Basic Marble Information

Etymology

The word Marble is derived from the Greek word Marmaros which means "shining stone" This is probably a reference to the translucent property of pure white marble which seams to make it glow when light is shone upon it.

Formation

Marble is a type of metamorphic rock.

Marble starts off as either a Limestone or Dolostone, with a lot of the mineral Calcite in it. When this is exposed to the right amount of heat and pressure, the material changes into marble.

This heat or pressure causes a process known as recrystallization. That is where the tiny individual grains that make up the original stone are changed, in this case into larger grains.

The result is that the original stone is transformed, into marble.

Art

Marble has a long tradition of being used in sculpture. This is because of several reasons.

Marble is a relatively soft natural stone, making it easy to carve.

Marble formed from pure calcite can sometimes be translucent, and light can penetrate the stone slightly. This makes sculptures seam to glow when illumination is shone on them.

Unlike some stones, whose minerals form in layers, marble's inherent grains don't tend to arrange themselves in straight lines. When a stone which is formed in layers is chiseled, large chunks tend to break off at random, making it difficult to control what the final statue will look like. The individual grains in marble however do not form in lines and therefore you can chisel off as much or as little as you like.

Architecture

Marble is a very popular building material used in architecture and design.

Marble can be obtained in almost any shape, giant blocks, slabs, or raw chunks.

The most popular shape for marble is in tile form.

Tiles can range from 4" - 24" square, although larger tiles tend to be less stable and more apt to crack.

Other Uses

Ground up into a fine powder, marble is a component material used in some glues and mortars, as well as toothpaste and various plastics

Meaning

Marble tends to be considered an elegant material. It is also tied closely to the classical Greek and Roman periods. A relatively expensive, and difficult to maintain stone, it is most often used in delicate and upscale applications

Care and Maintenance

Marble has tiny pores in its surface, which are too small to see with the bear eye, but which are large enough to soak up moisture. Sometimes liquid, especially colorful liquids such as fruit juices can soak into the pores in the marble, permanently discoloring it.

To prevent this a below surface sealer can be applied which will clog the pores making it impossible for moisture to penetrate it.

A chemical barrier can also be applied to marble which will form an invisible layer over its surface, protecting it further.

Joey Lewitin is the internet's premiere expert on natural stone and its decorative uses. To see his line of imported marble vases and decorative decor you can visit http://PebbleZ.com

Marble Information

Marble is any limestone or dolomite that can take a high polish and still be usable. Marble is generally formed from limestone undergoing metamorphism. When exposed to extremes of pressure or heat limestone turns into calcite or dolomite crystals, which are the primary materials in marble.

Marble has a famous history. The ancient Greeks built their architecture, cities, and sculptures often from Pentelic and Parian Marbles, quarried in Greece. The romans later used marble in their buildings as well, quarrying in the Greek spots and finding roman marble quarries of their own. Marble is, in a lot of ways, what the classical and Hellenistic age was built from.

It is still used heavily today in construction, and can be quarried all over the world. The uses for this stone are almost endless. It's used in flooring, counter tops, pillars, stair cases, colonnades, paneling, and facing stone in architectural structures. It can't however be used outdoors, since water would corrode its crystalline structure. It is also very smooth and therefore tends to be slippery, which makes it unfavorable to use in high traffic areas.

Marble is one of the most beautiful stones, with a highly polished smooth face and a wide variety of colors. These various colors are due to impurities, such as iron or carbon, getting caught in the marbles structure during formation. They often appear in stripes which makes the marble, especially when cut, very beautiful.

It's these properties that make marble suited to some of the more delicate arts. It can be crafted into beautiful home furnishings, and it has been the material used in many of the worlds most beautiful sculptures. It is one of the most beautiful, elegant, historically prevalent stones that can be used.

About The Author

Joey lewitin is an author and designer. His website http://pebblez.com is where he hosts his unique home decor items

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Marble Tiles - Ruling the World of Architecture Since the Time Immemorial

Marble has unique property of adding aura of affluence. From several centuries human civilization has been using this in many different ways. No doubt till date the variant application of marble has given to show the creativity of human mind. Initially, marble was the adorable choice for artists to create statues, sculptures, and decorative pieces for embellishing their king's palace. Gradually, some other applications were discovered to get more out of this fantastic stone and the concept of tiling also become applicable to marble stones.

Marble tiles are though soft to cut that actually helps artists to carve into desire shape but once finished and polished becomes very strong. Its durability can be attributed with the fact that these tiles can run as long as lifetime. The fantastic use of marble tiles can be seen in the architectural structures of Rome and Greek. Their sophisticated and regal impacts make marble the most sought after material for home. This traditional practice has been carried out to the modern architecture. Making them the most authentic and perfect material for home interior.

The popularity of marble tile is soaring up high with each passing year. Marble tiles define culture as well as add antique style to the room. Those who like antique effect in their home, marble is just a perfect tile for their home. However, they are mostly liked by homeowners but are not limited to residential structures anymore. They are highly preferred by hotels, commercial complexes, even offices to obtain ethnic look. Bathrooms, hallways, pathways, etc. are few distinct yet frequently used areas where marble fits perfectly into it. Its common application areas include floor and wall, but they can be used according to one's taste or recent trend.

The variety in marble can be expected largely, because white is not the only colour it is found in, which is a common perception about marble. Yes, there are hosts of colour and finishes that can be found in the market. Vibrant colours like black, bronze, green and blue are available in this tile. Some of the finishes like tumbled marble are specially finished so as to give them a look of antique and well-worn.

Other than variety in colour and finished marble tiles are known for their supportive features like their ability to keep home cool. Marble has always remained as an eye soothing material since the time immemorial. No one exactly knows when marble were first used as tile but it has brought a new styling technical and given torch light to ever enthusiastic young architects to experiment their innovative ideas.

About The Author:-

Lehman Joseph well known writer, focuses on natural stone, granite tiles and marble tiles through his write-ups and also gives advices on installing and cleaning kitchen worktops.

History of Granite and Marble

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Natural stones are rock formations formed by nature. These stones are formed naturally by enormous pressure under the earth. Natural stones were used in decorating and sculpturing right from the moment civilization was born. These natural stones are time tested for their natural beauty. Ancient buildings and monuments made of natural stones during early civilizations still stand erect narrating the beauty and durability of natural stones.

Modern people want to make their home stand out of the rest and they used natural stones for their floors and walls to bring about eternal beauty.

Granite and marble are two main natural stones widely used in the stone industry. These stones are used in constructions as well as in monumental sculpture. Commercially, these stones are mined for use as architectural stones for flooring, cladding, curbing, counter tops and much more to be used at home.

Granite is a widely occurring igneous rock. The texture of granite is generally medium to coarse grains. Porphyritic texture is very common in granite rocks. Various colors of granite stones are widely available and most of the times, granite is available as a massive rock. The beauty of granite is attributed to the deposits like quartz, feldspar, and mica. Consistent granite has same pattern throughout the stone. Variegated granite has various veins forming different patterns that are not easy to match.

It was the ancient Egyptians who quarried granite exclusively for use in various constructions. Most of their monuments were built using granite and limestone. The only remaining ancient wonder, The Great Pyramid of Cheops was built using limestone. The famous Pharaoh which is a symbol of outstanding Egyptian civilization was built with granite blocks. The Egyptians had marvelous sculpting skills and the granite blocks of Pharaoh were sewn in a perfect manner that you can't slide even a piece of paper between the rocks.

Pure white marble is a metamorphic rock of very pure limestone. Marble is found extensively in various countries like Belgium, France, Great Britain, Greece, India, Spain and Italy. From classical times, pure white marble was considered as the best of its kind. In the beginning, only white marble was considered worthy and colored marble was considered impure. However, this belief was just short-lived because very soon, ancient civilizations appreciated colored marbles too and used colored marbles in various monuments and sculptures even though pure white marble is always regarded high. Freshly quarried marble is easy to sculpture and the stone hardens as it ages.

Ancient Greeks were very much advanced in civilization and they were really fascinated about marble. Finest architecture and sculpting are specialties of Greek architecture and marble has been used in various Greek buildings. Exquisite statues with detailed carvings were made out of marble. Buildings built using Marble lasted for several ages. The Parthenon which was built in 441-437 BC is considered as a symbol of ancient Greek civilization and this scintillating building was built using Pentelicon marble.

The Greek empire extensively used marbles in their constructions. Temple of Artemis is one of the ancient wonders of the world and it consists of 127 marble columns each of which is 5 stories tall. It was the first grand structure made using marble. The magnificent construction was destroyed by various civilizations that took over Greece, but you can still find foundation and a few columns of the wondrous marbles.

When natural stones were widely used in constructing monuments and temples, it was the Greek empire that brought marble to personal use. References to baths and pools lined with marble can be seen in ancient literature. Thassos marble was widely used in bathrooms and this type of marble is still quarried today for commercial uses. Building constructions using marble was popular in India too and the Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World was constructed using pure white marble stones.

After the Egyptian and Greek civilizations made some wonders with natural stones of granite and marble, the Roman Empire decided to try its hands on both granite and marble. Many of the roads of the Roman Empire were built using granite. Public baths became popular in Rome and these baths were made of granite. Pantheon in Rome used granite stones for columns and you can see these columns standing tall even today.

Romans loved granite and marble for different reasons. They used granite extensively for constructions because the stone is highly durable and strong. Marble was mainly used for aesthetic reasons because Romans believed marble to be the most beautiful stone. Construction pattern of Egyptians and Greek was different from Romans. While the former civilizations used massive granite and marble stones to build constructions, Romans used bricks and mortar for buildings and then, lined them with marble and granite slabs. It is because of this reason that Romans were able to build marble cities in a short duration.

The renaissance period is a golden period for all types of artwork. Artists and sculptors were interested in using natural stones for their artwork. Quarrying methods were improved by the time and technical use was invented. Innovative and novel users of natural stones increased during the renaissance period. Famous Michelangelo made several beautiful sculptures out of marble. Ornate decorations made using marble and granite were used in decorating churches, temples and other buildings of magnificent nature. Meanwhile, natural stones were carved into decorative pieces for use at home.

It was only during modern times that natural stones were brought close to mankind. Quarrying techniques were improved greatly and there was no need for men to die in quarries dealing with dynamites. Innovative technologies were used in mining natural stones. Also, the world started thinking about eco friendly materials to be used to construct homes. Architects and designers were overly enthusiastic about natural stones that were used in building monuments. In the last decade, people preferred to use more durable, yet stylish materials for constructing homes.

Marble and granite are available in various patterns and colors and it was not easy to find the same pattern of stones. This uniqueness of natural stones made people want for more use of natural stones. In the ancient periods, marble and granite were used for lining and decoration. People trusted durable stones and lay flooring using granite and marble. Apart from their baths, living room, bed room and other rooms in the home had natural stone flooring.

Even though natural stones add exquisite beauty to the home, they are highly porous in nature. Harsh substances can easily damage these natural stones. However, thanks to latest technologies, that it is possible to add more strength to the stones and seal the porous nature so that these stones can be used extensively at homes. It was only during the last few years that countertops made of marble and granite became popular.

Natural and exquisite stones which were only used by kings and emperors are now available for a common man because floor tiles made of natural stones are much more affordable now. Consumers must be very cautious while buying floor tiles and countertops made of marble and granite because natural stones are now made synthetically too. If you prefer aesthetic beauty for your stylish family, always ensure that you buy natural stones that were widely preferred by aristocrats of the past.

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