About Natural Stone

Natural stone is for individuals who desire something unique in countertops, vanity tops, shower stalls, floors and other elements in the home. When a homeowner chooses natural stone, he or she is assured that no other home in the world will have stone that is an exact duplicate.

Limestone, Slate, Sandstone

Sedimentary stone, like the name suggests, consists of filtered-down minerals from the past oceans which once covered all of the planet. Some of the stones, like slate, shale, and sandstone, were simply layers of clay and mud which compacted over the centuries. Others, like limestone, consist primarily of sea salt and sea shells containing calcium.

Marble, Onyx

Metamorphic stones are sedimentary layers which have been subjected to heat and pressure and have become crystallized. This accounts for the beautiful veining in Marble and Onyx. When stone is polished, we use a compound which reacts with the calcium in the marble, creating a shine. The Marble Institute of America classifies Marble as "any limestone which can hold a polish." Thus there are stones like Crema Marfil which look like limestone, but are actually classified as Marble

Travertine

Travertine is sedimentary deposit which originated around mineral springs which explains the holes in the stone as water rushes threw and around it to give it a unusual look. It can be used for many applications, including flooring, showers, countertops. Because of its unique creation it can give your home that soft look and generally complements the other surroundings.

Granite

Igneous stones are formed in the heat of the magma of the molten earth. Stones such as Granite actually show the lava flow in some varieties. When the earth was formed, the heavier elements were pulled towards the center of the earth by gravity. This accounts for why Granite is so much harder than other stones, because it contains more feldspar and iron elements. Granite, one of the world's hardest materials and is resistant to most acids, is the most popular choice for kitchen countertops. It is durable, easy to maintain, and available in virtually any color you could imagine.

What Makes Floors Shiny?

The best analogy I have heard comes from Fred Hueston, Technical Director for Stone and Tile PROS, Inc. When stone is quarried, then cut into tiles, it is polished with increasingly finer levels of abrasions. "The shine on a stone is achieved by abrading the surface to the point at which it becomes extremely smooth and starts to develop reflectivity. The shine is thus a product of optics. This same optical property can be observed on a pond. When wind is blowing, the lake is wavy, it becomes difficult to see a reflection. When the air is still, and the pond is calm, a deep reflection can be observed" (ref. "Restoration and Polish of Marble Vanities").