There is a process
that must take place for marble and granite countertops to go from the quarry
to the kitchen. The process of kitchen countertop polishing hasn't changed a
whole lot since the times of the ancient Greeks, but the process has become
more automated. Huge stones are taken from the quarries, out of which marble
and granite slabs are cut to use for various purposes. After that, the marble
and granite slabs are cut and polished to suit the needs of different
customers.
The idea of
kitchen countertop polishing and installation hasn't changed much, but the
equipment that people use has improved with the latest technology. Basically,
marble and granite countertops are cut and polished using saws, polishers, and
routers. The saws serve many purposes in the kitchen countertop fabrication
process, starting with the cutting of stones into slabs. Granite
bridge saw are usually used for the initial cutting of marble and granite
slabs. Bridge saws are used to cut the slabs into more specific shapes, such as
for marble and granite countertops, flooring, and mantels.
Make Sure That
Your Polisher Is an Expert:
The polishers also
play an integral role in the process of kitchen countertop fabrication, because
they sand down the surface to the texture that different customer's desire.
Marble and granite slabs can be polished to a mirror finish from the course
rock they once were. Rotating pads are used to polish down the marble and
granite countertops. Most modern polishers can produce a variety of finishes
during the kitchen countertop fabrication process. Finishes include smooth,
soft looks, or slick, shiny mirror finishes. Specialized finishes such as
flamed or hammered are also popular.
The routers
complete the last step in the kitchen countertop fabrication process. These
tools produce edge profiles on the marble and granite slabs, or cut designs
into larger slabs so they can be used for things like fireplace mantels. The
edge profiles on marble and granite countertops can be simple or highly
decorative, depending on what the customers want. These machines used to be
operated by hand, or had some limited automatic function. In the past, marble
and granite countertops with complex edge profiles might have taken three weeks
or longer to produce.
Polishing Is Not a
New Concept:
What has taken the
kitchen countertop polishing process into the 21st century is computer
technology. A process called computer numeric control, or CNC, uses digital
technology to control all the machines in the process. Now the process of
taking marble and granite slabs and turning them into beautiful counters,
mantels, hearths or other decorative home pieces takes hours instead of weeks.
In fact, CNC has doubled the productivity of most kitchen countertop polishing
shops. This technology has dramatically increased the quality of the finished
product, and the process of creating marble and granite countertops will likely
continue to improve in the future.
