INFORMATION ON STONES

GRANITE:
An igneous rock (formed by heat) found deep within the Earth’s crust. Once quarried, cut, polished, and sealed granite is nearly impervious to scratches, heat, etching, staining, or weathering. It is truly one of Mother Nature’s most versatile and beautiful creations.

Most granite is quarried in Brazil and India. However, we also have access to stones from Russia, Spain, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Norway, and Finland. The majority of these rocks are imported to the U.S.A. via Spain and Italy where they are cut and polished into the forms you see at your local slab yards.

The most common use for granite today is in building and remodeling projects such as vanity and kitchen countertops. The look, feel, durability, and resale value of a granite kitchen countertop is unmatched by any other solid surface material in today’s market.

The care and maintenance of a granite surface includes the application of a petroleum based impregnating sealer into the stone once clean and dry. This can be done by the homeowner and should be applied on a yearly basis. As for daily cleaning, most household cleaners are fine. Granite’s polish is very durable and shouldn’t fade due to standard cleaning products' acidity levels.

Granite prices depend on several aspects of the stone such as size, availability, place of origin, and demand. An average granite slab will run between $500 and $800, and the average kitchen project will require two to three slabs.

MARBLE:
A metamorphic rock formed by pressure, movement, heat, and other factors over hundreds of thousands of years. Marble is typically less porous and more dense than travertine or limestone. However, this varies from stone to stone.

LIMESTONE:
A sedimentary rock formed strictly by pressure over time. Limestone is commonly thought of as the "softest" of industry stones, this does vary stone to stone and is not always true.

TRAVERTINE:
A sedimentary rock also formed by pressure. Travertine is identified by the holes in the stone. They are formed near a water source allowing moisture to collect and eventually force holes through the stone during formation. Travertine is available "unfilled" or more commonly "filled & honed". This process greatly reduces the stone's porosity levels and increases density.

CAESARSTONE:
Comprized of up to 93% natural quartz, one of natures strongest minerals, is resistant to stains, scratches, most households chemicals and moderate heat. It never needs sealing and its hard, nonporous surface making cleaning simple. It reatians tha cool, tacyile qualities of natural stone and aggregates ranging from fine to coarse-grained color blends with variegated visual texture.