Selection and applications

A bulk order for plates or slabs should begin not with a request for a “volume discount” but with an agreed cutting list: stone and current batch, quantities, dimensions, thickness, tolerances, finish, edges, marking, packing, loading method and receiving inspection. This page does not claim fixed NIKA GRAN wholesale discounts, permanent stock or universal standard dimensions. Each batch is quoted from the technical brief.

The cost of a granite product is not determined by a square-metre figure alone. A quotation is affected by the stone and current batch, blank dimensions, thickness, surface finish, number of cuts and edges, holes and cut-outs, drawing complexity, cutting waste, packing, transport and unloading. An accurate offer can only be prepared from the same specification; otherwise different packages of material and work are being compared.

Stone for a barbecue area should not be selected from the phrase “it withstands fire”. A worktop, module cladding, the area near heat, joints, sealant and the supporting construction all operate under different conditions. Stone, thickness, finish, distance from the heat source and fixing details should be approved by the designer or responsible contractor. A photograph of a finished outdoor kitchen does not prove fire resistance, food-contact suitability or thermal-shock performance for a particular product.

A granite sphere should not be selected by diameter alone. Approve its function, scale beside the architecture, stone and finish, support or anchoring concept, equipment access and safe relationship to movement. There is no universal size, weight, foundation or installation detail — the project defines these for the particular location.

Choose paving slabs where you want a calm surface with fewer joints, and granite setts where a smaller module, flexible layout and local repair matter more. The final decision should follow loading, base construction, drainage, site geometry and ease of movement rather than an image of the stone alone.

A driveway cannot be specified simply by choosing “thicker paving”: the whole construction carries the load — ground, base, bedding, stone and joints. Unit format and thickness are selected after considering the vehicles, ground condition, drainage and traffic pattern.

Tumbled setts are stone units whose edges and surface are mechanically softened in a rotating drum with abrasive material. They retain the character of natural stone but have rounder edges and an aged appearance. Split setts remain more strongly textured, with sharper natural faces.

A slab is a large-format blank from which items are cut; a plate is a finished piece with specified sizes, finish and edges.

For façades and plinths, cladding plates with a polished, honed or flamed surface are usually chosen; for accent areas, relief “rock-face” plates.

Ordering a granite window sill needs three dimensions: the opening length, the depth to the wall, and the overhang. The edge profile is agreed as well — it determines how the sill looks from below and whether it interferes with a radiator or curtains.

For a kitchen, a polished or honed granite worktop is most common: polishing gives saturated colour and an easy-to-clean surface, honing a matt look without reflections. The final choice depends on cabinet colour, how you work with food, and how you feel about visible marks.

Ordering granite kerbs needs three things: a site plan with radii, a list of cross-sections, and the junction locations.