Marble and Granite Some Popular Types of Natural Stone

Natural stone is a creation of nature. Like so many natural formations, every piece is unique and matchless. Within each piece of stone also lies the history of one particular place on our planet. Today’s limestone floor, for instance, was once a mass of tiny sea creatures, then an ancient seabed, and after millions of years of uplift a mountainside where the limestone was discovered.

Your natural stone is cut out from a mountainside, in large 50,000 pound blocks of stone. These blocks are then sliced into slabs, which are then refined to give their natural colors a mirror-like depth, a smooth surface, or a slight roughness to enhance their rich, natural texture.

Luster, hardness, colors, and variation are all indications of a stone’s mineral composition and origin. This unique blend of characteristics is what makes natural stone a one-of-a-kind, beautiful, and practical surface for your home. Marble, Limestone, Travertine, Onyx, Granite, Quartzite, Soapstone, Slate are some different types of natural stone.

In this passage, we mainly focus on granite and marble. Marble and granite have more similarities than differences. Specifically, they are both gorgeous natural stone materials and they both require a significant amount of care. That’s the good and the bad. Let’s get more specific about comparing marble and granite.

Getting to Know Marble and Granite

Marble and granite are natural stone materials, and both are porous. If you want the technical details, marble is a metamorphic rock formed from recrystallized carbon. It is formed out of limestone that is subjected to intense pressure and heat due to tectonic shifting in the earth’s crust. On the other hand, granite is an igneous rock composed of grains of compressed quartz, feldspar, mica and similar materials. This means that granite is slightly harder than marble, but both offer reasonably good durability.

Granite vs. Marble Countertops

Comparing marble and granite head to head in important categories will assist you in deciding which stone to use in your building or renovation project.

Marble and Granite Some Popular Types of Natural Stone

Appearance

Marble and granite are both beautiful options for countertops. Granite shows the grains we mentioned. They appear as specks that are varied in color, so a granite slab might contain a variety of hues – blue, green, orange, pink, red, etc., typically in medium to dark shades. The pattern is larger in marble. The color tends to be fairly consistent with veins running through it that concentrate the color. A gray-blue slab of marble might have darker blue veins; a gray-pink slab might contain veins that are quite rosy-red in color. Beauty is subjective, of course. Get your eyes on a large number of both marble and granite slabs to make the determination of which material you find to be more attractive.

Hardness and Durability

Granite is harder than marble, so it is more resistant to chips and scratches. Both materials are heat resistant, though caution should be used with hot pots and pans in the kitchen or hot hair tools in the bathroom. Both marble and granite countertops are quite durable, but ONLY if they are properly sealed every one or two years. Granite and marble are porous, so without a seal, liquids will penetrate and stain.

When the seal fades and is not replaced, these stones can be easily marred by oil, wine, juice and anything acidic. Marble is especially vulnerable to acidic foods and liquids, so be very careful to keep them off the marble or to clean up immediately after contact.

Maintenance

Most experts agree that granite requires moderate maintenance when compared with solid surface, quartz, laminate, glass or ceramic tile. Marble is moderate to high maintenance. The care involved is keeping it sealed, avoiding acidic materials and wiping up spills quickly.

Getting at least three written estimates from contractors will allow you to find the best prices and most experienced installers in your area. If you are willing to provide more maintenance in return for the elegant, lasting beauty of natural stone, then consider marble or granite. Either one will take your kitchen or bathroom to the next level of luxurious living.

After all, there are many factors to consider when choosing granite for your home. Granite is a very versatile and detailed stone. Additionally, sometimes what is called a granite in the stone industry isn’t what a geologist would call granite. Although stones may have different names and be composed of different minerals, their properties are the same. Stay with us if you are interested about types of granite.

To learn more about us, click here.

Send your price quotes directly to our WhatsApp through this Link: https://wa.link/ord5k8

Sources

www.marbleandgranite.com/learn/types-of-stone

countertopguides.com/guides/granite-vs-marble-countertops.html