What is Natural Stone?
Understanding
a little about the nature of marbles and granites will help
you to appreciate the importance of a specialised cleaning and
maintenance program.
Dimensional natural stone is quarried from massive deposits
or formations, many millions of years old. The resulting blocks
are cut to required thickness, and usually have one surface
honed or polished. Tiles and panels are mostly cut to size in
the originating factory, and then packed for further shipment.
Items such as table and bench tops, vanity tops and furniture
are generally made to your specific requirements from polished
random slabs. All of these finishers have something in common:
each surface is essentially a cross section of the material
- as it originally appeared in the massive deposit. A processed
surface reveals the unmistakeable character of that piece of
natural stone.
A honed or polished surface is achieved by grinding the cut
face with successively finer grades of abrasive. A honed finish
stops short of a full polish, and is a viable surface treatment
for flooring. Less "compact" materials such as sandstones and
some limestones cannot always be polished and routinely are
offered in a honed finish. Other marbles and harder limestones
that can be easily polished are sometimes honed to take advantage
of the simple fact that minor wear and tear is not obvious on
a surface that has an overall "sheen" rather than a "mirror
finish" polish
A polished surface, however, is the only way to fully appreciate
the colour and pattern of natural stone, and is far more popular.
When a surface "closes" over and a polish is achieved the true
colours of the natural stone can be fully appreciated, along
with the intricacies of the pattern or veining. A polished surface
is not an applied finish, and cannot easily be replicated, but
it has the advantage that it is relatively impervious to minor
soiling by denying dirt particles a rough surface to adhere
to. Accordingly, a polished stone surface can be very easy to
maintain, in addition to looking great.
A polished surface doesn't change the nature of the stone, and
cannot by itself protect the material from all the influences
that may be encountered in daily use over the years. Remember
that we are dealing with a cross section of the stone. That
cross section can unlock the secret of the stone's hidden colours
and patterns, but in doing so it can expose the stone to elements
for which no natural protection is afforded.
