The Granite Polishing Process
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Granite
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Granite is an extremely durable and attractive stone. Made from a combination of feldspar, quartz and mica, granite also comes in a variety of colors and styles. This variety is what makes this stone so popular in cemeteries, pricey hotels and even in kitchens as countertops. However, to really bring out the beauty of this particular stone, it has to be polished. Polishing granite can be a lengthy and expensive process though, and while follow-up polishing can be done at home, the initial polishing requires heavy machinery and specialized tools.
Polishing
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For industrial polishing, a granite slab is placed on a conveyor belt. The areas that are "face up" are the ones that will be polished. The conveyor belt first moves the granite slab through a series of polishing wheels that use coarse abrasion pads. The abrasion may be aluminum oxide, diamond dust or a variety of others. The coarse pads grind off impurities and make sure that the granite's surface is a flat one. Once the harsher abrasives have done their job of grinding, a series of smoother abrasion pads will be used to buff the granite to a mirror like shine.
Follow-Up
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Once polished granite is installed, the shine will eventually begin to fade. This can be prevented by polishing it at regular intervals. A cloth with polishing liquid can be used, or a floor buffer can be used with equal results. If polished granite is allowed to wear significantly though, it may have to go through the grinding and buffing process it first received. This is because the surface that's been buffed has been so damaged that it is better to start the industrial polishing process from the beginning. Since that's very expensive, it's a much better idea to just buff polished granite regularly and keep it looking good.
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