We seem to have had a number of interesting stones arriving at the Affordable Granite warehouse over the last few weeks. Perhaps they come in as fast over the winter and we just don’t notice them in the gloom! But my gut feeling is that spring is the season for the adventurous bespoke granite worktops buyer. Here are some favourites:
Caribbean Sunset Granite
Steel Grey CaressÂ
Steel Grey Caress
Steel Grey is hardly an exotic stone – it is one of our long term stock granites and a steady seller for the whole history of our firm. But the caress finish, bought in from Granite Granite, is a new one to us, with its textured variation of a soft polish on the large crystal planes and a matt look on the smaller crystals in between. The result is a softer look, pleasant to the touch, and from what we have seen, not hard to wipe clean. All Steel Grey granite is very good for cleaning and porosity problems anyway.
Polished finish Steel Grey Granite
Caress finish Steel Grey Granite
Since writing the above and publishing the blog, we have decided to experiment with the Caress version of Steel Grey as if it were a stock colour. It will be sold at one price band above the polished version, so Premium instead of Superior. We think it will be of interest to many of our customers who are looking for interesting grey materials. This offer will continue while the initial stock lasts.Â
Aquarella Granite
Regular suppliers Stone World sent us these stunning slabs of Aquarella. Few stones have this kind of vibrant purple. Perhaps they are not for the faint-hearted, but our customers are delighted with their unusual and beautiful granite worktops.
Aquarella Granite
Blue Fantasy Granite
Blue Fantasy Granite
In a year in which subtle greys and soft blues are dominating design (see our previous blog here), this lovely stone is a winner. We bought from regular suppliers Granite Granite of Essex, the same people from whom we buy our Cambria Quartz.
Cosmic Black Granite
Also from Granite Granite is this old favourite, Cosmic Black. With the trend to lighter worktops the black stone has lost some ground to Cosmic White, but these slabs are some of the loveliest we have ever seen. The patterning is really subtle; there are not just a few random splodges of cream, but many levels of waviness and interest. On top of that, the surface finish is particularly fine – lovely stone.
Cosmic Black Granite
Sensa Colonial White arriving on the Cosentino Lorry
Cosentino Sensa Colonial White
Cosentino are one of the largest manufacturers of quartz for kitchen worktops in the world. They also process large quantities of natural stone, and have developed a vacuum process for impregnating granite with a sealant. This allows them to give a 15 year guarantee on this Sensa stone – a huge advantage with light-coloured, porous stones like Colonial White. Add in the fact that they wouldn’t bother going to the expense of the Sensa process on a poor slab, and you have the guarantee of lovely stone when you buy the Sensa brand. We sell it at one price band above our stock Colonial White – and we think that extra price is worth it for the peace of mind.
Cosentino Sensa Moak Black
Also from Cosentino Sensa is this version of Nero Assoluto granite. Nero doesn’t benefit from the sealing process in the way that Colonial White does, as it is hardly porous at all. However, the excellent suede finish with the sealant makes this the best black non-polished natural stone we have seen.
Cosentino Sensa Moak Black
