Avoiding costly mistakes with your granite kitchen worktops in Surrey

Before making your final decision on the choice for your granite kitchen worktops in Surrey, Affordable Granite has a few useful tips. For most of us, a new kitchen is a large and long-term investment, so it's important to avoid making potentially costly mistakes.

If you are replacing the entire kitchen, it may be ideal to choose the granite worktop before the cabinets, so as to ensure compatibility with the base units and the overall design scheme.

Granite is a product of nature. Each slab is unique in structure and appearance. The look depends on many things – mineral content and how the rock was formed.  

This uniqueness results in each granite slab being one-of-a-kind and can be compared to an original piece of art. You may be drawn to a particular shade and pattern which you have viewed online, but to ensure the final product will be exactly how you envisaged, it's always advisable to select the exact stone for your worktops from the Affordable Granite showroom in Surrey.

If you are planning a new kitchen and have already chosen the units, it's helpful to bring a sample of the material for the base units with you when you visit. If you are remodelling an existing kitchen and can’t bring a unit door, for example, please bring photos of your units. Tiles, painted woodwork, wallpaper – anything transportable that puts you in touch with your kitchen while selecting a stone worktop will be a help.

There are more questions to answer regarding worktops than may meet the eye. Granite or quartz? Sometimes, polished or matt? Edge profile – simple bevel, pencil round, trendy Sharks-nose or classical Cove Dupont? What about the exposed corners – how rounded do we want them? Are there issues of joining which may be affected by choosing a big-patterned stone? We will try to help you see your way clearly through all of these.

All of your options can be explored with the experienced sales staff and stonemasons at the Affordable Granite's workshops in Surrey, ensuring that your finished kitchen not only has the desired visual appeal, but is also suitable for your lifestyle.

Call us today on 01293 863992 and speak on of our helpful team members.

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Complementing your cabinets with quartz kitchen worktops in Guildford

If you have already chosen your new cabinetry or are re-furbishing existing units, installing quartz for your kitchen worktops in Guildford provides a solution to create not only a stunning visual affect, but also to benefit from high durability which will stand the test of time.  Although quartz is an engineered stone, unlike marble or granite, nevertheless this man-made product has its distinct advantages.

The engineering process involves combining 90% of natural quartz with fragments of other minerals, which are then bound together with a polymer resin. The result is a virtually indestructible composite and with the addition of pigments, the colour range is vast.

Horizontal work surfaces will be in high focus, setting the ambiance for the overall kitchen design scheme and should never be underestimated. The Affordable Granite team appreciate that this is a long-term investment and with their wealth of experience they can advise on the best quality quartz available, without going over budget.

Culinary habits in the home have undergone something of a renaissance in recent years, with exotic dishes and ingredients no longer being the sole domain of the restaurants. Quartz kitchen worktops in your Guildford home provide an ideal food preparation area for even the most adventurous cooks, with an easy to clean surface which is non-porous, resistant to stains and the growth of bacteria.

With the growing trend in multi-functional and open-plan kitchen-living areas, the choice of quartz for the surface areas introduces a strong statement of not only the home lifestyle, but also determines the personality of the interior design. Affordable Granite hold an impressive selection of quartz slabs in their workshops where advice can be given to help you achieve whatever affect you are looking for, whether that may be classic, contemporary or a more rustic environment.

Quality and care are the key factors the Affordable Granite team can give you to help you to achieve the kitchen you want and long for.   With the talents of our experienced stonemasons and a dedicated in-house templating and installation team, the result can be a kitchen you will love to come home to and one you will be reluctant to leave.  Call us today on 01293 863992 to speak with a member of our friendly team.

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Setting the scene for your granite kitchen worktops in Guildford

Although your kitchen may be the workhorse of the home, it can also be seen as the stage for a fusion of culinary creativity and interior design.  The role of the kitchen has transformed considerably over recent years. A fresh culture of food preparation with interesting ingredients and innovative cooking methods, calls for aesthetics and functionality to be compatible with the home lifestyle.  Installing granite for your kitchen worktops in Guildford provides the opportunity to create a stunning multi-functional arena.

Granite is unique, has timeless beauty and is extremely durable. Even in the same slab you will find a variation in the grain or 'fluidity' of the pattern, due to the crystallisation of the natural mineral content. The uniqueness of the stone is dependent on the location of the site from which it was formed and on how quickly it has cooled and solidified deep within the earth.

When bringing your design ideas to life, you should consider what part you intend your Guildford kitchen granite worktop surfaces to play in the overall scheme. Consider whether you want your kitchen worktops to be the focal point or as a more neutral feature with the excitement coming from cabinetry and fittings. Your choice may also depend on whether the kitchen will be for food preparation alone, or if you want consistency in design to flow through to an open plan informal dining area.

The lighter shades of granite kitchen worktops are ideal for a minimalistic design concept, while breathtaking blacks with stunning light-reflecting properties, add a sense of drama. If you're going for a bright contemporary theme, hot shots of colour with granites such as Blue Pearl or Lemon Spice, make an impressively bold statement.

 Affordable Granite hold a variety of standard natural stone colours in stock, which have been sourced in bulk from a network of trusted suppliers, enabling the keen prices achieved to be passed on for the benefit of customers. Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder and with the full support of the Affordable Granite's team of experienced and dedicated craftsman, your aspirations for a dream kitchen can be achieved.

Call us today on 01293 863992 to find out more.

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