by Sarafina John 
Granite countertops are one of most sought-after surface countertops in the world.
Known for their use in various kitchens and bathrooms, granite is a natural stone that makes an excellent medium for countertops as it is the most durable of all stones. And it is because of the same feature and versatility that it is a favourite starting from homeowners to professional chefs and residential chefs.
There are hundreds of colours of granite in the world from the favourite grey to black, green, red, brown, blue etc. From the above colours brown, black and grey are the most popular of the different colours out there as these three(03) colours have a greater flexibility when it comes to redecorating over a period of time and happen to be trending in home interiors. The beauty and warmth of granite make it an ideal material for interior home design and the ease of care of countertops make the granite as the premier choice for modern housing units hence they help keep the value of your house on the higher side.
The advantages of granite as a countertop
Granite can easily withstand the placement of hot to extremely hot items such as pots, pans etc. and serves as an excellent surface for handling dough and confectionery in the home and commercial bakery setups. In addition, the natural crystal like the beauty of granite counter tops can complement any kind of cabinetry style starting from Roman style to french country and modern contemporary. When treated correctly granite can actually be of low maintenance and enhance the value of your home by holding its gleam longer than any other surface for counter tops.
The disadvantage of granite surface counter top
While there are so many benefits of granite as natural stone and ideal surface countertop, it has the disadvantage of being impervious to damage when ammonia-based cleaning agents are frequently used, this can easily erode the seal of the natural stone and allow stains to penetrate on the surface. This damage can only be removed through the refurbishment of the stone or replacement which can be very costly to undertake. The other weakness of granite is that special care must be taken on cutting, transportation and installation as the oversized slab sheets must be precisely cut to fit, carefully transported and reinforcement made to the base cabinets when being installed as failure to properly set a granite countertop has the potential to break it during regular use.
In conclusion, it must be stated that a good product must be free of ammonia, non-toxic, safe to use on all food preparation surfaces and other similar surfaces as marble, ceramic or porcelain tiles.
