Granite Polishing and Routing Equipment

Routing Tools

• Routers provide an guided way to add edges to granite and natural stone materials. While you can add an edge using a handheld power tool and your eye as a gauge, routers allow you to set a specific angle and create that same angle around the edge. While routers vary by manufacturer, the basic principle is that you lock the machine in place along the edge of the material, set the angle you need with the adjustable guide, then run the machine down the length of the granite to which you wish to add the rounded edge.

Grinding Stones

• Handheld grinding stones work well for rough polishing on only a few pieces of granite in a small area, such as a bookcase shelf that has two or three pieces of granite revealed along the face. Use a rough grinding/polishing stone for grinding and smoothing down a granite edge, and finer stones for polishing and further smoothing. Handheld polishing stones also are useful for granite that just needs a rough polishing as opposed to a polished finish.

Polishing Kits

• The most common way to polish and add edges to granite material in the home setting for the average DIYer are the prepackaged polishing kits, which are sold for natural stone. In essence, these are nothing more than variable-speed angle grinders that utilize resin pads and discs -- much like a handheld sander used to work with wood. There usually are a dozen or so pads included with the kits, ranging from rough to smooth. The rougher pads are for grinding and adding edges, while the finer pads are for smoothing and polishing. Wet and dry kits are available.

Rotary Tools

• The rotary tool has become the weapon of choice for many DIYers for a variety of projects, including adding edges to granite and handling basic polishing. Bear in mind the rotary tool really is only useful for small areas and edges, and is not designed for large-scale projects. If you are working on a countertop, for example, this is the perfect example of where a rotary tool may come in handy, but it also is ideal for small-scale repairs. Carbide and diamond-tipped pads, discs and rotary burr bits are available depending on the type of tip you want to use.