Diamond Tools For Granite Fabricating

First, let’s define what bullnosing is. If you’re considering tackling a kitchen, bathroom or bar countertop fabrication and installation yourself, you’re going to come across the bullnose term frequently. Bullnosing is the process of adding a smooth, finished, aesthetically-pleasing edge to an unfinished natural stone, granite slab or tile. A good bullnosing job also protects the edge from chipping and cracking.

Natural stone such as granite, marble and travertine in slab form are popular choices for new construction and remodeling or reconstruction projects. Decorative stone, ceramic, and custom or hand-made tiles can be alternative substitutes for massive stone slabs, because tiles can be easily installed by one DIY person working alone.

Bullnosing requires specialized diamond tools… like diamond grinders, routers, polishing pads and shapers… for cutting, grinding, and polishing natural stones like granite and marble. When ceramic or porcelain tiles require bullnosing, the tile must be cut, bullnosed, and the edge or trim must be polished and refinished to match the surface finish. All the tools and accessories needed for cutting, grinding, sanding, finishing and polishing the average DIY countertop project along with instruction is offered.

Need to drill granite, marble, any natural stone, porcelain, concrete… even glass? Then you need to be using diamond drilling bits. There are Diamond Drill Bits for drilling ceramic tile, drilling glass, concrete, porcelain, granite and other natural stone. Diaomnd drilling bits provide drilling solutions for almost every material imaginable to help you get the job done right and as inexpensively as possible. These Diamond Drill Bits are made to last long through heavy, daily, professional use, so they’ll save you money, and they’ll make your job easier.

Fluted, high-speed diamond drill bits have brazed diamond on the cutting edge allowing you to make small, chip-free holes in ceramic tile, travertine, marble or glass. They fit a regular drill chuck and may be run wet or dry. Need to set an anchor? Now you never have to worry about busting the material with a rotary hammer. Diamond drill bits cut through glass or tiles or just about any material you can imagine, and they do it very cost-efficiently.

Diamond tools are, of course, cutting tools which contain diamond segments for cutting or grinding through a wide variety of natural stones like granite and marble which other industrial-strength cutting tools cannot. The segments are composed of diamond crystals and powder metal which form the bond, or matrix, of the segments.

The matrix is one of the prime factors when selecting which tool to use for cutting a specific material depending on how hard, or abrasive, the material is. The matrix is what decides the rate at which the metallic powders wear down and expose new diamond crystals at the surface to maintain what would be considered a sharp or effective removal edge.

For cutting hard materials, a diamond blade with a soft bond would be needed. This means the metallic powders in the segments or teeth of the diamond blade wear fast enough to release old, dull crystals; and expose new diamond at the edges to continue cutting efficiently. On the other hand, to cut a soft, abrasive material like asphalt or freshly- poured concrete, you would need to use a diamond blade with a hard bond so that the segments do not wear down prematurely, and the blade’s life is not shortened dramatically. Diamond is especially suited to cut highly-abrasive materials, such as ceramics and tiles… in addition to granite and stone.

The diamonds used in these cutting and grinding tools are synthetic or natural industrial diamonds of different grain sizes and shapes. It should be understood that all of these hard vs. soft matrix considerations don’t equate to making the choice of the proper tools a guessing game. But, you should be aware that these considerations have a very profound impact on what success you might expect when using diamond tools. The best advice is to follow the manufacturers’ recommendation and guidelines for diamond tool selection, your wholesaler, distributor or retailer can also often offer excellent guidance as well.

The back splash is usually made from the same granite used for the counters, but it can be ceramic tile, or some other stone or tile product. It may be attached to the counter or to the wall, but in either case the seam between the counter and the back splash will be sealed with caulk. The standard height for a back splash is 4-inches; although they can be made higher if that’s what’s desired. A high or tall back splash is sometimes used behind the kitchen range, stovetop or sink to protect the wall from grease and oil splattering or other stains. This may be adjusted to suit personal taste, but it should be decided before the template is made.

Granite can be cantilevered up to 14-inches; if it’s a large piece with sufficient support on the fixed end. It should never be cantilevered where it might receive excessive stress… such as where someone may be tempted to sit on it. In these cases of excessive stress, it must always be supported. It’s usually best to assume the worst and add proper support on any extension over 6″. An unsupported span of no more than 36-inches; is usually acceptable as long as the stone is supported on both sides of the span.