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CERAMIC TILES The history of tiles dates back as far as the fourth millennium BC where in Egypt tiles were used to decorate various houses. In those days, clay bricks were dried beneath the sun or baked, and the first glazes were blue in color and were made from copper. As early as 4,000 BC ceramics were also found in Mesopotamia. These ceramics bore decorations which were white and blue striped and later possessed more varied patterns and colors. Through the centuries, tile decoration was improved upon as were methods of tile manufacture. For example, during the Islamic period, all methods of tile decoration were brought to perfection in Persia. Throughout the known world, in various countries and cities, ceramic tile production and decoration reached great heights. The tile mosaics of Spain and Portugal, the floor tiles of Renaissance Italy, the faiences of Antwerp, the development of tile iconography in the Netherlands, and the ceramic tiles of Germany are all prominent landmarks in the history of ceramic tile. In the early days, the tiles were hand-made - that is to say - each tile was hand-formed and hand-painted, thus each was a work of art in its own right. Ceramic tile was used almost everywhere - on walls, floors, ceilings, fireplaces, in murals, and as an exterior cladding on buildings. Today ceramic tile in the United States as it is throughout the world is not "hand-made" or "hand-painted" for the most part. Automated manufacturing techniques are used and the human hand does not enter into the picture until it is time to install the tile. As in the early days, ceramic tile is still used indoors as well as outdoors. It can be found on floors, walls, counters, fireplaces, fountains, exterior building walls, etc. GRANITE SIMPLE: Granite is volcanic (or igneous) rock. When molten material from the Earth's core called "magma" comes up to just beneath the Earth's surface and cools, it becomes Granite. Granite is very hard and extremely durable. It has a very grainy structure and can be polished well. This type of stone comes in a variety of colors ranging from salt and pepper to reddish brown to jet black. Granite has many applications, including:
The mineral-rich colors of granite, the hardest and densest of the commercial stones and probably the most popular natural stone available today, makes it ideal inside or outside and on kitchen countertops. A broad range of elegant patterns and colors makes granite the most versatile, durable and most maintenance-free of all stones. Granites are composed of quartz, feldspars and micas, as well as traces of a wide variety of other minerals, some of them from the host or country rock, which melts as the molten rock comes up into it. These minerals contribute to the color and texture of the various granites. Crystal size is somewhat determined by the rate at which the granite cools: the slower the cooling process, the larger the crystals grow, evident in materials such as Giallo Reale, or Verde Butterfly. Faster cooling produces fine-grained granites like Sierra White or Newport Sand. Granites get their wonderful variety of color from minerals that are melted into the liquid mass as it is formed. Sometimes, you might see what appears to be a completely different material, a big dark or contrasting spot, in a piece of granite. This is not a flaw, but most likely a xenolith, a piece of the "country" rock, which makes the stone absolutely unique. Granite comes in three different surface finishes: polished, honed, and flamed. Polished granite has a shiny, mirror-like surface. Honed granite has a matte or satin finish for a softer, less formal look. Flamed granite is produced by applying blowtorch-strength heat to the surface, which actually pops some of the crystals and creates a deeply textured surface. Flamed granite is ideal for use outside and can also be used for dramatic effect as an accent material in a polished granite floor. All natural stone as well as all stone distributors are not the same, so it is necessary to take notice of the variety one will be getting when purchasing granite or any other natural stone. MARBLE SIMPLE: While Ceramic Tile is a man-made product, Marble, Granite, Slate, Limestone and Quartzite are natural products made by Mother Nature. Marble has been used for centuries to grace the most lavish buildings in the world. Today, in the United States, Marble is gaining popularity as a residential as well as a commercial finish material. Marble has been valued for thousands of years for its rich palette of beautiful colors and is perfect pretty much anywhere in the house, especially for foyers, fireplaces and bathroom walls, floors and vanities. Marble is usually polished to a mirror-like shine and runs the color gamut from white and muted beiges to browns, rich reds and greens. True marbles are formed from limestone or dolomite that has undergone enough heat and pressure to metamorphose into a crystalline structure. This metamorphosis takes place when temperatures in excess of 1800ºF are generated by the weight of overlying material, pressure from crystal collisions and heat from the earth’s core. True marbles are generally white or whitish, sometimes translucent, with some veining or color provided by other minerals present during the process of metamorphosis. Breccias, or brecciated marbles, such as Breccia Oniciata or Breche Nouvelle, are stones which have been broken up by earth movement, landslides and cave-ins, and re-cemented with various dissolved minerals such as silicates, resulting in the characteristic "broken" appearance. Most green marbles on the market are technically not marble, but serpentinites, or serpentines, as they are more commonly called. These include the "jades" from Taiwan, and the very hard Verde Antique from Vermont. Because they are chemically more closely related to basalt and other mantle rocks, they aren’t subject to etching and tend to be a bit harder than other stones generally classified as marble. Marbles range in hardness from 4-5 on the ten-point MOHS scale (diamonds are 10; granites are ±7), making it perfect for most areas of the home. Care does need to be taken, however when choosing material for a high-traffic area or kitchen countertops which might be subject to etching substances. Like any stone, marble should be sealed with a penetrating sealer to prevent stains from penetrating into the stone. TRAVERTINE The Coliseum in Rome, having stood for over 2000 years, is perhaps the most famous travertine structure in the world. Travertine is commonly used outside as cladding and pavement, as well as inside for floors, walls and countertops. Travertine is generally filled with cement before it is honed or polished, which produces a uniform surface more like other marbles. Unfilled travertine is quite beautiful, and is often seen as exterior cladding on buildings. Travertines result from hot spring water percolating up through underground limestone. When the water evaporates, it leaves behind layers of dissolved limestone and other minerals, giving it its banded appearance. The characteristic holes in travertine are the result of trapped gas bubbles; as the gas escapes, crystals form in the cavities. Yellowstone Park, for example, with its geysers and mineral springs, produces travertine. Natural travertine will have voids on the surface, and these voids are filled with cementatious or resin based filler during fabrication. In the case of cross-cut travertine, some of the holes will be near the face but will not actually window out of the face. Since these voids are not exposed during the fabrication process, they are not filled. Once in service, the thin shell of travertine separating the void from the face is not strong enough to support traffic, especially heels. The stone will "pop" out at these locations, exposing the previously undetected void. This is an expected occurrence in travertine. The holes simply need to be refilled with a similar type and color of filler material as was used in the factory. Depending upon the size and frequency of holes, this procedure may need to be repeated several times. It is analogous to a "break-in" period for the floor. Travertines are generally light-colored beiges and tans, though there are some beautiful, colored travertines that have resulted from other minerals dissolved by hot water underground. Travertines range in hardness from 4-5 on the ten-point MOHS scale (diamonds are 10; granites are ±7), making it perfect for most areas of the home. Care does need to be taken, however when choosing material for a high-traffic area or kitchen countertops which might be subject to etching substances. Like any stone, travertine should be sealed with a penetrating sealer to prevent stains from penetrating into the stone. LIMESTONE SIMPLE: Limestone is a layered (or Sedimentary) rock. Primarily composed of calcium (from seashells), it is the original rock from which marble is created. Limestone is fairly soft, yet it is used in many ways. Some of its applications are:
The muted tones of limestone are perfect for today’s more casual and comfortable lifestyles. Generally these soft beiges and tans, either polished or honed, are appropriate for bathrooms, fireplaces, counters and less-traveled flooring where a more informal decor is desired. Limestones are sedimentary rocks that are formed at the bottoms of lakes and seas, as silt and organic matter settle to the bottom. The organic matter may be plants and marine shells or skeletons, which are preserved as fossils and serve as a guide to the age of the stone. As more and more layers build up over thousands and millions of years, adding more and more weight, the heat and pressure cause chemical reactions to take place to lithify the sediments into solid stone. Limestones range in hardness from 3-7 on the ten-point MOHS scale (diamonds are 10; granites are ±7), making it perfect for most areas of the home. Care does need to be taken, however when choosing material for a high-traffic area or kitchen countertops which might be subject to etching substances. Like any stone, limestone should be sealed with a penetrating sealer to prevent stains from penetrating into the stone. STONE FINISHES The finish of a stone contributes a great deal to its beauty, its durability and its use in a variety of applications. To help you select the stone finish that’s right for your application, here’s some detailed information on finishes:
SLATE Slate is a shale-type stone, having a straight cleavage. It is sedimentary in its origin often formed by a consolidation of volcanic ash. Colors range from black, grey & green to reddish brown. Slate is a durable stone which is used primarily for:
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