Is Granite Harder Than Stone

Granite is a stronger and harder stone than marble is which lends it a shiny glossy appearance compared to marble s dull smoothness.

Is granite harder than stone.

Basalt is a common extrusive igneous rock formed by the rapid cooling of basaltic lava exposed at or very near the surface of earth. Granite comes in at a 6 to 7 on the mohs scale meaning it is relatively hard. Despite the fact that they ve been surpassed by. While definitely not a cheap countertop option the look and endurance of stone make it well worth the cost.

An example of the hardness of a granite countertop can be seen in the fact that a knife blade will not scratch the surface. Granite is a very hard granular crystalline igneous rock which consists mainly of quartz mica and feldspar and is often used as building stone. The igneous rock is comprised of mostly quartz and feldspar along with smaller amounts of various other minerals. Quartz and granite countertops are priced similarly per square foot with granite counters having the wider variation in price.

Quartzite is an extremely hard rock that is not water or acid soluble. This mean that it is harder than glass and can actually cut it. That is an old classification and i am not sure the classification still exists. However with certain polishing sealants modern marble can be made to look much glossier than it did in the past.

But in the 1960s when i began learning rock classification a quartzite was a sandstone that was composed predominantly of quartz and cemented with sili. Granite can be more expensive than quartz at times based on the availability of a color and pattern. Granite is a harder stone than marble and holds up better to chips and scratches. On the mohs test that measures how hard a material is it has been given a hardness reading of 8 10.

Diamonds of course are harder than all of these and still clock in at 7 on the all time list of hardest materials found or created on earth. And while in general your quartzite is harder than your granite or your granite is harder than your marble keep in mind that natural stone is a product of mother nature. Though natural stone countertops are harder and less likely to damage and scratch in comparison to synthetic countertops such as formica or laminate there are natural stones that are harder than others.