When choosing the material for the interior or exterior of a building, for decorative or functional purposes, there are a few questions that need to be answered so your choice can end up matching your real needs and requirements. These questions should address the material's exposure to rain and snow, its resistance to bacteria, its durability, aesthetic qualities, perceived value, prestige, and its overall fit within its surroundings. Your choices will range from stainless steel to wood and from corrugated metal to plastic, but more often than not, you will turn your attention to natural stones. Within that category, choices abound, but there is one that quickly stands out--granite. Granite slabs are becoming increasingly more popular for a number of reasons, so let's discuss a few.

Why granite?

The positive and unique combination of qualities that granite has makes it irreplaceable in a variety of settings. It is overwhelmingly used in fireplaces due to its durability. Steps and entire city squares are made of granite because it serves the purpose like no other natural stone out there. If you are looking for a hard and highly resistant stone (unless you surround yourself with diamonds and rubies), granite is the logical answer--and the numerous granite quarries in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa can quickly testify to that. Granite slabs of all sizes, colors, patterns, and origins are now available at showrooms in almost every city, giving buyers the opportunity to touch and feel the material before making a decision.

What about all the bacteria?

From time to time, stories appear out of the blue alleging that granite is unsafe due to health reasons. However, data accumulated by serious clinical and laboratory testing does not give any proof to these claims. On the contrary, granite slabs show a great degree of resistance to harboring bacteria, which makes it an ideal material for food preparation areas and health care facilities. The fact that every piece of granite has unique color and patterns, together with an unmatched ease of cleaning and endurance against scratches and other damage, puts granite into a category by itself for countertops and similar uses.

Where else can granite be used?

Your local seller of granite slabs will most probably offer it in a variety of shapes and colors. The difference in color and pattern comes from the endless possibilities of mixing minerals such as quartz and feldspar in the structure. Granite can come with a polish finish, or it can be honed, flamed, split faced, and bush hammered (to name a few approaches). These different textures make it possible to use granite in road construction, as decorative elements around the house, on busy steps in the open air, and so on.

A natural stone professional would be able to provide you with extensive details about granite slabs and their many uses in an environment where you will be invited to observe the stones up close. In all likelihood, one of these stones will immediately stand out as just what you were looking for.