Is Granite Harder Than Stone

Granite can be more expensive than quartz at times based on the availability of a color and pattern.

Is granite harder than stone.

An example of the hardness of a granite countertop can be seen in the fact that a knife blade will not scratch the surface. However with certain polishing sealants modern marble can be made to look much glossier than it did in the past. Diamonds of course are harder than all of these and still clock in at 7 on the all time list of hardest materials found or created on earth. On the mohs test that measures how hard a material is it has been given a hardness reading of 8 10.

Granite is a stronger and harder stone than marble is which lends it a shiny glossy appearance compared to marble s dull smoothness. Sometimes quartz is more expensive due to the treatments it receives during manufacturing. Granite comes in at a 6 to 7 on the mohs scale meaning it is relatively hard. Granite is less expensive than marble starting at roughly 75 square foot installed and 100 more than that for higher end stone.

That is an old classification and i am not sure the classification still exists. Though natural stone countertops are harder and less likely to damage and scratch in comparison to synthetic countertops such as formica or laminate there are natural stones that are harder than others. Granite is a harder stone than marble and holds up better to chips and scratches. Basalt is a common extrusive igneous rock formed by the rapid cooling of basaltic lava exposed at or very near the surface of earth.

Meaning no two slabs are alike and each has its own similar yet unique composition. Granite is a very hard granular crystalline igneous rock which consists mainly of quartz mica and feldspar and is often used as building stone. Quartzite is an extremely hard rock that is not water or acid soluble. Quartz and granite countertops are priced similarly per square foot with granite counters having the wider variation in price.

And while in general your quartzite is harder than your granite or your granite is harder than your marble keep in mind that natural stone is a product of mother nature. This mean that it is harder than glass and can actually cut it. But in the 1960s when i began learning rock classification a quartzite was a sandstone that was composed predominantly of quartz and cemented with sili.