When we incorporate natural stone into our homes, we are acquiring art made by nature: art that took hundreds of millions of years to create. The stone is a one-of-a kind, original piece that can completely transform your environment and provide a lifetime of beauty.
Selecting your stone is an exciting first step. There are endless choices for natural stone due to the unique nature of this surface, so where do you start? Here we try to simplify this process by highlighting the key consideration factors – appearance and usage. This should be used as a guideline only. Please consult with your store representative before making your final selection.
I. Appearance – What kind of look do you want to achieve?
A) Color:
Natural stones come in a wide, beautiful range of colors, so you’ll never be limited with options. Select whatever color most appeals to you and best fits your home.
Keep in mind that some types of stones may offer more color variety. For example, colors for marble range from lighter beige or pink colors to richer greens, browns or multi-colors. On the other hand, slate typically offers darker, richer shades of color while limestone generally has lighter colors.
B) Variation and Uniformity:
Since stones are a creation of nature, there is no cookie cutter approach to identifying variation and uniformity with specific stones. However, there are some general rules of thumb that can be used in most, but not all cases.
Marble - Tends to have more veining and movement of color compared to other stones.
Granite - Generally has flecks of minerals spread consistently throughout the stone to form a visibly even crystalline structure.
Limestone - Often contains remains and fossils of sea creatures that lived in the warm seas millions of years ago.
Travertine – Usually has voids on the surface formed by water elements and pressure over time. These voids are either filled or left unfilled. If filled, they commonly add epoxy to provide a smooth surface.
Slate - Tends to have a very wide variation in cleft and color movement from tile to tile, and thus gives it a more rustic look. Allow for blending for best results.
II. Usage – Where will the stone be used and how?
A) Finish:
Most common finishes for natural stone are listed here. Some finishes are more conducive to certain locations for easy maintenance or for slip resistance. Also, note that some finishes can only be done on certain types of stone. For example, slate can never be polished due to its inherent rough texture and composition.
Polished – Glossy smooth surface that reflects light and emphasizes the color and markings of the stone. Typically used on walls, furniture tops and floors.
Honed – Satin smooth surface with relative little light reflection. Used for floors and stairs.
Flamed – Rough texture surface used frequently for granite floors for slip resistance. Often found in commercial applications.
Gauged – Creates smooth, cleft texture often seen in slate. Used primarily for floors.
B) Durability:
Natural stone has varying levels of hardness. Stone durability should be considered if the surface will be frequently used such as on well traveled floors and especially for commercial applications.
In general, most granite, sandstone, slate and quartzite are very hard and will not scratch. Other stones such as limestone, marble and travertine are softer and chances of scratches are higher depending on the secondary object and amount of pressure used.
Many people do not mind getting scratches on their stone since it gives it a patina look. To them, the stone looks more beautiful with the signs of age and use. However, some homeowners prefer their surfaces to stay absolutely smooth and polished. In these situations, harder stones should be used. A simple scratch test can be done to determine relative hardness.
Stone used for commercial applications have minimum hardness requirements and therefore, should be discussed further with the stone supplier or architect.