Granite andquartz, bythe slab.
Granite and quartz on the racks at Chase Village, in counter-depth blanks and full slabs. Worth selecting in person, since veining and figure vary from slab to slab.
- Materials
- Granite and quartz
- Counter blanks
- 24" × 9 ft
- Full slabs
- 64" × 128"
- Selection
- By the slab, in the yard
- Transport
- Not sold
- Installation
- Not sold
A countertop takes more daily wear than most surfaces in a house — heat, water, acids and constant use — and replacing one is a bigger job than repainting or changing joinery. It is worth settling the material carefully.
Two materials carry almost all of that work here, and they answer the question differently. Granite is quarried rock, cut and polished. It is dense, it takes heat directly, and every slab is a one-off. Quartz is engineered: crushed quartz bound in resin and cast, which makes it non-porous, uniform from slab to slab, and available in patterns nature does not actually produce.
Slabs are held on the racks in two forms. Counter-depth blanks at 24 inches by nine feet are already the depth of a standard run and suit a straightforward kitchen. Full slabs at 64 by 128 inches are what an island, a waterfall end or a deeper top needs. Which you want is usually settled by the drawings rather than by the stone.
Standing, lit,and at full length.
Slabs are kept upright on steel racks so a whole piece can be walked past and viewed end to end. A sample board cannot show how veining runs across a full slab, which is why we ask people to come out to the yard before choosing.
Five ways acounter can read.
Stock on the racks changes week to week, so these are the pattern families rather than a list of named slabs. Most tops we sell fall into one of these five.
Speckled granite
An even grain of quartz, feldspar and mica running edge to edge with no strong direction to it. The most forgiving pattern in a working kitchen, since crumbs and water marks show less. Greys, salt-and-pepper whites and blue-greys.
Gold and amber granite
The warm end of the natural range, where iron and feldspar push the ground colour into cream, honey and ochre with darker flecks through it. Works well with timber and brass fittings.
Marble-pattern quartz
Engineered stone cast to carry veining, from a fine Carrara-style grey through to the broader movement of a Calacatta. It gives the marble look without marble's porosity or its sensitivity to acids, and it is our most requested surface.
Solid quartz
No veining or pattern, in pure white through to soft greys with a faint sparkle. Suits a kitchen where the cabinetry, splashback or a feature wall is already the focal point.
Dark and dramatic
Near-black grounds with pale veining running across them, in both granite and quartz. Best under good lighting, and worth viewing at full slab size, since the veining reads differently at nine feet than on a sample.
Things worth knowing.
Granite or quartz, and what you are trading
Granite is quarried, so it is dense, takes a hot pan without complaint, and every slab is unique. It is also porous and wants sealing. Quartz is engineered from roughly 93% crushed quartz bound in resin, so it is non-porous, never needs sealing, and is consistent slab to slab. What it does not like is sustained heat: that resin will scorch, so a trivet is not optional.
Select the actual slab where you can
A 100 mm sample shows the colour family but not where the veining runs, how the figure sits, or whether a feature falls in the middle of a sink cut-out. Viewing the piece at full length avoids surprises at fabrication.
Counter-depth blank or full slab
We carry both, and they are for different jobs. A 24" × 9 ft blank is already the depth of a standard run and is the efficient buy for a straightforward kitchen. A full slab is what you need for an island, a waterfall end, or any top deeper than 24 inches.
Seam placement
Any run longer than the slab needs a joint. Placed behind a hob or at an inside corner it is barely visible; placed in an open run it is far more noticeable. Agree the position with your fabricator before anything is cut.
Overhangs need support
A breakfast bar overhanging more than about 250 mm in 3 cm stone, or 150 mm in 2 cm, needs steel or a bracket underneath. That is a structural matter rather than a preference, and it has to be resolved with the cabinetmaker before the top is made.
We do not sell transport or installation
It is on the sign at the yard and it is worth repeating here. We supply the slab. Getting it to site, templating, cutting and fitting are arranged through your own fabricator or contractor. A full slab is a four-person lift, so settle who is handling it before collection day rather than on it.
Typical figures for the materials we hold. Slab dimensions are tagged on the piece itself, so check the tag rather than working from these.
- Granite
- Quarried, dense, sealable
- Quartz composition
- ~93% quartz, ~7% resin
- Counter blank
- 24" × 9 ft, 9 ft 4 in
- Full slab
- 64" × 128"
- Heat
- Granite direct; quartz use a trivet
- Hardness
- Mohs 6-7
- Sealing
- Granite yes, quartz never
- Overhang
- ≤ 250 mm at 3 cm unsupported
Come and read the whole slab.
Come with the cabinet layout settled and the sink and hob chosen, because those decide the cut-outs, and bring your fabricator's measurements if you have them. We will walk the racks with you and pull what you want to see. Transport, templating and fitting are arranged on your side.
LP #61 Limehead Road
Chase Village, Chaguanas
- Monday - Friday
- 8am - 4:30pm
- Saturday
- 8am - 2pm
- Sunday
- Closed