Granites

Parameters definition :

Polished - To smooth or brighten a surface increasing the reflective quality and luster by chemical or physical processes. Generally gloss levels should be + 90 as measured by a gloss meter. To achieve this, final polishing should have been done by latest Italian/ French machines using imported abrasives.

Buffing:  Using a non-abrasive pad attached to a machine, which rotates the pad in a circular fashion over the stone, generally between 150-300 RPM. Polishing formulations containing micro-fine abrasive materials are used with buffing to produce a more reflective gloss on the surface of stone. Waxes are also used with buffing to enhance the gloss of polished stone.

Honed :  To grind a surface with a high grit material to a uniform specification without producing a reflective surface.

Sawn - i.e. unpolished. It is not advisable to buy this way because : floor polishers do not give as good a polish as factory machine polishers. many defects are not visible easily before polishing.

Calibration : To grind a surface with a high grit material to a uniform surface to maintain the thickness variation.

Gangsaw  : To grind two sides of the stone surfaces with a high grit material to a uniform specification without producing a reflective surface.

Shade variation - Slabs / tiles should be sorted to ensure uniformity of shade. Normally, any colour can be sorted into three shades. Sorting is simple -just lay all the material on the floor and look from different directions.

Colour patches - These are darker or lighter patches or bands of single colours due to mineral localisation.

Scratches  : The marring of the surface caused by physical trauma such as small stones or sand embedded in shoes scraping across a marble floor.

Staining :  The absorption of foreign pigments or oils into the porous stone causing discoloration.

Double color - Sometimes two different grain sizes occur in the same slab, giving the appearance of a double colour.

Free lengths : i.e. lengths varying randomly while width is constant are also very attractive. Choose the widths as per the expected floor area. Buy random lengths and cut at your site to fit.

Flatness Tolerances
A 4’ dimension in any direction on the surface shall determine variation from true plane, or flat surfaces. Such variations on polish, hone, and fine rubbed surfaces shall not exceed tolerances listed below or 1/3 of the specified joint width, whichever is greater. On surfaces having other finishes, the maximum variation from true plane shall not exceed the tolerance listed below or + 3 mm of the specified joint width, whichever is greater.

Polished, honed or fine rubbed finishes... + 0.5 mm
Sawn, Calibrated, 4-cut and 6-cut....       + 1 mm

Edges also can be chamfered / bevelled. Chamfering removes whiteness and chipped edges. This looks very good. Chamfering is a simple process in which a polishing brick is run at an angle of 45 ?.

Quality Details :

Polished Granite
a. One Side Fine Mirror Polished.
b. Gangsawn/Cutter side
c. Thickness variation is + 0.5 mm to 1 mm depending upon Tile/Slab.

FINISHES

The stone is available in a range of eight smooth and textured finishes:

• WATERJETt: a non-slip matt finish, produced by working the surface of the stone with high-pressure water jets.
• HONED a smooth finish with a slight sheen, produced by using a polishing head.
• sanded: sawn stone slabs are coarsely polished: this removes saw marks and leaves a semi-smooth, regular finish.
• CLEFTt: with this traditional treatment the stone is riven along its line of cleavage to reveal the natural grain; this gives an undulating surface with great character.
• GRITBLASTED: a high-pressure airline projects coarse-grained grit onto the top surface of the stone producing a finish similar to cleft, but available on slabs of greater size.
• FLAMED: the top surface of the slab is burnt off, giving an irregular textured
• finishtextured: the top surfaces of sawn slabs are pneumatically tooled to produce a pitted or grooved surface.
  
  

We are continually developing the range of finishes and can supply sample cards showing all materials and finishes. If you require a specialised effect we will be happy to discuss with you how it can be achieved.

PACKING

TILES  AND SLABS ARE PACKED IN STYROFORM BOXES AND ARE FURTHER PACKED INTO WOODEN CRATE.  POLYTHENE  WRAPPER IS MADE TO COVER THE ENTIRE MATERIAL INSIDE THE WOODEN CRATE. FOR RANDOM SLABS, EACH SLAB IS PACKED IN A SEPARATE POLYTHENE WRAPPER, TO  REDUCE OR TO AVOID SCRATCHING OF TILES AND SLABS WHICH ARE PACKED FACE TO FACE.