August 13, 2020
Choosing the material for your home is a huge step and, very much, serious deal. It’s going to represent you, after all. No wonder why the palaces of kings andqueens around the globe have always been decorated with marble. The symbol of opulence and splendor. Fortunately, we still can enjoy the beauty of these architectural masterpieces. Churches, castles, and fine homes - all keep a little secret inside its walls. Let’s get to know it.
Marbleis a natural stone, which is classified as a metamorphic rock. That means it’s created from a material already existent in the world, involving high temperatures and pressures. In this case, the formation of the marble stone happens when limestone is exposed to all the above.
The whole process is called metamorphism. That’s where this class of rocks take sits name from. So yes, roughly speaking, marble is a crystallized version of limestone, which has been affected by heat and high pressure for many years in Earth’s crust. This natural phenomenon creates such a beautiful rock you can use for your design projects and artistic purposes.
Each slab of marble is formed under various circumstances, depending on the minerals present. It makes sense that not only marble from different quarries is alway sunique, but the slabs from the same quarry will be unequaled. The reason for that is the reaction of mineral to the pressure and heat. Even the same minerals in different quantity can result in a different picture, in the end, forming unrepeatable veins and patterns. These beautiful swirls in a natural rock are what makes this stone so exceptional. That’s one of the reasons why people value and love marble so much.
Light color marble might be the first thing that comes to your mind because of its popularity. Though, it’s not the only option available. Just the way minerals affect the pattern and veining of marble, with the help of various salts it also influences the color of the natural stone. Thanks to that, we can get the marble in many different colors from popular milky white to bright colors likered or more on the dark side like black marble stone.
Visiting almost any tourist attraction in the world, you will come across the marble. It can be floors in Buckingham Palace or sculptures in the Louvre. Yet, where doesit come from?
Marble can be found as gigantic rocks in various places and countries across the globe. The main quarries today are in Italy, China, India, and Spain - top 4 dominating the world marble production. However, it’s not the full list. Turkey, Greece, Portugal, and the U.S. are still among the leading producers of this luxurious rock.
This natural stone doesn’t need any advertisement. Its remarkable history has already proved its worth. Still, it’s always good to know the qualities of the stone you choose for your home project. Various applications require different properties, after all.
Even though marble is an easy-to-carve material, and a vast number of sculptures like Aphrodite of Milos or David prove the point, it’s still considered a firmrock. Of course, it’s not as hard as granite but look at all those buildings still standing, like Taj Mahal or The Supreme Courthouse in Washington, D.C. If it’s not regarded to be durable enough, then we don’t know how to call this useful quality.
Ascompared to other stones like granite, marble is more porous, hence less acid-resistant. So, if you use it in the kitchen, then you have to take care of the stone. However, the same quality, thanks to the composition of the marble, makes the stone a perfect acid neutralizer, which becomes extremely helpful for other purposes.
Marble is an excellent choice for kitchen or fireplace surrounds, thanks to its resistance to high temperatures and insulation properties. The latter helps the stone to stay cold even when it’s scalding hot outside and in direct sunlight. Moreover, in winter, the warmed rock will keep you nice and warm in return.
Not many stones have as many uses as marble does. Some of them are pretty obvious,and some might surprise you.
Marbleis easy to sculpt, plus it takes a high polish, which makes it a perfect stone for carving sculptures, monuments, and other artistic projects. Though, you knew that already. The most famous sculptures around the world were produced from marble: Pantenon Marbles, Discobolus, Aphrodite of Milos and Michelangelo’s David, Moses and Pieta.
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However, it’s far not the only purpose this natural stone can have. Marble is also used in architecture and home decor. Today people use this stone for countertops,bathroom interiors, fireplaces, stairs, walls, and flooring. That’s what you are looking for.
Nowadays it might be not so popular for building constructions, but a few hundred years ago it was a thing. Taj Mahal was built mostly with marble, even its towers, and domes. The facade of Lincoln Memorial is made out of this natural stone. The ancient greek Odeon of Herodes Atticus Theatre is also entirely constructed with marble. Moreover, don’t forget the Tower of Pisa - of course, it’s not the only natural stone used for structure, but it’s among them.
Althoug hit all sounds already impressive, there are still a few uses of marble you might have never heard about.
The crushed stone is used for highways and railroad beds. In this case, marble plays the role of construction aggregate. While exceptionally white stone isused for white powder production, which becomes a pigment or brightener in paint and other products. Still, not the most surprising destiny of marble.
Marble powder can be helpful in the chemical, agricultural, and pharmaceutical industries. The first two apply crushed stone as an acid-neutralization material, while the last one makes medical drugs like Alka-Seltzer to treat the acid indigestion. Not really useful for your project, but definitely works for overall development.
