What Colors & Available For Marble Countertops?

Marble countertops come in a huge array of colors and shades. A marble countertop typically has a base color and is stained with other colors in irregular patterns, to make a natural look.

Base colors

In its usual form, marble is totally white. The white comes from the high attention of calcium in the marble. Marble is a metamorphic rock, and is created when limestone is subjected to very high pressures and temperatures within the Earth's crust. If the limestone is clean and reserved away from other substances, the ensuing marble will be a milky, transparent white. This is the rarest and most valued variety of marble, and is frequently used for sculptures and statues.

Cream

Cream marble is also valued for the swirls and intricate designs usually found in it. The patterns usually look like quietly curved lines, which are really internal cracks caused by the great pressure than the marble sustains through formation.

Gray

Gray marble can come from coal mines or from a mixture of white marble and chert, a gray-blue sedimentary rock found in the Earth's crust. Marble deposits found near coal mines get their gray color from the carbon content of the coal. Gray marble can also be created by the mixture of white marble and chert. Such marble varieties are much lighter than carbon-stained marble. While viewed under intense light, chert-stained marble can have a bluish tint.

Pink

Iron ore deposits have a usual deep reddish tint can stain marble pale pink to deep red, depending on the concentration. Extreme pressure in the Earth's crust presses iron ores and calcium limestone mutually, forming marble stones with a wide incline of colors. Multiple shades of red can often be found inside a single marble sample. Every shade, from a timid rose-like tint to wine-dark red, can be found in a single piece of marble.

Green

Green marble is the result of the synthesis between serpentine and marble stone. Serpentine is a magnesium-rich silicate with a little crystalline nature. Green marble has a more crystalline look and is so more refractive, that is, more glossy than other colors.

Advantages of Granite Kitchen Countertops

Granite kitchen countertops are some of the most desirable kitchen countertops in the United States nowadays. The qualities of a granite countertop make it ideal for many of the ordinary uses of a kitchen countertop and its beauty is firm to match with another product. Granite kitchen countertops have many advantages over their competitors and that is the reason why granite countertops are so well-liked today.

One of the main advantages granite kitchen countertops have over the competition is that every kitchen countertop made of granite is sole. The properties of the stone make sure that stone obtained from quarries in different locations approximately the world or even different areas of the same quarry will have a unique pattern of colors that can not be duplicated. A project using granite stone must be finished all at once because there is no guarantee that the homeowner will be able to find the right color combination in the stone ever again.

Another one of the advantages granite countertops possess is the easiness of cleaning the countertop. The surface of a granite kitchen countertop is as smooth as glass; permit most messes to be wiped up rapidly and plainly. The countertop is opposed to to stains, is waterproof, and inhibits the growth of bacteria, fungus, and mold. The countertop is also heat resistant, permitting the homeowner to place hot objects directly onto the countertop without worrying that the countertop will burn. This ease of use and lack of required maintenance makes the granite kitchen countertop a very good-looking option for many homeowners.

The loveliness of natural stone for kitchen countertops

Natural stone is well known with home owners and interior designers similar for the best kitchen countertops. There was once a time when natural stone countertops were so exclusive that only the very well-to-do could pay for them, but that isn’t true any longer.

Natural stone countertops such as marble, granite and limestone are now seen in millions of American homes and communal buildings. There are many reasons why natural stone makes the best kitchen countertops which are so popular in today’s kitchen designs. Granite, marble and limestone have demand of their own. Marble and granite in exacting are the most popular countertops of nowadays.

Natural stone also makes the best kitchen countertops since they provide a high standard of living. The toughness, resistance and long permanent beauty make natural stones the best kitchen countertops. Natural stone countertops are popular in homes and buildings because they’re opposed to to heat, water, moisture, scratches, spills and stains as well. When granite and marble are used, it gives high scratch resistance to the stone countertops, because they are durable materials.

The largest reasons for using granite, marble or limestone is their strength, resistance, eternal beauty and easy cleaning. Because of their limited characters and features, natural stone countertops are also very unique. These are the necessary and important factors working for selecting granite, marble and other natural stones for countertops in homes, structure and monuments. Since granite, marble and other natural stones are used for external and interior designing, the natural stones are used by home owners and interior designers for much more than countertops as well. They will forever be the best kitchen countertops, though.

Dos and Don’ts of Granite

• DO clean up spills rapidly to minimize spoil to your stone.
• DO use trivets or mats below hot dishes & cookware.
• Do use place mats under china, ceramics, & silver that can scrape your stone's surface.
• DO use coasters under glasses, particularly ones containing alcohol or citrus juices.
• DO clean surfaces frequently with a Granite & Marble Kitchen Countertop Cleaner.
• DON'T stay to clean up spills on stone.
• DON'T use acid cleaners such as bathroom cleaners or grout cleaners.
• DON'T use vinegar, bleach, ammonia or other general-purpose cleaners.
• DON'T use rough cleaners such as dry cleansers or soft cleansers.
• DON'T use alkaline cleaners not specially formulated for stone.
  
  bath shower screens

Kitchen granite countertops solid stone base

Granite with different fashion and style, visual feeling extremely. Granite is all in the hardest stone, tough material. It is against the dyeing and opposed to ability strong can oppose cream, grease, water, tea, coffee and carbonate, sugary drinks etc. The entire kitchen floor, so the granite defame is very suitable for kitchen ground shop, and it can endure tableware, porcelain and glass of crash.

Granite floor cleaning and maintenance work is very easy, as long as a day with water scrub, once a week behind cleaning, stone soap flush, helps to stay the floor seal and shine.

Granite though hard, but could simply be of quartz sand, small quartz grain granite surface to reason slight scratches, need professional maintenance to restore the unique luster, so in the daily protection must note.

Troubles with Granite Countertops

Granite countertops may be the strongest and most tough countertop material available in the market today; however, they do have some drawbacks.

Expensive: Granite is the most luxurious countertop material available today. Its installation requires new cabinetry to be placed as a part of the entire kitchen makeover. This considerably increases the cost of installation. Moreover, granite slabs have to be selected, matched, cut, polished, sealed and installed with little room for error. These granite countertops have to be sealed on a yearly basis to maintain their shine and luster. Neglecting sealing on a regular basis can result the granite countertop to become cloudy and stained.

Surface affected by acidic liquids: When acidic solutions are brought in contact with the granite countertop, the surface can become dull or even etched. Various acidic liquids are used as ingredients in daily cooking, such as vinegar, orange juice, lemon juice, wine, coffee, alcoholic beverages, soft drinks and several other liquids. When the use is on a daily basis, it is possible for these liquids to be spilled on the countertop.

Emits radon: Radon gas is a radioactive element and is a leading cause for lung cancer. This claim has been mostly made by competing countertop material distributors. Research reveals that some granite countertops reveal radon gas, and has left homeowners worried.

Hot dishes can spoil the surface: Though granite countertops can withstand tons of abuse, its surface can get chipped if steaming hot pots and pans are placed straight onto the granite. This is because the hard granite stone comprises some soft, thin strips of granite, which cannot absorb all the heat applied to its surface.

Harsh chemicals stain the surface: Harsh cleaning agents such as bleach, kitchen degreasers and glass cleaners can strip the granite surface off the sealer, and can enduringly blemish the surface. This is because these common household cleaning agents contain acids, alkalis and other chemicals, which can harm the granite. One must be careful to only use mild soap and water to clean it. Even frequent use of soap can create the granite surface dull.


foil insulation - Solarcrest supply the UK's highest performing multi-layerfoil insulation, certified to meet or exceed revised BuildingRegulations and the Code for Sustainable Homes. For an airtight superinsulated building envelope with heat recovery ventilation visit www.solarcrest.co.uk