Have you ever wondered how natural stone slabs get from quarries around the world to Toronto kitchen countertops? The process of extracting and finishing stone has undergone a revolution in recent decades, making the beauty of natural stone far more accessible to homeowners than ever before.

 

For centuries, stone elements were reserved for the homes of the very wealthy. Quarrying stone was a backbreaking, work-intensive activity, and the output of most quarries was small. In the 1980s, new technologies and techniques made the extraction of stone much simpler and more efficient. Quarry outputs increased exponentially, and soon granite, marble and other natural stone slabs were more widely available and more affordable.

 

 

Quarries are situated in locations around the world, from India to Saudi Arabia, from Canada to Brazil, from Italy to New Zealand. Each quarry produces certain types of stone, and each stone block is unique. Every slab that is produced from a stone block is also unique – making stone slabs like original works of art!

 

The first step in quarrying is deciding how to cut the "bench wall”. The appearance of the resulting stone depends on how the deposit is cut. The bench wall is a large chunk of rock that will later be cut into blocks to be sent for processing. Quarry workers use a combination of diamond wire cables, drills and high temperature torches to cut the bench wall. Dirt is pushed up against the base of the wall to cushion its fall. A small dynamite charge is set to knock it down. Once the bench wall falls, it can be cut into blocks. These blocks are then transported to processing facilities for finishing.

 

At the processing facility, multi-wire gang saws slice the stone blocks into slabs of various thickness. The slabs are then sent to a conveyor belt where they are polished. First, the stone is polished with coarse abrasives, followed by finer abrasives to create a higher shine. Most types of stone will also be coated with epoxy or resin to fill in small depressions and fissures at some point during this polishing process. Some stone is finished to a matte or honed finish, others are polished longer and develop a satiny sheen.

 

From any overseas processing facility, slabs are packed into crates and taken to the nearest port. From there, slabs are packed into shipping containers and loaded by crane onto ships that will carry them to Canada. Once they arrive in Canada, they’re shipped to Toronto stone importers by train.

 

 

If you are looking for just the right natural stone for your kitchen countertop, visit a GTA stone importer’s showroom and find out more about each type of stone. Many homeowners prefer granite, for its natural beauty combined with extreme durability. Others are attracted to the luxury and translucence of elegant marble.

 

No matter which type of natural stone you prefer, adding a stone slab countertop to your kitchen will add beauty to your life and value to your home!