[Sca-cooks] Marble slabs

[Daniel Phelps]

Was asked:


>Anybody out there have any experience with granite?  I have all-tile
>counter tops in my kitchen, and have considered removing some (Say 12x18
>inches) and replacing them with a piece of granite.  It should surely be
>possible set hot pans on them, and it should serve well for rolling out
>pastry.


Ok I'll bite, while I'm a sedimentary geologist I do know a thing or two
about igneous rocks, i.e. granite.  It should take a hot pot without
problems, it is after all an igneous rock, all though if slabbed really thin
and narrow with largish crystals it might be subject to cracking due to
differential heating.  As it is resistant to weathering it should be
resistant to stains.  My advice, check out a salvage yard and go with a
larger slab a couple of inches thick.  I suggest that you don't set it into
the counter but on the counter when in use and pad the back with rubber.  Go
with a piece with individual mineral crystals spread uniformly and randomly
across the face.  At a guess I suggest that for your purposes the largest
identifiable crystals should be roughly the size of your thumb nail or less
but check out a salvage yard and see what you find, a nice polished slab
roughly 2' by 2' shouldn't cost very much.

Daniel Raoul
mka
Daniel C. Phelps, PG,

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