Granite or Concrete — What to Choose?
When rebuilding the kitchen, the more focused point is the countertop. People often tend to get confused on what kind of countertop they want. Is it granite? Is it concrete? etc. They often do not consider comparing the materials before installing them in their kitchen. Be it granite or concrete, both materials have their own pros and cons. Least to say, they both are usually similar. The only thing distinguishing them is that granite is a natural stone while concrete is man-made and can be customized to any shape, size, color etc. Building Materials Reporter(BMR) has done an in-depth research to find out which material of the two is best suited for your kitchen and what will fulfil your everyday needs.
Read below and choose one of the suitable material for yourself, Granite Vs Concrete:
Customization — Granite Vs Concrete
Granite cannot be customized since it is dug out from within the earth in big slabs which are later refinished in industries. They can only be available in cut out slabs and not cannot be man-made. On the other hand, concrete can take any shape, size, color, mixing of any material and can have different edges as well. If you want a sea like feel, you can add shells in concrete and mix it with blue color. The possibilities with customization of concrete are endless.
Sustainability
Granite, being a natural material is more sustainable than concrete. One just has to make sure that granite is properly sealed. Also, granite increases the worth of an estate and one may get a good resale value because of installation of this material. Concrete, however, tends to absorb water and no amount of seal can hold onto stains, abrasion on its surface. It is not a sustainable material and will require time to time maintenance.
Sealing
Both these materials need sealing from time to time but granite tend to be more resistant to abrasion than concrete and require less sealing. Concrete being a porous material needs sealing every now and then.
Maintenance
Granite only requires to be cleaned with a damp cloth every day to remove any spills of oil or water whereas concrete’s surface cannot stand oil spills or water spills for a long time and its seal eventually breaks off with time. Granite here becomes a better variant when it comes to maintenance.
Look and aesthetics
Granite is a natural material meaning it has its own natural beauty and aesthetics. Different bands, colors and availability of this natural stone of this material from around the world makes it unique. Concrete can be made to please you aesthetically. You can go ahead with any color you like, any shape or any size you like and even theme your kitchen based on your concrete looks.
Pollution
Both these materials are dug out from earth and pollutes the environment in some way or the other. Granite emits radon which is a concern to health as most of the people chop directly on the surface of their countertops, making the food unhealthy right away. Concrete emits radiations of heavy metals present in its material making it a harmful material for the air. Both these materials produce some or the other kind of greenhouse gas and harms the environment.
Price
Granite and concrete both costs almost the same. Granite is costly as it is a natural material and sourced from different parts of the world while concrete becomes costly as it is majorly customized and being a base material for installation, it anyway becomes costly.
Weight — Granite Vs Concrete
The fact that people think that granite is lighter than concrete is untrue. Both these material weigh similar. Concrete is anyway the base material for granite installation making it more heavier after installation. A thing BMR would like to clear for its readers here is that the cabinets under a concrete slab do not fall off or break down under its weight. Most people think that concrete is a heavy material and we assure that it is untrue. When your cabinets do not break under granite, they will surely not break under concrete.
Availability
Granite is available in several parts of the world like Brazil, Italy, Norway, India among many others while concrete is available everywhere. You can find concrete at any local construction building material store.
Heat resistance — Granite Vs Concrete
Lastly, Granite and Concrete both resist heat to a remarkable level. Saying that, it is mostly said that concrete surface can be damaged if a hot pot is directly placed on its surface and its seal can break off. Its suggested to place a trivet before placing any hot material on concrete’s surface. Granite can withstand ant hot material directly placed on its surface, making it a better material for kitchen countertops.
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