Marble slab gives Toronto homes an elegant, distinctive feel. Learn more about choosing marble slab in Toronto kitchens.

 

There are many reasons why you might choose marble elements for home decor. Marble is associated in our minds with classical art and architecture, from the Parthenon of Ancient Greece to India’s Taj Mahal, from Michelangelo’s David to Rodin’s The Kiss. Marble countertops and other accents lend an undeniable air of elegance and luxury to any home. When properly maintained, marble is also very durable. Additionally, natural stone elements add resale value to any house. But the most important reason to install marble in your home is beauty. No other material looks as luminous, cool, and lustrous as naturally beautiful marble. There are three main factors that contribute to the appearance of marble: colour, patterning, and finish. This article will examine these three aspects.

 

Marble is limestone that has been subjected to extreme heat and pressure in the earth’s crust, and has recrystallized. The more pure the original limestone deposit was, the whiter the resulting marble will be. However, virtually all marble contains other elements, and these accessory minerals are what give marble its various colours and patterns. The most frequently occurring accessory minerals are: quartz, tremolite actinolite, chert, garnet, biotite, muscovite, microline, talc, and fosterite.

 

Although many people opt for slabs with the classic look of Carrara marble -- the well-known pearly-white tones with light grey accents -- marble is available in a huge variety of colours and with patterning that ranges from subtle to dramatic.

 

For example, marble containing hematite is reddish in color. Marble that contains limonite is yellow, and marble with serpentine is green in colour. The intensity of the colour depends on the quantities of minerals the slab contains. Various regions of the world are associated with different varieties of marble. Malaga, Spain, is well known for its bronze Costa Sol marble. Ireland’s Connemara marble is green. Sienna marble is yellow with violet, red, blue or white veins, and Etowah marble from Georgia in the USA is variously pink, rose, or salmon toned.

 

It’s important to select marble by looking at the entire slab, not just a small sample. Variations in colour and pattern are what give marble its unique beauty, but as a buyer, you want to see the slab to make sure that the tones and markings are reasonably consistent throughout the entire piece of stone.

 

 

There are two main finishes for marble: polished and honed. Polished marble gives it a very shiny surface. Polishing makes marble less porous, and increases its ability to catch and reflect light. The most effective technique for polishing marble is industrial diamond polishing. This multistep process uses metal-bonded diamond discs to level the slab, followed by the use of resinous diamond discs along with polishing compound to produce the shine.

 

Honed marble is finished by a similar process, with one exception: the final stage involves the use of abrasives to remove tiny amounts of stone, which leaves the surface with a smooth, matte finish.

 

There are other specialty finishes for marble as well, including leathered, caressed, bush-hammered, flamed, tumbled, and rigato. Each of these produces a different texture and look.

 

No other decorating element is as distinctive and beautiful as marble. Visit a Toronto stone supplier’s showroom today and discover the perfect stone for your home!