You are searching for the perfect marble to adorn your kitchen countertops.
Or perhaps you’re installing travertine tile floors in your living room.
Have you ever stopped to consider where these incredible resources come from? How they made it from deep within the earth, to the showroom where you first see them, to finally find their place in your home?
Well, we do, so strap in while we tell you in this week’s edition of our humble blog!
Most types of stone you will encounter are mined from a quarry.
The quarrying stone in one form or another dates back at least as far as ancient Egypt, who of course used the stone to build their pyramids and other incredible limestone and granite structures.
Other ancient civilizations, such as those who lived on Easter Island, also quarried stone for similar purposes.
Historians and anthropologists are still baffled at how such a small community could have mined and transported stone without the labor resources of the Egyptians!
Two main products are made from the process of quarrying – dimension stones and aggregate.
Dimension Stone
That beautiful piece of granite that you’re looking at for your home – that came from dimension stone. Dimension stone was cut from the ground in enormous blocks and transported to a separate facility to be cut down into smaller pieces before being shipped across the world to wholesalers.
It isn’t just your floors and kitchen countertops that are produced this way!
Materials for stone buildings, roofing shingles, gravestones, and all kinds of other projects are made from cut pieces of dimension stones!
Aggregate
Aggregate, on the other hand, is the sand, gravel, or other crushed rock that is basically a byproduct of the mining of dimension stones.
Rather than allow it to go to waste, aggregate is processed for a variety of purposes. Gravel that you use to texture your garden and driveway – that comes from aggregate.
The asphalt that makes the roads you drive on and the cement that makes the sidewalks – aggregate!
There is so much that goes into the acquisition and fabrication of the stone you use in your home or business. Santa Barbara Stone Masters are not only experts in restoring and maintaining it – we are experts in stone, period!
There’s no one better to serve your needs, so give us a call today.
