Large blocks are extracted from the earth at quarries where veins of granite have been discovered. Some of the more common locations are North America, Italy, Africa, Norway, and India. The blocks are cut into slabs using wire saws coated with abrasives such as diamond and sand then shipped to distributors. The surface of the 4’ x 8’ slabs are then finished. In most cases, they are polished, but alternative finishes such as burning or matte can be produced.
When a customer selects a slab for their project, they have a few options. One is the type of edging. This work is done with a diamond profile wheel. Often times, a fabricator will offer a lower price on a commonly used edge profile so they don’t have to stock so many expensive diamond profile wheels. Choose with care and you can save money.
Sink and faucet selection impact the design, so be sure the fabricator has all the specs they need to ensure a proper fit. MMG sells and array of popular sinks and faucets for which the specs are pre-loaded into the CAD system to ensure a precise fit.
It’s important to have a professional measuring done of your site to ensure it fits properly. You can’t stretch, patch, or compress stone. It has to fit perfectly so precision is paramount. The measurements are then entered into a CAD drawing for the project.
The CAD system at MMG is integrated directly to the CNC machine that uses diamond tooling to cut, drill and shape your countertop into a semi-finished product. This ensures a precise, accurate match to the plans.
The curved edges are creating on a profiling machine. Here the countertop is set up on edge and fed through a set of rollers equipped with a series of diamond profile wheels that shape and polish the edge in a variety of shapes.
The next step is to install metal support bars on the underside of the stone. Granite and marble are extremely strong, but can be brittle and may break if heavy pressure is exerted on them. To remedy this, MMG takes the extra step to cut a quarter inch wide groove in strategic places on the underside, and insert a metal rodding bar for added support.
The final step is for a skilled stonemason to inspect and hand grind and polish interior edges and irregularities so the end product looks virtually perfect.
Now the countertop is ready to be installed in it’s new home. Because you relied on MMG to provide turn-key services, you can be confident everything will come together, fit as it should, and give you all the joy you’d expect from the crown jewel of your beautiful home.
Back to top |
