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Surface Grinding/Polishing Granite
Granite Worktops / Surface Grinding & Polishing Granite
Dressing of stone left a roughly flat but bumpy surface; polishing gives it a smooth surface, even shiny in some cases. A very long time ago polishing the stone by rubbing it one against another was the unique way to do it and people used sand and water as an abrasive. Polishing machines were invented in the early nineteenth century. Flat iron rings were turned by hand over a dressed surface, using sand and water as an abrasive. Steam power for turning the iron rings was first used in 1830s.
In the 1880s the Jenny Lind polishing machine became used (the machine so called because it produces a humming noise, which was similar to the voice of the Swedish singer of that name).
This had a steel ring - shooting ring - which made rotations over the dressed stone surface, for which iron shot and water were used as an abrasive. Finer polishing stages made use of carborundum then emery.
In the modern era saws leave smoother finishes, the shooting process is no longer needed, and carborundum polishing can start right away. A modern version of the Jenny Lind, the Seaton polisher, has four small rotating solid carborundum heads and which is generally automatic only.
A building’s architectural expression can be really boosted by the choice of surface finish and when we are talking about natural stones a multitude of factors apply, that is the function, type, and hardness of the material plus the aesthetic effect wanted. A more accurate awareness of the variety of light and shade effects which can be achieved by working on different stone types and of the techniques used to draw out the marvellous qualities of each has lead to a higher demand for manually dressed stone, and this traditional process has become very profitable and quicker with new types of compressed air tools and machines.
Everything varies depending on the purpose of the stone’s application, material strength and the lowest level of thickness necessary to resist to various processing pressures, now one has the possibility to apply all sorts of finishing techniques. Final surface character is given by the fineness of the finish which can be applied and can reflect a stone’s mineral content, colour, texture and structure.
Not all the listed finishes can be applied to all kinds of stones, e.g. only the ones with a certain strength density such as granite can have a polished finish (the finest), but honed and fine-rubbed finishes are doable.
Granite Worktops Colour
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