When building or remodeling a house, one of the most important decisions to make is what kind of material you want to use for your countertops, floors and other surfaces. Natural stone is very popular choice these days; it’s durable and beautiful too. Here’s a quick guide to choosing the best stone for your needs.
Marble
- Ideal for foyers, bathrooms, floors and hearths.
- Marble is found in the mountainous regions of Canada, Italy, Germany, Spain, the U.S. and other countries worldwide, each region providing stone with its own distinct character and beauty.
- Marble adds an elegant, sophisticated element to your home, and its wonderful appearance, superior engineering characteristics and ease of maintenance makes it a natural choice for floors, countertops, foyers, fireplace facings and hearths, walls and windowsills, table tops, vanity tops, tub decks and showers.
- In the kitchen, another option for marble-loving homeowners is using a different natural stone – serpentine – for the counters. Sometimes called the “green” marble, serpentine is not a true marble, but it offers a marble-like look. And, because it is magnesium-silicate based, it is not sensitive to citric acid and other kitchen spills.
Granite
- Available in a striking array of colors, granite’s durability and longevity make it an excellent choice for kitchen countertops, floors, table tops and other heavily used surfaces.
- Granite, quarried from the mountains of Italy, the U.S., India, and dozens of other countries around the world, is one of the most popular natural stones on the market.
- While some synthetic surfaces scratch easily and even melt under hot cookware, granite resists heat.
- Granite is one of the most bacteria-resistant of kitchen surfaces, and is not affected by citric acid, coffee, tea, alcohol or wine.
- Granite is nearly impossible to scratch and, with proper cleaning, it won’t stain under normal use (ask your professional contractor about sealants available to further improve resistance to staining).
- A leading consumer magazine recently compared granite with engineered stone, ceramic tile, laminate, butcher block, and other manufactured surfaces. Granite received the highest overall performance rating as a kitchen countertop material.
- Because of its exceptional strength, granite is also well-suited for exterior applications, such as cladding, paving and curbing.
Travertine, Limestone, Sandstone & Slate
- Travertine is a type of limestone, and is one of the most popular natural stones for interior and exterior wall cladding, interior and exterior paving, statuary and curbing.
- Limestone is widely used as a building stone because it is readily available and easy to handle. Popular applications include countertops, flooring, interior and exterior wall cladding and exterior paving.
- Slate is a popular flooring material, and sandstone and slate are often used for exterior paving stones or pavers. Other sandstone applications include fireplace facings, chimneys, garden walls, patio benches and around pools.
- Additional slate applications include kitchen countertops, fireplace facings, tabletops and roofing.
Now that we’ve looked at some specific types of stone, here are a few other pieces of useful information about the use of natural stone that should be considered as you make decisions about what to use in your own home.
Absorbency: Granite is the star here: it is impervious to water and is, in fact, less absorbent than most solid surfaces. It is commonly used as building material for high-rise buildings due to its ability to withstand gale force winds and rain. It is the primary product for kitchen countertops because of its ability to repel water and stay hygienic and clean.
Stains: Granite is resistant to staining, provided that any liquid spilled on it is wiped away as quickly as possible. However, even water can soak into a granite top and leave a dark spot, although it will vaporize within minutes.
Scratches: Granite is highly scratch resistant, and normal daily use will not adversely affect a granite countertop.
Maintenance: Routine cleaning using the right products is generally all that is required to maintain the beauty of your stone. Maintenance with application of a penetrating sealer can help restore a stone to its original shine.
Heat: Granite is heat-resistant and can withstand the heat of cooking pots and pans without damage.
Color: Natural Stone comes in a wide variety of colors and textures. Granite is composed of a variety of minerals each of which has specific performance properties. The hardest mineral commonly found in granite is quartz. This is a somewhat translucent white/gray colored mineral that is responsible for the hardness of granite. Like other stones, granite varies in color, shading, texture and veining.
Hygiene: Bacteria is found everywhere in our environment, including all solid kitchen surfaces. Regular cleaning of your granite, like any other top, is recommended. Use an anti-bacterial soap or other recommended cleaning product.
The Difference Between Granite & Marble: Both are natural stones formed in much the same way. However, there are big difference between the two. Marble is a calcious material formed from oceanic deposits and then compressed under pressure in a process called metamorphosis. Granite, on the other hand, is an igneous rock. This is essentially molten magma which has cooled and then hardened naturally below the earth’s surface.
Cost: Granite is usually competitively priced compared to other high-end solid surfaces. It offers an unmatched value with its natural beauty, elegance and longevity, and it allows you to express your individual taste and style since no two granite colors are the same. When compared to other solid surfaces, granite offers a value that is unmatched.
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