Stone is a natural product. It is respectful with the environment, it does not destroy it. It has proved its validity as a building product through its use over centuries, proving its resistance and durability. It is easy to use, clean and easy to obtain. Natural stone encapsulates beauty, history, culture, and in the mind of the people in all the cultures of the world, it is intrinsically associated with luxury, quality and permanence.

 

There are natural stones which are very economical in price, and even the customer with a limited budget is often surprised to discover how affordable natural stone really is. For each project a natural stone can be found which meets your preferences and fits your budget. When comparing the life cycle price with other alternatives, natural stone is definitely affordable. However, these are also stones in the market which are really exclusive and premium and like all luxury products, command a premium price.

 

The key to know the natural stone application -will it be used inside or outside ? Will it be used for an interior wall cladding or will the application be for high traffic flooring? Or will its application be a kitchen countertop or in the bathroom or for use on steps, or window sills ? The analyses of the physical and chemical properties of the natural stone will guide you to the best choice.

 

The colours existing in natural stones are endless. From Pure white to the darkest black, and with a dazzling spectrum in between stone has the widest range of colours and their different combinations that exist in nature.

 

In just about all the countries in the world natural stone is extracted in some way after this unique, wonderful natural product is a result of geological formation, the process of which began in the initial stage of the formation of our planet, hundreds of millions of years ago. 

 

The difference between different types of natural stone starts from the origin of its creation. Granite is an igneous solid rock formed by magma with at least 20% quartz in volume. 

 

Marble is a non-foliated metamorphic rock composed of recrystallised carbonate minerals, mostly common calcite or dolomite. Marble, in other words, is a metamorphosed limestone. 

 

Limestone is a non-foliated metamorphic rock compressed of recrystallised carbonate minerals, commonly being calcite or dolomite.

 

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of sand sized minerals or rock grains. 

 

Slate is a fine grained foliated homogeneous metamorphic rock, derived from the original shale - type sedimentary rock, composed of clay or volcanic ash, by means of low grade regional metamorphism. 

 

Each of the different varieties have their own properties and appearance, and determine their suitability for the different applications one may require. 

There are thousands of varieties of different types of stones, and new varieties are constantly appearing in the market as a result of extraction in new areas in different countries. The catalogues and the web pages of the different countries, or associations, individual companies, etc. show the stones that are extracted or processed and marketed by them, and therefore by definition, are only a partial database. It is also a good idea to check on whether the stone of your choice is still being extracted. Being a unique and irreplaceable product of nature, perhaps the deposits of the stone in question no longer exist. 

 

There are a wide variety of finishes, all of them help to highlight the beauty of the natural stone and to serve a certain purpose of usage. Some of the finishes are polished, honed, sawn, sawn finish with diamond disk, bush hammered, flamed, aged, brushed, silk effect, leather finish, antique, split finish, etc. Constant innovation by the industry has now allowed us to enjoy new finishes for different kinds of stones. The properties of each stone define which finishes can be applied and what changes take place to the aesthetic appearance of the material. 

 

The lifetime of natural stone is eternal. The pyramids are almost 4,000 years old and they still exist. There are very old cathedrals, temples, mosques, palaces and imposing official buildings the existence of which we were taught of when we were very young and still exist when we are at the end of our lives. In some places thousand year old buildings have been destroyed and recycled stone used in new buildings. In our modern buildings, however the natural stone life-cycle is considered around 80 years.

Sustainability in natural stone is best understood in the context of thinking of lifecycle. This would mean analyzing factors like preparation of raw materials, manufacture of pre-products, the production phase, end of life disposal, etc. Impact assessment includes energy consumption, raw material consumption, greenhouse effect, acidification over-fertilization, environmental toxins, waste etc. Natural stone has already been made over hundreds of millions of years and it is mined and the processing is done by physical, and not chemical means. The sub-product can be recycled. The burden on the environment is low thus making natural stone the ideal hard floor covering, when green thinking and sustainability is the criteria.