Other Characteristics - General
Physical,
chemical, technical characteristics of other in general
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General,
Marble, Granite,
Limestone, sandstone,
Travertine |
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other, bluestone, slate, onyx, engineered
stone, manufacture stone, basalt, pebbles, flagstone, lava |
Q 2304: In your response to a question that read "Does anyone have any
particular do/don'ts when dealing with un-gauged Indian Slate?
Dave, March 4." You responded "don't". Would you expand on that short answer
please? I have also considered 12" gauged multicolored slate for kitchen, entry,
hallway, but don't care to make an expensive mistake. What is your opinion of
china white / gold quartzite? Thanks-much!! Leslie, July 26,
| Q 2244: Does anyone have empirical
information (or even an opinion) regarding the comparative heat resistance
of granite and "manufactured stone"
(such as Zodiaq and Silestone)? Because I would wanted a very light colored
countertop, I was leaning towards manufactured stone. I read, however, something
that suggested that manufactured stone shouldn't be used as a regular "landing
pad" for stuff coming out of the oven. Marianne, July 16. |
R1:
Dear Marianne: Whoever told you that was right. The approximately 6% of
resin in engineered stone (which is the bonding agent of the quartz chips)
could be damage by the
heat of a pot.
Now, about this thing that light colored "granite" is usually bad as far
as maintenance is concerned> True geological granite is either white, or
light gray, or pinkish, and its porosity is quite controllable with a good
quality sealer! are those color light enough for you? Check the "Bianco
Sardo" granite (a.k.a. "Luna Pearl"). It's a great stone! Maurizio, USA |
| Q 2178: I would be grateful
for advice on what method I should adopt to get a marble
effect on slate, I am aware that the slate has to be painted
black to begin with, but after that, what product/method and tools should
I use to obtain the best result. Barry, July 8, |
| R1:
Dear Barry: I must know something that I don't know! In fact, unlike you,
I'm not aware that slate has to be painted black. I actually never heard
of such a silly thing! And what about getting "the marble effect"? I really
wish I knew what you're talking about!! Ciao and good luck, Maurizio, USA |
| A 2144: Can you
give me some information about Zodiaq, its pro and cons? Maria, June
30, . |
| R1:
Dear Maria: "Zodiaq" is a so-called engineered
stone. It's manmade by mixing quartz crystals (94%, I believe
to remember) with epoxy resin (the reminder 6%). If you like the way it
looks, there are not many cons I can think of. Ciao and good luck, Maurizio,
USA |
| A 1952: We purchased
some onyx wine glasses and
the sales rep said they were unsafe to drink from. Can you advise?
Vicky, May 22, |
R2:
Dear Vicki: The safety aspect
really depends on what you are drinking, how much, and
with whom. I presume that you are referring to onyx marble rather than onyx
which is a semi-precious variety of agate used for the manufactures of cameos,
rings, cuff-links (showing my age), and intaglios. The name onyx has been
used historically for a number of rock types including alabaster, marble
and chalcedony. Assuming that yours are onyx marble the main danger is to
your glasses rather than to you because of the reaction between marble and
anything acidic. Wine is acidic and will etch the marble (partly dissolve
it). In doing so it will necessarily leach into the wine any substances
that might be contained within the marble. Simply avoid drinking from these
glasses unless it is pH neutral water. (Dr. Hans), Australia |
| R1:
Vicky: Wow, two salespeople
in a row that are right!! That's a first all right! Wine is acidic (acetic
acid) and will corrode all calcite-based stones, Onyx among them and first
of all! Do NOT pour wine in those things of beauty! It won't do your health
any harm, but it will alter the taste of the wine while slowly destroying
the stone. Maurizio, USA |
| A 1913: Hi! Where
can I find info and facts about basalt
rocks for a science project? Thanks, Angel, May 16, |
| R1:
Dear Angel: Be an angel and
get off your backside and look up some books that contain information about
the most widespread and common rock on this earth (and the Moon). There
would literally be many millions of pages written about basalt! (Dr. Hans) |
| A 1708: I saw a picture of
the industrial & Commercial bank of China in Shanghai Very curious to
know what effect can Onyx
create to the bank ? What finishes to use on Onyx to make the wall lively?
Patricia, April 14. |
R1: Dear
Patricia: What do you mean with "What finish to use on Onyx to make the
walls lively?" Onyx, like any other stone that can be polished, is polished
by abrasion and friction, not by putting some sort of finish onto it. Of
course, like any other Calcite-based stone it's very sensitive to pH active
chemicals, including rain, pollutants, etc., therefore it is certainly NOT
a stone that you want to consider installing outdoors.
Talking about China, I am personally consulting with the company in charge
of maintenance of the new head quarters of the Bank of China in Beijing.
They finished the building over two years ago, but it still not occupied.
They cladded all the outside walls with polished Italian Travertine. A stone
like that, much as Onyx, can't be used outdoors, so I went to the trouble
of formulating a special sealer -- both penetrating and topical -- to help
minimize and delay the damages that the exposure to the weather will produce
eventually. In over two years, they never reached a decision, and, by now,
the whole thing is already in need of a serious restoration procedure. Considering
the size of the walls (close to 200,000 square feet. No it's not a typo!),
the technical difficulties attached to the project and -- most importantly
-- the glacied pace to which the Chinese Bureaucracy moves, I can only envision
one big mess! But, hey, I'm still on! Ciao, Maurizio |
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| A 1575: My name is Michelle
& I am an interior decoration student in Sydney, Australia. I
have been asked to research pebbles.
I need to find out - history, properties, UV light effect, slip resistance,
effect from oils, effect from acids etc. strength, maintenance, fire resistance.
March 21. |
| R1:
Michelle, LOL there are so many different types of pebbles that you basically
can't get a response. You need to narrow your research down to specific
types of pebbles with specific properties first. Write back for help when
you have narrowed your request down. Steven, USA |
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| A 1559: IS SANDSTONE
OR FLAGSTONE FOUND IN OKLAHOMA ? ARE THEY THE SAME STONE? THANKS.
GWEN. March 20. |
| R2:
Dear Gwen.. Sandstone is a geologic term describing a particular type of
stone, i.e.. a sedimentary stone composed primarily of sand (quartz) sized
grains. The amount and type of inter grain cementing materials determines
the density and relative hardness of the stone. Flagstone is a descriptive
term referring to stone that is relatively flat on both surfaces with a
uniform thickness that breaks into random shapes. Any sedimentary stone
can be a flagstone if it was deposited in thin, distinct layers with a definite
break in the deposition between the layers. I have seen both sandstone,
and siltstone flagging from OK., and limestone is often found as a flagstone
type. JVC, USA, |
| R1:
They could be. Yes there is sandstone in Oklahoma. Regards, Steven, USA |
| A 1476: Please tell me the difference
between Slate tile and Quartzite tile,
if any and which would cost more. Thank you. Harold, USA, Feb 27. |
| R1: The
primary difference is mineral composition and physical make up. The cost
is relative to where you are and what is available. In my part of the country
they are pretty equal in cost. Regards, Steven,
USA, |
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| A 1301: What are
the costs/benefits of granite vs. silestone?
I know that granite's beauty is incomparable, but I am concerned about staining
and susceptibility to heat. I have read that silestone is great, but can
be manufactured in sheets no longer than 10, so there are problems with
seams. Donna, USA, Jan 5. |
| R3:
From the perspective you are viewing this both materials could work for
you. The natural stone would need to checked for absorbency. Many stones
don't absorb very much. Susceptibility to heat affects some of the darker
engineered stones so give that vote to natural stone. Cost wise engineered
stone is less expensive to begin with. So you are left with aesthetics and
your willingness to investigate natural stone. On this forum, we would like
for you to personally check the absorbency of the stone by conducting Maurizio's
now infamous lemon juice test. Scroll through previous answers to find it.
Best regards, Steven, USA, |
| R2:
Dear Donna: It's impossible to answer your question with black and white
statements. There are too many grey areas. Engineered stones (and Silestone
among them) are only relatively less expensive than "granite" (approx. $5
per square foot), therefore price is hardly a motivation to choose a material
over the other one. The advantage with engineered stones is that are more
predictable, as far as maintenance is concerned. In fact, "granite" is much
more unpredicatable, due to the fact that the vast majority of the stones
traded as granite are not granite by a long shot. What's more important,
is the fact that the vast majority of the stone fabrication facilities'
operators are just as "intelligent" about "granite" as you are. In fact,
they've got their stone education from a whole army of salesmen and the
importer/distributor's invoices. Most of them don't even know that what
they sell as granite is not, in fact, granite. Hence, all the confusion
and the different hearsay about "granite" countertop. Some end-users are
delighted, some others, at the other end of the spectrum, are just about
ready-to-kill-the-who-sold-granite-to-them. What's my advice? I'm too much
in love with natural stone to encourage you to buy something else, but I
do understand your concerns (by the way, "granite" is way more heat resistance
than engineered stone). I devised a little test ("the lemon just test")
that anybody can run, and that you can find somewhere else in this site,
which helps a lot at narrowing down the selection of natural stone. When
shopping around, do NOT listen to anybody: just run the test and rely on
it. It's honest and unbiased. Ciao, good luck, and have fun in the process,
Maurizio, USA, |
| R1:
Your observations are correct. Granite is a natural stone and has its own
character. Like all natural stones, it has its own beauty but with it comes
some of the defects (not all materials made by God are perfect). Sometimes
we try and cure most of the defects to enable the stone to perform equal
to manmade stones. Manmade stones are mere agglomerates of stone chips/powder
in resins/binders and then cast into sheets. You can compare it with pre-cast
concrete where stone aggregates mixed with cement is cast. Silestone will
give you an impervious surface but will not have the natural look. It will
be like synthetic leather v/s original leather. Arun, India, |
A 1124:
I have a number of clients asking about?? Pyroclastic Lava.
Could you tell me about the product in relation to use in countertops. I remember
it as glass-like porous material from Geology classes. Thanks, USA, Oct 5.
R1:
"Pyroclastic lava" makes no sense. There are products of lava flows or pyroclastic
flows. Lava flow products examples are basalt, andezite, rhyolite. Pyroclastic
flow products examples are tuff, welded tuff or volcanic Breccia. Some porous
basalts are named lava stones. There are not suitable for countertops without
sealing. They are not polishable, They are mainly of black to dark grey colors.
Daniel, Slovakia,
A 1109: I am a research student looking for
relevant information on serpentine. Ty,
USA, Sept 24,
R1: Serpentine
is usually dark green, veined, often brecciated, metamorphic rock which was
formed from upper mantle peridotite rocks during collision of lithospheric plates.
It is created from serpentinite and small amount of calcite, magnetite, chromite
and pyroxene. The hardness of serpentinite is similar to marbles, but it is
chemically more stable. Daniel, Slovakia
A 1087: I am trying to find a product called
bluestone. I don't know if it is granite,
marble or limestone. Please advise. Angela, USA, Sept. 2,
R6: Bluestone is
not marble granite or limestone - it describes a type of stone that is not easily
cut to a specified dimension. Flagstones can be described as bluestone
as they are used as irregular shape slabs often in the shape that they are extracted
from the ground. The opposite of bluestone is "free stone" or "dimension
stone", such as sandstone and marble that can be freely cut to size. Regards,
Jim, Australia,
R5: It is a stone similar in properties
to slate. Domestic varieties come from Pennsylvania, New York and North Carolina.
Steven, USA.
R4: Bluestone is a name for sandstone that is quarried in NJ and PA.
You should be able to find it at most stone suppliers. Fred, USA.
R3: Unfortunately for you, bluestone is a loose term in the
stone trade meaning different things in different countries. Even in the
same country, bluestone can vary dramatically in composition and appearance.
For example, in Australia, bluestone is a basalt in Victoria and used mainly
for paving; a volcanogenic greywacke (sandstone) in Queensland; and an impure,
fine sandstone that has been metamorphosed to a low grade, in South Australia.
The South Australian bluestone is similar to the Italian Cardoso stone. So what
you have to do is find out what the specifiers of your American stone mean by
bluestone. Hans, Australia,
R2: Bluestone
is a sedimentary/ metamorphic stone. In the United States, it is quarried in
south central New York and northern Pennsylvania. It has many of the qualities
of slate like a natural cleft, and have color variations too that are beautiful.
You may know it as "Flagstone". It is used for patios, sidewalks, and for veneer
on basements and chimneys. Burzin, India.
R1:
It is not granite, it is not marble, its not limestone either. Amazingly, it
is ... Well, Bluestone! Large quantities can be found in Pennsylvania. Ciao.
Maurizio, USA,
A 1019:
As we are considering to import and distribute slate for roof covering,
I am missing lab tests regarding content of Calcium carbonate (lime)
which has a negative effect on the quality of slate. Also, some types of slate
are difficult to cut/form. Could you please direct me how to find guidelines
about the various quality characteristics for slate? Bjorn, USA. June 21 reply
R1: A good starting
point is the established ASTM test methods as follows:
ASTM C120 - Flexure testing of slate
ASTM C121 Water Absorption of slate
ASTM C217 - Weather Resistance of slate
Jim Man, Australia Contact