than 20 mm.
• How efficiently your pieces fit on the slabs available, including waste around cut-outs.
• Whether your longest run fits one slab or needs an extra slab or a joint.
• Whether matching slabs from one lot are required for an island and perimeter.
• Delivery address and offloading arrangements.
• Fabrication and installation, which your fabricator prices separately.

Delivery preparation

Kitchen slabs usually go to the fabricator’s workshop rather than to the home. Slabs travel on edge and are heavy; a 30 mm slab weighs about half as much again as a 20 mm slab of the same size. Tell us the delivery address, whether a forklift or other lifting equipment is available to offload, and who will receive the stone. Delivery terms are confirmed in each quotation. See delivery preparation.

Samples and viewing

Ask in your request whether a sample or a yard visit is possible for the materials on your shortlist. For a kitchen, seeing a full slab is generally more useful than a small piece, because a sample cannot show how the pattern runs across a three-metre worktop.

Care

Wipe spills promptly, especially oil, wine, coffee, turmeric and citrus. Clean with warm water and a mild, pH-neutral detergent, and avoid bleach, vinegar and abrasive pads, which can dull a finish or wear down a sealer. Use trivets for hot pans and a chopping board for cutting. To check whether a top needs sealing, put a few drops of water on it: if the stone darkens within a few minutes, ask your fabricator about a sealer. See the granite care guide.

Alternatives

If you want a very even colour with little variation, engineered quartz is the usual alternative: see our quartz range, and the granite vs quartz guide explains the differences. Our porcelain slabs (80 × 240 cm, 15 mm) give a marble-look surface that is thin and light, but worktop use depends on manufacturer guidance and fabricator experience with porcelain. Dark Emperador marble gives a warm veined look but will etch; compare in granite vs marble. For colour ideas, see granite colours for kitchens.