Stone, naturally

Natural stone - the most aesthetic, eco friendly construction material known to human kind. There are many types of natural stone, each with their own properties and benefits. Some are more ideally suited for aesthetically highlighting areas of your home than others. So what’s best for what you have in mind? To help you decide, we list all these for your ease and convenience:

Granite

A hard coarse-grained rock and one of the most beautiful natural stones in the world, granite consists mainly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase feldspar, which contribute to its color - white, pink, or light grey. The dark brown, dark-green, or black is due to the presence of such minerals as hornblende and biotite mica. The molecules of these minerals entwine in a way that makes granite hard, difficult to damage, generally impossible to scratch, heat resistant, and durable, making it an ideal choice for flooring, wall cladding, pillars, kitchen counters, vanity tops, paved paths and the outdoors.

Resilient, lasting decades on end, easy to clean and maintain, granite is also very aesthetic. It creates a luxurious, spacious feel in any home, getting its glossy finish from highly powered polishing tools and fine grit diamonds. Granite is available in honed (unpolished) and rough textured (flamed) finishes as well, to suit varying decor tastes. And it carries a timeless quality about it; it’s more or less always in vogue.

With the advances in technology creating a revolution of sorts in quarrying, fabrication, and expanding applications, costs are reducing everyday, making granite an affordable alternative to manmade stone industries that generate tons of in-disposable waste.

Marble
Its elegance is legendary. Architects of yore used marble to its best effect, making the most of its strength, beauty, changing hues with light and weather, and its malleability in sculpture. Once considered the domain of the rich and famous, no less than Nobility or Royalty, marble today is popular as elegant flooring or lining interior and exterior walls. Perhaps no other material adds so much prestige to a home as marble does. It is used practically everywhere: outdoor fountains and statues, indoor fire surrounds, Jacuzzis, as inlays on furniture, countertops and bar counters and much more. Hygienic, it traps little or no dirt and never gathers mold.

Marble flooring is best in low traffic areas, to avoid stains or scratches, and, like most exterior stones, can lose its color in a highly polluted environment. It is easy to maintain though; all you need are the right applications and some simple equipment to restore it to its original sheen and condition. Please see Tips for Cleaning Marble for more information

Marble is essentially limestone, calcium carbonate that crystallizes gradually over time, and comes in many forms: calcite, from calciferous limestone, dolomite, from dolomitic limestone, serpentine or green marbles and travertine or sedimentary limestone. It traces its history to heat and pressure in the earth's crust, which metamorphose limestone to form large, coarse grains of calcite containing impurities that contribute an interesting array of colors to marble. In its purest form, marble is white, while hematite adds a reddish color, limonite, yellow and serpentine green.

Because marble is difficult to separate easily into sheets of equal size, it is mined carefully, without the use of explosives, which could shatter the rock. Experts therefore use channeling machines, which cut grooves and holes in the rock to lift it carefully.

Sandstone

Sand, joined by minerals like quartz and feldspar, pyrite and feldspar or through the force of pressure creates the incredibly beautiful natural rock of sandstone. It is usually cream or grey to red, brown, or green in color, depending on impurities caused by other minerals like iron oxide. It requires little finishing, if any, coming ready to use, as it does, straight from the ground - an earthy finish as it were.

Once popular in constructing houses and particularly facades, sandstone today is ideal for flooring or outdoor paths.

Slate

Perhaps the most versatile of natural stones, slate easily splits into thin, durable sheets, making it ideal for roofing, flagstone, trimming the facade of buildings and lobbies and high-water areas like showers, and pool surrounds. Some slate slabs, consisting chiefly of clay are also popular in flooring and sometimes as counter tops. Additionally, slate is durable and waterproof. Made primarily from grains of mica and quartz with small quantities of chlorite, hematite, and other minerals, it is usually grey to black in color. The color may vary, though, becoming red or purple, if adulterated by the presence of other minerals.

Travertine

A porous rock with many cavities and holes, travertine originates from limestone formed over a long period and is available in a diverse range of colors, from ivory to golden brown. For practical use, its holes are filled using cement (grouting) or chemical fillers like polyester resins, or left unfilled for aesthetic appeal. Grouting travertine in different colors gives an amazingly unique effect to your flooring. Travertine is best on floors, vanity tops, wall cladding, fireplace surround