Not all granites are true granites, some are basalt. Basalt is a hard, black or dark grey volcanic rock. As it is a durable lava rock, it can take a long time to polish to a shine and even then it is difficult to get the correct finish. Therefore some suppliers apply oils and dyes to the basalt to make it appear shiny. The result looks as good as granite, but this is only temporary and the lasting result is the colour fades over time. Here at Wyre Memorials we have sourced what we consider to be the best granites from around the world. We have travelled to India and China in the last few years, to employ the most highly skilled sculputers Here at Wyre Memorials, we do prefer to use Terrazzo under bases, a material that has been tried and tested for many years. There is also the option of having a granite underbase which matches or contrasts the headstone, however, the underbases are more suseptable to damage by lawn mowers and strimmers, which is why terrazzo is predominently used. Light grey granite under bases begin to stain in a very short time, in some cases less than 12 months. This is due to them being extremely porous.

All natural granites are porous material, meaning it naturally absorbes moisture. Lighter granites are much more pourous than the darker granites, and with such they are more suseptable to staining.