If you are in the market for natural stone flooring or counters for your home, this brief compilation of stone factoids is going to be very helpful.  Just a little knowledge, before you narrow in on what’s right for you, may point you in the right direction.  You’ve all studied the types of rock the earth renders, but it could be you haven’t had need for that information in a long time.  So here is a brief refresher.

SEDIMENTARY – Igneous rocks make up the majority of the earth’s crust and are covered by a thin veneer of loose sediment. It’s this loose sediment that gets compacted and cemented together to give us sedimentary stone.  Travertine and limestone fall into this category.  Natural, unfilled travertine has tiny holes throughout the surface, indicative of sedimentary formations.  Both travertine and limestone are very porous and will require continuing maintenance to keep them looking their best.  Keep in mind, because they are so porous they are prone to staining so may not be the best choice for countertop applications.  For floor applications, Torrean travertine is less porous and gives a more uniform surface texture.

METAMORPHIC – The metamorphics get their name from “meta” (change) and “morph” (form). Any rock can become a metamorphic rock. All that is required is for the rock to be moved into an environment in which the minerals which make up the rock become unstable.  Extreme temperature and pressure are the catalysts in forming metamorphic rocks and produce stones with exceptional beauty, such as slate, marble and quartzite.

IGNEOUS – Igneous rocks are crystalline solids which form directly from the cooling of volcanic magma. This is an exothermic process (it loses heat) and involves a change from the liquid to the solid state. The earth is made of igneous rock – at least at the surface, where our planet is exposed to the coldness of space.  Granite is an igneous rock and you can tell how near to the earth’s surface (or how deep within the earth) the granite was formed, based on its composition.  Smaller particulates in the granite indicate it was formed closer to the surface.  Larger particulates are the clue that it was formed deep beneath the earth’s crust.  Given the process by which granite is formed, it is an extremely hard stone, second only to diamonds.  It does well for countertops or flooring.

The inherent beauty of natural stone is what draws us to it.  Every piece of granite is a unique work of art.  The unpredictable range of colors in slate makes every installation a masterpiece.  Marble transforms surfaces into statements of timeless beauty.  I’d say Mother Earth wears a mantle of treasures, and it’s always a privilege for us to have a small piece of that treasure grace our homes.

“Each day slowly shapes our lives, as dripping water shapes the stone.”  (Proverbs)

For more information on flooring visit the World Floor Covering Association’s Consumer Carpet & Flooring Guide.

Unwelcome guests may be entering your home and damaging your stone floors. Small stones, tiny pebbles, sand and stone-hard grit sneak into your home on the bottom of shoes. These little invaders are your floor’s No. 1 enemies because they can easily scratch and mar elegant-looking stone.

Protect against such attacks by putting up defenses outside your front door. Put down industrial-strength mats with tough ribbing, which encourage visitors to scuff dirt from their shoes before crossing the threshold. Purchase mats that are 4 to 6 feet long, allowing guests ample opportunity to leave grit behind before they enter. Typical 2×3-foot doormats are too lightweight to handle the job. Put them at all entry doors and add a smaller mat inside as an added precaution. The best mats will also absorb significant amounts of water, so that isn’t tracked into your home either.

Having kept most of the worst outside, you also need to keep a close eye on the inside entrance area. Wet mop this area whenever dust, dirt, pebbles or stones collect on the floor. Mopping frequency depends on the amount of foot traffic and how well shoes are cleaned off at the entry. Tackling this as a once-a-week task is common.

When mopping, use a microfiber mop, instead of rayon. The newer material does a much more effective job taking up grit and water. Neutral pH cleaners are recommended for most stone because they will not harm the stone sealer. Remove as much of the water as possible to avoid streaking and clouding. Never use acidic cleaners containing lemon juice, vinegar or ammonia. Also avoid abrasive cleaners. All these may damage stone, particularly the softer varieties such as marble and limestone.

For more information on flooring visit the World Floor Covering Association’s Consumer Carpet & Flooring Guide.

Most everyone loves the look of natural stone on vertical surfaces.  It complements beautiful floor coverings and can add character and richness to commercial or residential interiors.  Not only that, but stone seems to have a timeless quality in the realm of interior design.  But for several critical reasons, designers have had limitations as to where and when they could specify natural stone:

• First of all, budget is always a consideration.  While the look of natural stone may be expansive, sometimes the client’s budget is not quite as expansive.

• Then there is the challenge of installation, especially in high vertical areas, because of the inherent weight of natural stone.

• Finally, curved and radius surfaces have historically been impossible applications for stone or slate.  Couldn’t be done, until now…

Daltile has come to the rescue.  They identified an important segment of the hard surface market that desperately needed a creative specialty product–something that would address each of the obstacles mentioned above.  The solution:  Slimlite Slate & Quartzite, a new surfacing product that uses state-of-the-art technology to address these specific issues. According to Linnea Graves, Daltile’s Anaheim, CA Gallery Manager, Slimlite has some stunning characteristics:

“Actual slate and quartzite stones are sliced into very thin layers and then are bonded to fiberglass/polyester backing to create a strong yet pliable piece of stone.  This process allows Slimlite Slate & Quartzite to be used as an interior and/or exterior facade for installations over existing surfaces which include aluminum, concrete, cement, gypsum, MDF/HDF, ceramic, drywall and many other surfaces.”

You may have to re-read that paragraph to let it truly sink in. The implications of how this product can be used are pretty incredible (not only for designers, who can now be ultra-creative in their designs, but for you—the homeowner).  Slimlite allows you to transform any area into an elegant space, at a fraction of the cost of traditional stone.  And, given the line-up of materials over which it can be installed, consider the savings you will have not tearing out old materials (and less mess).

And let us not neglect to say that the ease of handling this lighter-weight material is a real problem-solver for the installer.  Slimlite Slate and Quartzite weigh less that 0.5 lbs. per square foot and are about 1/8” thick.  Panels are available 12” x 24” and 24” x 48”.  Need something bigger to solve your decorating dilemma?  Don’t despair.  Custom orders are available, up to 35” x 94”.  There are six colors to choose from and Daltile does plan on stocking those colors.

I love to bring you good news, and this is definitely great news.  Daltile has done it again–found a way to be true innovators in the world of hard surface design.  This product is a problem-solver and “solution products” are usually the hottest new products on the market.   We need to give Daltile a big “thank-you” for thinking “outside-the-proverbial-box”!

For more information on flooring visit the World Floor Covering Association’s Consumer Carpet & Flooring Guide.

No doubt you have heard that Italians are very colorful people.  Having traveled Italy, I can definitely vouch for that.  Not only their architecture, but their fashion and interiors all embrace color.  And the word ‘colorful’ can be interpreted through personality as well.   I’ve never been to Chiampo Italy, but I would have to say these people are truly colorful, friendly, and willing to please the American market.  At least those that I met personally at Surfaces/Stone Expo all fit that description.

Their tradeshow exhibit was a testament to remarkable craftsmanship using granite, marble, travertine and onyx as blank canvases for their work.  The parent company is  Ferrarigraniti, and they certainly know how to work magic with stone. One of several lines represented by Ferrarigraniti was Kreoo by Decormarmi. These “artists” use precision water-jet machinery to cut organic, curvilinear designs into pure marble, producing stunning visuals with deep tactile dimension to each stone surface.  From a designer’s standpoint, my imagination ran wild as to the possible applications of these unique stone creations: custom fireplace surrounds and mantels; decorative wall cladding for commercial projects; hospitality lobbies; residential backsplashes and elegant tub surrounds—just to name a few.

At the same booth (and if you were at Surfaces, this will jog your memory for sure) another partner company to Ferrarigraniti displayed amazing carved seating, formed from natural woods and hand-sanded to a stunning, satiny finish.  They were shaped like healthy, oversized mushrooms sprouting from a lush forest floor.  Cute is a word I seldom use, but it certainly describes these clever, adult-sized wooden stools very well.  If the Italians were looking for a way to steal attention, they certainly found it.  They stacked the mushroom stools up front, using that to draw crowds into their space to then discover treasures in carved stone.  What a combination!  What ingenuity!   I would suggest you investigate more—it’s worth it.  For more information, or perhaps the Kreoo catalog, contact giacomo@ferrarigraniti.com.  Her English may not be expansive, but her willingness to please certainly is.

For more information on flooring visit the World Floor Covering Association’s Consumer Carpet & Flooring Guide.

Though some homes are similar to one another, no one’s is exactly like yours. A lot of the homes in our neighborhood have open, one-room second floors, for instance, but I doubt that any of those rooms are painted in the same lavender color as ours. It’s the same with floors made from natural materials, particularly stone.

Floors made from quarried materials are distinctive, singular, always original. Spend a half hour wandering through the offerings at a stone outlet. You’ll likely see slabs from Egypt, China, Brazil, the United States and other parts of the world. And no two pieces will be exactly alike, even if quarried from the same spot on the same day. The pressures that formed the stone will invest each cut with slightly different shadings, fissures, blemishes and even fossil remnants. The exotic is the ordinary in natural stone.

To give you an idea of what’s possible, consider what one family did a decade ago when they built a house on Lake Minnatonka, near Minneapolis. They chose large-format Italian limestone tiles as flooring, and one of the tiles was a prize. This special one contained a magnificent spiral sea shell. It had apparently become trapped in sand eons ago and had long since become fossilized in the stone. The 8-inch shell became a bragging point for the home—the element that made their home unique in all the world.

So, for a one-of-a-kind look, stone is an excellent pick. With all the colors, tones, shadings, flecks, veins, pock marks, fusions and other oddities, it’s the pick for individuality. But back to those fissures for a moment: They may pose a problem. Stone can break along one of those miniature fault lines. Also, the thickness of slabs and tiles varies, sometimes making installation a challenge. These are qualities and characteristics to think through before deciding quarried stone is your choice.

Should you want the look along with the dependability that comes with uniformity, an option is an engineered stone. These products are still stone, but typically the raw material is broken up and then reconstituted in a tile, brick or stone form. Engineered pieces can be ordered in an array of colors, sizes and thicknesses. When working on a new bathroom or kitchen design, this allows a builders and contractors to chart a predictable course between the initial architectural drawing and the completed project.

Either material will get you what you want. If a unique look is your highest goal, natural stone may be what you want. If you want a more predictable installation and service, particularly for a remodeling project, engineered stone will get you there.

For more information on flooring visit the World Floor Covering Association’s Consumer Carpet & Flooring Guide.