Natural Stone
Granite, Marble, Limestone, Travertine, Soapstone, and Slate
Granite: An excellent choice for countertops, floors, and heavily used surfaces
Granite, quarried from the mountains of Italy, the U.S., India, and dozens of other countries around the world, is one of the most popular natural stones on the market for countertops.
Available in a striking array of colors, granite’s durability and longevity make it ideal for kitchen countertops and other heavily used surfaces, including table tops and floors.
While some synthetic surfaces scratch easily and melt under hot cookware, granite resists heat. Granite is also one of the most bacteria-resistant kitchen surfaces, and is not affected by citric acid, coffee, tea, alcohol, or wine. Granite is also nearly impossible to scratch, and with proper cleaning, will not stain under normal use (ask your professional contractor about sealants available to further improve stain resistance).
A leading consumer magazine recently compared granite with engineered stone, ceramic tile, laminate, butcher block, and other manufactured surfaces. Granite received the highest overall performance rating as a kitchen countertop material.
Because of its exceptional strength, granite is well suited for exterior applications such as cladding, paving, and curbing.
Marble: Ideal for foyers, bathrooms, floors, and hearths
Marble is found in the mountainous regions of Canada, Italy, Germany, Spain, the U.S., and other countries world- wide. Because of its beauty and elegance, marble is a popular choice for countertops, floors, foyers, fireplace facings and hearths, walls, and windowsills.
Marble adds a sophisticated element to your home, and its wonderful appearance, superior engineering characteristics, and ease of maintenance makes it a natural choice for floors, countertops, wall coverings, table tops, and bathroom walls, floors, vanity tops, tub decks, and showers.
Another option for marble-loving homeowners is using another natural stone, serpentine, for kitchen counters. Some- times called the “green” marble, serpentine is not a true marble but offers a marble-like look. And, because it is magnesium-silicate based, it is not sensitive to citric acid and other kitchen spills.
What is Soapstone?
Soapstone, which is also known as steatite and soaprock is a type of metamorphic rock and is known for its usefulness in a wide variety of materials. Metamorphic rock is created as a result of high levels of heat and pressure acting on a rock type called the “protolith.” Soapstone is formed from the transformation of protoliths, like dolostone and serpentinite, by extremely high pressures at tectonic plate boundaries. Soapstone is used for kitchen countertops, bathroom countertops, bathroom vanities, and many other purposes. Contact Capitol Granite for more uses and ideas.
Travertine Countertop Surfaces:
Travertine countertops are emerging very fast as popular and affordable kitchen countertops. Travertine is a natural stone that is similar to marble and equally as beautiful in kitchen countertops and bathroom vanities.
Travertine is available in many earthy colors, as it is a natural stone. You will find many delicious shades of walnut, gold, cream, beige and ivory. These colors are formed due to the mix of iron and other impurities found in the earth. They are visually appealing and add an aesthetically pleasing touch in home decor. Therefore, they are favored as flooring tiles, wall covering kitchen countertops, and bathroom vanities since thousands of years in Italy and Turkey. Travertine countertops are available in polished, matte, brushed or tumbled finishes. For more information about travertine countertops, please call to speak to someone at Capitol Granite.
Limestone Countertop Surfaces:
Some varieties of limestone make excellent kitchen and bathroom countertops, while others do not. Please contact Capitol Granite to find out if Limestone is ideal for your kitchen or bathroom countertops or other projects.
It is common for people to use softer varieties of limestone around fireplaces and in bathroom vanities and countertops.
Limestone can be molded easily without affecting the existing structure, which makes it idea for kitchen countertops, fireplace surrounds, walling, and many other surfaces that require special fabrication.
Cutting boards should be used for knives, if you have used limestone for countertops.
Trivets and place-mats should be used under all vessels to avoid scratching.
Limestone is a beautiful surface for kitchen countertops, but must be taken care of and maintained to avoid scratching, staining, and damaging your countertops.
Only the harder, denser types, especially those quarried in France and Germany can be installed in the kitchen for countertops. These harder Limestone surfaces are as good as granite for kitchen countertops.
Limestone is cheaper than granite but the cost of maintenance for limestone may be more than that of granite.
Trivets should be used to place hot pots on limestone tops, since limestone does have the potential to burn. Never place hot pots and pans directly on the countertops that are made from limestone.
Limestone is one of the most versatile stones, as it is always available in various sizes, textures and soft colors, giving a luxurious look and adding warmth to your kitchen.
You are expected to wipe spills immediately and in order to avoid etching, you are supposed to use only those cleansers that are specified for limestone. You may store perfumes and other such material on a sheet of glass toprotect vanity limestone surfaces.
Limestones are acid sensitive. Calcareous stones readily dissolve in acid. Lemon or tomato juices are acidic and if spilled on limestone tops, can severely damage the surfaces. Acidic products can cause limestone to etch – the surface finish will appear dull and texture will also change. To avoid this, you must routinely seal your limestone countertops to avoid any such damage.
Maintaining the countertops made from limestone is a tedious job; because soft and porous limestone can scratch and stain easily. Soft countertops etch quicker than the denser varieties. Sealing can prevent staining, but it cannot stop problems with etching. This becomes a serious problem when dark-colored limestone is used for kitchen countertops. All types of limestones require regular application of a good penetrating sealer to keep your kitchen countertops and bathroom vanities looking like new.
