What Do You Really Know About Your Stone Work In Your Home?

There are 3 major types of stone that are typically used.  Let’s take a look at them and see the differences in each of them and some fun and interesting facts about them.

GRANITE

Granite is an igneous (or having solidified from lava or magma) rock.  They are identified very simply by performing a scratch test in an unseen spot.  If it is difficult to scratch, it is most likely a granite stone.  They are usually very dense.

Sedimentary rocks are produced from erosion of other rocks, compression and underground water erosion.  They are typically classified as limestone, sandstone and Travertine.

LIMESTONE

Limestone  is formed in shallow waters of the sea shelf. They consist of calcite, but maybe mixed with other minerals depending on the water clarity when it was formed.

Fun Limestone and Sandstone  facts:

• Did you know that one of the most common limestone(s) is travertine?
• Limestones are formed in the sea, they often contain fossils and shell fragments and are often formed in shallow, calm warm marine waters.
• Limestone scratches easily.
• Travertine is formed in underground springs, both mineral and especially in hot springs.  Natural travertine is often white, tan, cream and rusty colored.  It is often fibrous or concentric in appearance.  It also can scratch easily.
• Sandstone is frequently used as a dimensional building stone. Major cities throughout the world contain buildings made with sandstone.

MARBLE

Marble is a limestone that has been exposed to high temperatures and pressure over long periods of time?  This causes the limestone to go through a molten phase (as known as a metamorphosis).  This is why marble has veins, swirls or bands of color.  These represent the changes as they have gone through the molten phase.

• Did you know that the light veins may contain Quartz (often translucent in appearance) and Feldspar?
• The darker veins may contain Hornblen (a dark mineral that is shiny but it does not flake) or biotite (a black or dark mineral that looks like shiny and it does flake).
• Marble will scratch fairly easily.

Here at The Specialists, we will always take the time to properly identify the stone when we come to your home.  Then we will go over all the appropriate options for you as to what will work for your unique stonework.    Your stone in your home is a major investment that like any investment, needs to be treated with care to help maintain its beauty and usefulness.

From Davis to El Dorado Hills, Folsom, Granite Bay, Lincoln and all points in between, we are here to help keep your home looking beautiful.  Be sure to check out our before and after gallery to see our work.