About Our Granite Tiles and Granite Flooring:

There are many qualities of granite tiles and granite flooring, and the industry does not use a uniform grading system.   Some smaller quarries produce granite with a poor quality of production while other quarries produce granite in large reliable factories.  Granite tiles from stonetiledepot.com are supplied by the world’s best granite quarries.  

What Should One Look for When Buying Granite Tiles?

When buying granite tiles, one should look for an even distribution of mica, feldspar and quartz, as well as a uniform and even polishing (which is similar to a fine sanding process).  All granite tiles carried by stonetiledepot.com meet these quality standards, and all of our granite tiles are properly graded and quality controlled.  One should also look for uniformity in veining (where veining exists) and a consistency in background color.  We ship all of our granite tiles to all major U.S. cities including Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Las Vegas, Orlando, San Francisco and Chicago.

Where Can One Use Granite Tiles?  

Granite tiles can be used in a variety of residential and commercial applications, such as in kitchen walls and  flooring, bathroom walls and flooring, as well as for backsplashes, countertops,  countertop edge trim , and entrance flooring.  One can use granite tiles with a trim piece such as a bull nose or edge piece to create an inexpensive and practical countertop (instead of paying a fortune to a local fabricator).  Granite is the preferred choice for commercial applications such as hotel flooring, hotel bathroom tiling, and hotel bathroom stone countertops, and granite flooring can be used even in the most demanding applications as long as proper stone flooring material is selected and applied.

What Should One Look for in Quality Granite Tiles?

 Granite tile and granite flooring should have the following characteristics:

• A good uniform color selection of granite flooring material should be used.  It is important to dry lay the whole shipment to achieve a uniform consistency and blend of colors throughout the entire floor prior to installation. This will prevent unattractive or unwanted pieces although less desirable pieces can be used for cuts and in less visible areas of the application.  

• Pieces should be free of visual defects such as pits (except in some stones where pitting is considered natural and must be properly filled), major cracks, and major open veins (i.e. a natural vein that is not filled).

• One should make sure that granite tiles are free of iron deposits, which may cause rusting.

• Granite tiles must have a uniform, even surface as a result of professional polishing (which is similar to machine sanding), and all tiles must have the same thickness and sizing. All of the stone tiles we carry are manufactured at first grade factories with proper processing machinery.

• Professional packing should be used so that pieces are stacked with polished face to polished face to prevent scratching.  The pieces should not be laid flat.  In general, all stone flooring shipments must be prepared so that the natural stone tiles and granite flooring stand up on a pallet.  The shipping pallet must be of good quality, and the granite flooring must be securely strapped to the pallet in a perpendicular fashion.  All of the natural stone tile and countertop pieces sold by stonetiledepot.com meet these requirements.

Care and Maintenance for Granite Tiles and Granite Flooring:

It is extremely easy to care for and maintain granite flooring.  Granite flooring is one of the most durable materials and requires very little maintenance.  We recommend taking the following simple precautions:

1.       Be sure to select the right type of natural stone for your home.

2.       Be sure to follow instructions by your stone care provider.   We recommend Miracle Sealants, which provides excellent help and support through its web site:  www.miraclesealants.com.

3.       We recommend all natural stone to be sealed immediately after installation and initial cleaning.

4.       For your everyday residential use, basic cleaning with warm water and cloth should be more than enough to maintain granite tile and granite flooring.  Spills should be wiped off quickly, and heavy staining can be treated by using professional cleaning products available from Miracle Sealants.

5.       Enjoy the investment in natural stone for many years to come!

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