MARBLE AND GRANITE RESTORATION

Quartz is a great option if you’re looking for a highly durable natural stone. Quartz can be an attractive choice for flooring and countertops because the manufacturing process can create a wide range of colours to choose from, in comparison to other natural stones like granite or marble.

Quartz is also slightly less on the hardness scale in comparison to granite, and so this flexibility in its composition is more resilient to chipping or cracking. Above all, quartz as is non-porous, which means you don’t have to worry about sealing the stone. This a great low-maintenance option for areas of high traffic use like your kitchen and bathroom.

Terrazzo has grown in popularity since the 20th century. It is a composition of stone chips. The composite is combined by utilizing a concrete or epoxy-resin. Terrazzo is popular because of its possibilities for customization. Since the process of binding stone chips such as marble or quartz (or both) is done so with epoxy-resin, the potential for colour mix and matching, along with being able to choose the colour of the resin, makes the construction material unique.

Slate is commonly used in bathrooms, backsplashes, walls and flooring. It is highly resilient as it is a very hard and durable stone. The types of stone walls that you might see used in interior decor or accent walls that are stone textured is probably slate!

Slate is one of the most common types of flooring, as it’s very hard and able to stand up to high traffic. Slate is favoured by pet owners because it’s not likely to be scratched or scraped, and it is excellent for foyers, hallways, and other high traffic areas. Plus, it looks beautiful!

Slate has a very long lifespan, so you likely won’t have to replace it, but the sealer finish will have to be stripped and re-applied based on wear and tear. Raw slate is absorbent and not water-resistant.

Marble has been used throughout history and was a symbol of wealth and prosperity. The stone itself is abundant, and is used across cultures. The marble extraction process is often done by slow carving out large quarries. Marble is often named after where they are mined, such as Italy’s famous Carrara marble – responsible for much of the marble carvings Italian art is known for.

While marble is a stunning option showing opulence for flooring and countertops, it is very high maintenance – it is easy to show wear and tear. Marble has to be cleaned and sealed regularly as it is a very porous stone. Additionally, as it is made of limestone, the stone is best cleaned with a pH-neutral cleaner.

Travertine is a natural stone formed in geothermic areas of the Earth. Like marble, it comes from the limestone family. As such, it is a very porous rock, and is considered a higher maintenance type of natural stone. Travertine is often used in outdoor settings and for tiling bathrooms.

In fact it was used historically in Rome for building structures, bath complexes and water ways. Travertine is characterized by tiny holes that are formed, so if you decide to use it, be aware that it needs to be sealed regularly to maintain its sheen and beauty in high traffic areas.