Sarasota Florida Stone Countertop Specialists

Granite countertops add a rich look to a kitchen. Granite is perceived as a high value material and the inconsistent texture and color bandings are very appealing. A natural stone granite countertop and a travertine floor is an amazing visual combination. Different kinds of stone countertops, such as limestone, soapstone and marble have recently become popular. Yet, granite countertops remain a prized decor in the kitchen and bath.

Natural Stone Countertops in Sarasota, FL

Natural stone is the most beautiful, green friendly material known to man. The many different types of natural stone have their own unique properties and benefits.

Granite

A very hard coarse grained rock. One of the most beautiful natural stones in the world. Granite consists of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase feldspar, which contribute to its color - white, pink, or light grey. The dark brown, dark-green, or black is due to minerals such as hornblende and biotite mica. The molecules of these minerals makes granite very hard and durable, difficult to damage, nearly impossible to scratch, heat resistant. Such qualities make granite an ideal choice for flooring, wall cladding, pillars, kitchen counters, vanity tops, paved paths and the outdoors.

Resilient, lasting decades on end, easy to clean and maintain, granite is also very aesthetic. It creates a luxurious, spacious feel in any home, getting its glossy finish from highly powered polishing tools and fine grit diamonds. Granite is available in honed (unpolished) and rough textured (flamed) finishes as well, to suit varying decor tastes. And it carries a timeless quality about it; it’s more or less always in vogue.

With the advances in technology creating a revolution of sorts in quarrying, fabrication, and expanding applications, costs are reducing everyday, making granite an affordable alternative to manmade stone industries that generate tons of in-disposable waste.

Marble

Marble elegance is legendary. Architects have used marble extensively, making the most of its strength, beauty and it's changing hues with light and weather. Considered the domain of the rich and famous, marble is popular as elegant stone flooring or stone countertops. No other material adds so much prestige to a home as marble. Marble is used everywhere: outdoor fountains and statues, indoor fire surrounds, Jacuzzis, as inlays on furniture, countertops and bar counterstops. Marble is hygienic, it traps little or no dirt and never gathers mold.

To avoid stains or scratches, marble flooring is best used in low traffic areas. Like most exterior stones, marble can lose its color in a highly polluted environment. Marble is easy to maintain. All that is needed are the right applications and some simple equipment to restore it to its original sheen.

Marble is essentially limestone, calcium carbonate that crystallizes gradually over time, and comes in various forms such as calcite, from calciferous limestone, dolomite, from dolomitic limestone, serpentine or green marbles and travertine or sedimentary limestone. Marble traces its history to heat and pressure of the earth's crust, which changed limestone to form large, coarse grains of calcite containing impurities that create the interesting array of colors in marble. In its purest form, marble is white, hematite adds a reddish color, limonite is yellow and serpentine is green.

Because it is difficult to separate marble into sheets of equal size, it is mined carefully, without the use of explosives, which tend to shatter the rock. Experts use channeling machines, which cut grooves and holes in the rock and lift it carefully.
    

Sandstone

Sand, joined by quartz and feldspar or through the forces of pressure creates the natural beauty of sandstone. Sandstoen is usually cream or grey to red, brown, or green in color, depending on impurities created by other minerals like iron oxide. Sandstone requires little finishing, if any. It comes ready to use straight from the ground. .  

Once popular in constructing houses and particularly facades, sandstone today is popular as flooring covering or outdoor walks.

Slate

Slate is the most versatile of natural stones, easily splitting into thin, durable sheets, making it ideal for roofing, flagstone, trimming the facade of buildings and lobbies and high-water areas like showers, and pool surrounds. Some slate slabs, consisting chiefly of clay are also popular in flooring and sometimes as counter tops. Additionally, slate is waterproof and very durable. Made primarily from grains of mica and quartz with small quantities of chlorite, hematite, and other minerals, slate is usually grey to black in color. The color may vary, becoming red or purple, if changed by other minerals.

Travertine

Travertine is a porous rock with many cavities and hole. Ttravertine originates from limestone formed over long periods and is available in a wide range of colors, from ivory to golden brown. Travertine holes are often filled with grout or polyester resins. Grouting travertine in different colors can create a very unique floor. Travertine is most popular on floors and countertops.

 

 

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