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Metamorphic stone originates from a natural change from one type of stone to another type through the mixture of heat, pressure, and minerals. The change may be a development of a crystalline formation, a texture change, or a color change.
1. Marble - The main consistency is calcium and dolomite. Many colors range and usually heavily veined and show a lot of grain. Hardness rates from 2.5 to 5 on the MOH Scale. Marble is an especially luxurious choice for the bathroom, and is available in a wide range of colors. | | |
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2. Slate - A fine grained metamorphic stone that formed from clay, sedimentary rock shale, and sometimes quartz. Very thin and can break easily. The colors are usually black, gray, or green. Slate is not available in a polished finish, but provides a very rustic look.
igneous stones are mainly formed through volcanic material such as magma. Underneath the earth's surface, liquid magma cooled and solidified. Mineral gases and liquids penetrated into the stone and created new crystalline formations with various colors.
1. Granite - Made primarily of quartz, feldspar, and potassium. Provides a heavy crystalline and granular appearance with mineral grains. It is a very hard material and easier to maintain than marble. Granite remains the most popular stone chosen for counters. The variety of colors and ease of maintenance make it an excellent choice for countertops. Granite is available in both honed finish and polished finish.
Quartz Surfacing (Zodiac) is a relatively new category in the countertop surfacing products. It is made up of quartz which is one of the hardest naturally occurring materials. Zodiac is dense, nonporous, and resists stains, scratches and heat. Most of all it is easy to maintain not requiring any special sealers. Zodiac is backed wit ha limited 10-year warranty on product and installation.
1. Honed Finish - Honed finish provides a flat to low sheen gloss. This surface is very smooth, but very often porous. Honed finish colors are not as vibrant as a polished stone. When used on granite it provides a rustic look with the benefits of a harder stone. It is very important however to properly seal the stone. We seal all the products we install.
2. Polished Finish - A glossy surface that is achieved during fabrication by using polishing bricks and polishing powders. The surface is very smooth and not very porous. The reflectivity of polished crystals brings out the brilliant colors and grains of natural stone. The shine is not from a coating.
1. Thickness - Slab suppliers are now cutting using the metric system. Slab thickness is now available in +/- 20mm or +/- 30mm which is equivalent to +/- 3/4" or +/- 1 1/4". It is important to realize that it is difficult to determine the exact thickness of the slabs. Because of the method used for cutting the blocks into slabs, the thickness may sometimes vary within the same slab. For this reason it is important to leave any cabinets that may sit on the counters loose until the stone has been installed. Most commonly 30mm thickness is used for kitchen countertops, but some materials, mostly marbles, are only available in 20mm. 20mm thickness is also used for backsplash, windowsills, and thresholds.
2. Length and Width - Length and width of stones vary from slab to slab and block to block. Damage and natural fissures from the mining of the material may also shorten the usable size of the slab. We lay our templates on the slab to try and determine the nicest and most consistent part of the stone. Because of the variables in sizes it is sometimes very difficult to provide you with exact seam locations.
3. Seam Locations - As discussed above, slab size is important in determining seam locations. Another important factor in seam locations is the weight of the stone. Making a piece too large may make it impossible to get the tops into the kitchen (ex. the tops will not fit through the door) or too heavy to carry into the house. Making tops too large without seams can be very dangerous to whoever is carrying the tops into the house. We work to use minimum seams if safely possible using our judgment.
The measurement of hardness scale (MOHS) was developed in the 1800's to help evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different stones. The objective of the MOH Scale is to measure the resistance of a stone to hardness. The harder the stone the more resistant to abrasions.
Measurement of Hardness Scale
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Talc |
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Gypsum |
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Calcite (most marbles) |
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Fluorite |
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Apatite |
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Feldspar (granite) |
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Quartz (granite) |
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Topaz |
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Corundum |
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Diamond | |
The above scale shows diamonds are the hardest at ten, and talc is the softest at one. |
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