Greetings, faithful reader!
Welcome to yet another entry in our humble blog.
We at Santa Barbara Stone Masters know natural stone, and to prove it to you, we wanted to share a brief synopsis of the process of getting different stones from the earth to you.
This week, we’ll be examining marble, from it’s wonderful creation deep within the ground, to the stone yard where you pick it to decorate your home.
Of any other natural stone, marble may be regarded as the most elegant.
Since the days of antiquity, marble has been used for art and architecture, and that practice persists today. Whether in a luxury hotel or in your kitchen, there is no doubt that marble elevates any space in which it lives.
What is Marble?
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate materials, typically calcite or dolomite.
Essentially, limestone or dolomite rock experiences intense heat and pressure that causes it’s chemistry to change. The characteristic swirls and coloration you see in marble is the result of impurities in the stone when it experiences it’s metamorphosis.
The result of the metamorphosis is a rock that is extremely rigid and geometric in its chemical composition, making it an excellent stone to polish, but one which is also vulnerable to damage from acids.
Where Does it Come From?
Quarries around the world including Brazil, India, Italy and Africa, carve blocks of marble out of large deposits, and breaking them down into smaller (but still large) pieces that can be more easily moved and handled.
From there, they are taken from the mountain to a facility where they are cut into slabs by a high powered gang saw. Once cut, they are polished, packaged, and shipped to stone yards around the world.
There, you can go and pick out the slab or slabs of marble you want for your home.
The vendor will typically work with you to customize the stone according to the specifications of your design. They will cut it to the shape(s) and size(s) you specify, and work with you or your contractor to install the surfaces into your home.
In Your Home
Once in your home, the marble experiences all kinds of wear and tear it never had to endure underground – and that’s where we come in to help!
Do you have marble surfaces that need revitalization? Don’t wait!
Call us today, and we’ll get your marble looking like the day it was first installed.
