Posts Tagged ‘Natural Stones’

Natural Stones and Their Uses

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Stones have been used by mankind since ages. Their use can be prominently seen in historical monuments. In fact their use their use becomes even more prominent as we go back in time. Today also natural stones are of great importance to man and rather it can be said that now even more number of applications of these stones have been discovered.

Stones like quartz (sandstone), marble, granite and pumice are widely used today for various purposes. These stones are used for construction of houses, for the constructions of bridges, pavements, buildings and decorative showpieces as well. This varied use is a consequence of the fact that they are found in various forms.

These different forms have varying strengths, different textures, and different physical and chemical properties. They are also found in a variety of colors. Let us take a look at the various properties and uses of some of these stones.

Granite is a widely used stone due to its durability strength and beauty. It is very smooth and shiny and hence adds a grace to the things made out of it. It can be used to make kitchen worktops, other countertops and furniture as it is completely scratch resistant and also very easy to maintain.

It is also extremely hygienic due to a very compact crystalline structure. Such a structure does not allow bacteria to hide. It can be very quickly and easily cleaned by just water. It is also used to build kitchen counters due to its heat resisting character. This is property it has due to igneous origins.

Quartz or sandstone is generally used for making bricks. It is extremely hard but on the other hand its rough nature prevents its use in making furniture. But in recent times a new trend of using polished quartz stone for making luxury worktops has started. In fact some of these counters are costlier than the granite ones. It is also extremely easy to maintain and clean.

Marble is one of the cheapest of stones used for tiling, making decorative showpieces and sometimes also for making furniture and countertops. Though it is cheap it is no less in beauty than granite and sandstone. Its milky white color is loved by all and hence it is most commonly used stone for making showpieces. It is not widely used for making worktops due to lack of strength and durability.

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Posted in Granite, Marble, Natural Stones | 15 Comments »

History of Natural Stone Applications

Monday, January 19th, 2009

The history of natural stone applications dates back to sometime around 5000 years ago. In fact the time span is so long that it is not at all easy to comprehend standing at the edge of twentieth century. Ancient men used natural stone as their weapons and later on, after being civilized they learnt other usages of stones. There are quite a number of monuments, pillars, ancient statues and temples which were made of natural stones and all of them are standing boldly without a trace of fracture or crack. The designs carved on these stone statues might have faded away with the natural decaying process executed by the air, water, rain etc but the strength of the stature is retained perfectly. It shows that the natural stones are the most durable elements and ancient people knew it very well.

In Egypt, you get to see the world famous Pyramids which are all made of natural sand stones available in plenty in the country. In fact the historians believe that Egyptian civilization was the first to prepare stone architecture. Granites and lime stones are widely used in their structures. The “Great Pyramid of Cheops” was constructed in 2560 BC and is still alive with all its grace and beauty. Huge stone blocks were used to prepare these large structures. The outer portion of the pyramids use the yellowish lime stones wherein the interior features usage of granites. The blocks are fitted so perfectly that not a ray of light can enter inside the pyramids.

Though Egyptians are considered the pioneers in application and carving the natural stones, the Greeks were no less than them. They created many aesthetically pleasant stone statues and temples in their territory. But Greek sculpture mainly features marble stones which were polished to show ultimate off grandeur. “Temple of Artemis”, Statue of Zeus is few of the best stone works by the Greek architects. The comparatively newer Greek monuments include Theseum, Parthenon and many more. They still make the visitors spellbound with the natural shine and beauty. IN fact they lead the way of using stones at home. In ancient Greek household they started making pools, small statues etc with marbles.

The Roman stone work features the usage of both marbles and granites. In fact the strength, endurance and durability of the granite stones inspired them to use it for building roads. The columns of the houses and constructions, walls of public baths were all made from granites. But they adored marble stones for its beauty and splendor. They invented the technique of covering brick buildings with marble stones and this is in practice till date. The Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is carved from milky white marble stone. The Chinese wall is also made from natural stone. Till date the natural stones are used to decorate the rooms of regular household and hold preference over synthetic stones.  For understanding  on natural stone and synthetic stone, click here.

It shows that the popularity of natural stones like will remain unaltered always not only because they are durable but also for their pleasant appearance. Get the best quality marble, granite and limestone in the  Bay Area California at Marble City Company

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Posted in Granite, Marble, Natural Stones | 6 Comments »

Natural Stones or Synthetic Stones

Thursday, January 15th, 2009

Natural stones were formed right at the time when the Earth cooled of from its fuming state and the surface shrunk to create the solid stones. The composition of these stones features a wide variation. There are granites, lime stones, sand stones and many more. Few of the stones have a large amount of minerals which make them easily breakable. But most of the natural stones are extremely durable. They are easy to carve but enduring enough to retain the designs and patterns on it. In fact the geologists agree to the fact that natural stones are almost as old as the universe and the formation is dated back up to 4 billions of years.

Any stone, created with artificial methods are called synthetic stones. Now this is a proven fact that nature is more powerful than human beings and this is reason enough that the synthetic stones are less durable or effective in all senses compared to the natural ones. Both gemstones and commercially used cheap stones are manufactured artificially. The chemicals like silica and others are used to make them. Sometimes cement is also used to manufacture the synthetic stones and they are comparatively durable than the regular ones. But if the hardness of granite is compared to that of the synthetic stone, it shows the remarkable difference.

According to some people the synthetic stones should be used more frequently as this will retain the balance of the planet. Now this is true to some extent. The natural rock is a part of the hills, mountains and plateaus. Hence if more and more stones are broken from the hills, gradually the balance of the environment will be endangered and this will lead to destruction of natural resources. This is why the alternatives to natural stones should be more preferable options. But there is another opinion about it. People, who are more concerned about the pollution of environment, feel that the manufacturing of synthetic stones involve a complicated process which gives rise to pollution and toxic wastes. These unwanted products hamper the purity of environment unnecessarily.

When it comes to determining the aesthetic appeal of the stones, natural stones will always win over the synthetic ones. Be it a naturally white shining marble or classic black granite, there is no substitute for it. Those who believe in astrology always prefer the natural gem stones rather than the artificial ones. In fact according to them the natural stones can enhance the lifestyle and luck of a human being with its color effects and quite obviously the natural stones give out better coloration and effects than the artificial ones. The price of natural gemstones is much higher than the artificial replica. The other important fact to be considered is that the radioactive elements of the natural stones can be harmful which not a problem with the synthetic ones is. There are many differences in opinion about the natural and artificial stones but overall natural stones are preferred by most of the users.

Check and select some of the best marble and granite natural stones for kitchen, bathroom, fireplaces, outside BBQ and other such applications.

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Posted in Granite, Natural Stones | 2 Comments »