Yes, but only if you want to ruin your knives. Granite is harder than your knife blades and will dull them very quickly, if you use the countertop as a cutting surface. Always cut on a wooden or plastic cutting board.

Granite, which is crystalline in its structure, always has tiny pits & spaces between the various mineral crystals. Granite sometimes has natural fissures as well, which may look like cracks, but are not structural defects and are a naturally occuring result of the immense heat and pressure which formed the granite eons ago. These characteristics are part of the natural beauty of stome and will not impair the function or durability of the material. A product of nature cannot be expected to look manmade.

Granite is a very durable stone. It is also much harder than marble. Granite is very common in the commercial industry. Some of the obvious applications have been panels on the outside of buildings, walls, and floors of "high-traffic" areas. Granite will withstand almost any element it comes up against including heat and cold. Granite itself is approxiamately 95-98% stain resistant but, we use a silicone impregnator to seal all of our natural stone products. This will ensure lasting life and beauty. Polished Granite should be cleaned using a damp, clean cloth. Stubborn cleaning can be done with our specialty granite cleaner.

In general, no. All stone, however, is porous to some extent, but granite has very little porosity. Most colours will never show any mositure. A few colours may show some moisture if exposed for a period of time. For example, a puddle of water left on the counter for 30 minutes for some colours, may show a dark spot when the water is wiped away. This spot will then dry up and no evidence will show. Only a few colours demontrate this trait. Our installers will seal the countertops after they are installed to help prevent any staining.

Yes, granite is a natural stone formed by extreme heat and pressure combined beneath the earths crust. It can not be affected by heat from a cook top or frying pan.

Granite must be severely abused by a hammer or impact tool to chip or crack. A chip can be filled with a granite dust and epoxy mixture. If a chip occurs on your countertop, do not throw the chip out as we can use them to fix the countertop, so that no one will be able to tell it was chipped. Granite is most susceptible to cracks during shipping and installation. Normal use will not overstress this durable material.

Because granite is a natural material and is mined from the quarry blocks usually no more than 10' long, you will most likely end up with seams. We believe that superior seam quality is part of The Smet Difference. By combining superior cutting and forming equipment with meticulous, well trained installers, Smet Granite provides the cleanest seams available. Unlike some of our more cost conscious competitors, your Smet Project Manager will be happy to show you the planned location of the seams for you project. Also, our layout designers work to minimize the number of seams required for your project, another Smet Difference. All Smet seams are hard epoxy bonded. In addition, our advance fabrication processes provide more flexibility for minimizing the need for seams wherever possible.

A kitchen countertop is usually 1 1/4" think for structural reasosn. However, bathroom vanities are thinnner and backsplash is generally 3/4".

In a word, yes. There has been some misinformation circulated by competing industries attempting to raise concerns about issues such as bacteria and radon. We would be pleased to share the research that shows that concerns are not only unfounded but granite actually ranks second to stainless steel in a study measuring the bacteria resistance capacity of six common countertop materials.

After installation we seal your granite which makes maintaining easy by using water and cloth. Smet Granite provides each customer with their first can of cleaner/polisher which usually lasts three to four months.

Once you made your decision to proceed and have submitted your intitial (50%) deposit, we will schedule a field measurement (template) within one week. From there, your fabrication and installation typically takes two to three weeks.

This is where your cooperation makes a difference. In order for your project to proceed on schedule, we need your assistance in advance of two events: Field Measurement and Installation. Missing elements will delay the process. Changes in specifications after these events will definitely result in a delay. We need the customer's cooperation to get it right the first time. You can expect our Smet Project Manager will proactively request the following in pursuit of a smooth, successful completion.

Field Measurement Requirements
* Material selection and location of material
* Edge detail selected
* Sink templates and/or sinks to be used
* Cabinets installed and levelled
* Faucets, soap dispensers, cook tops, etc.

Pre-Installation Requirements
* All measurements requirements are met
* Signed proposal
* Signed order confirmation for
* Signed Countertop Layout sheet
* Signed Additional Terms and Conditions
* Slabs selected and tagged
* 50% deposit