Natural Stones in Interior Design Decoration

Stone or rock is perhaps one of the oldest building materials. Stone masonry has been used for centuries to construct many of the ancient buildings and other structure.

It is usually a combination of minerals made up of various inorganic chemical substance but some rocks such as sandstone are composed of only one minerals.

Natural stone are prized in distinctive beauty and the sense of peaceful tranquility they creates. There are also so many practical benefits to using natural stones in your home.

Firstly they are more durable than any other artificial products often lasting up to decades, requiring the least maintenance.

Using natural stones expels the worries of exposure to harmful chemicals released at home or released in the environment during disposal or production. Natural stones are the current trending material that is outfacing artificial material

Types of Rock

There are three main types of rocks namely sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous and the difference among them have to do with how they are formed.

Sedimentary

Sedimentary stone is formed primarily by waters, chemicals action and erosion. It is generally soft and erosion. It is generally soft and easier than granite but not as durable

Limestone colors range from dark grays to white to tan. Travertine is a form of limestone that has various texture and pits and is used for table tops, fire surrounds and special wall trims.

Examples of this rock type include conglomerate, shale, limestone etc.

Metamorphic

Metamorphic stones is formed by intense pressure and heat from igneous or sedimentary rock. Marble results from crystallization of limestone and is very hard (softer than granite) and durable material.

It +6 3. Comes in /many colors and is usually polished into shiny smooth surfaces .Marble is used for decorative wall panels, fireplace, flooring countertops and table
Examples of this rock type include gneiss and marble

Igneous

Igneous rocks are formed when magma (molten rock deep within the earth) cools and hardens. It is very dense hard and durable. Its fine or coarse grained.

Igneous rocks are very hard dense and durable. Its fine or coarse grained and is found in shades of green ,pink, yellow and light to dark gray/black.

Igneous stone can be precision cut and left with a coarse finish or polished to a highly reflective surface. Granite an igneous stone is used for wall veneers, Table top steps ,flooring, and other applications that require considerable wear.

Granite is harder than limestone a sedimentary stone and marble a metamorphic stone and is recommended for high traffic use

Guidelines of stain removal on natural stones

There are a number of ways that one can remove stains on natural stones.

You firstly need to remove any loose debris then blot out any spills because wiping the area will spread the spill. Secondly, you need to flush the area thoroughly plain water and mild soap and rinse several times.

After this, use a soft cloth to dry the area thoroughly and repeat as many time s as necessary

Cleaning Countertops made of Natural stones

One can clean the stone surfaces using a few drops of neutral cleaner, stone soap, which is readily available at hardware stores or from your store dealer, or using a mild liquid dish washing detergent and warm water.

For best results, use a clean soft cloth.

Too much cleaner or soap may leave a film and cause streaks .Try to avoid using products that contain vinegar, lemon or acids in them on marble or limestone.

Thereafter rinse the surface thoroughly after washing with soap solution and dry with a soft cloth.
Try to keep off scouring powders or creams when cleaning your counter tops as these products contain abrasives that may scratch the surface

Cleaning floors made of Natural stones

Clean your floors using non treated dry dust mop. Sand, dirt and grit do the most damage to natural stones surfaces due to their abrasiveness. So you need to mop your interior surfaces frequently.
Place area rugs or mats inside and outside an entrance to help minimize the sand, dirt and grit that will scratch the floor. Be sure that the underside of the mat is a non slip surface.

Caring for exteriors made of Natural stones

Large expanses of stone generally found on exterior applications may make it impractical to perform normal maintenance on a frequent basis. However large installations should be given periodic overall cleaning as necessary to remove pollutants that have accumulated.

Stones, steps walkways and other easily accessible stone surfaces should be kept free of debris and soiling by periodically seeping and washing with water.

Preferred Stones for Bathrooms

Bathrooms that contain bold colors, flowy patterns often give homeowners an enjoyable experience.
Marble is often considered the perfect choice for application due to its wide spectrum of available colors.

It also lends itself well to curved patterns and details creating both traditional and artistic designs
Whereas kitchen countertops are often exposed to acidic substances, bathroom countertops are more likely to be exposed to alkaline products.

Use of slate in patios and Garden Designs

Slate has an inherent rustic look and a variation of earth tones that create a comfortable, Natural look that is right at home with exterior landscaping and interior garden designs.

It is naturally slip resistant even when wet and is much likely to show dust and dirt than polished marble or granite. It’s also relatively low priced which makes it a great choice for large informal areas.

Why Limestone and Travertine is Preferred for Living rooms

The family (Living room provides a peaceful place for relaxation and the soft, muted tones and textures of limestone or travertine provide the perfect touch for such.

Usually they come in shades of beige, tan, yellow, and gold and processed with a tumbled or antiqued texture, limestone complements all types of furniture and upholstery.

Dimension Rocks

They are generally defined as natural rocks that are quarried for the purpose of cutting and or shaping to a specific size.
They are one of the oldest and yet most durable building stones ever. For example the pyramids of Egypt were built using the quarried stone in 2800BC and also the Babylonians used to cut stones in 600BC to build the renowned hanging gardens one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

The roman and Greeks also used to cut finished stones widely as construction, decorative and statuary material. The main rock types used for dimension stones include, marble sandstone slate and granite and of the three limestone, granite and marble are the three main materials.

Other rock types such as massive gypsum sold as alabaster and massive talc marketed as soapstone are minor especially types.

Physical properties such as durability, strength and the ability of the surface finish are important in the industry whereas to the client aesthetic properties such as color, texture, pattern and surface finish are important.

How to Confirm the Authenticity of Quartzite

To check a glass tile, select a rough or pointed edge of stone that has to be checked and place the glass tile on the table.

Secondly, hardly press the pointed edge of the stone against the surface of the glass tile and try to draw a straight line. Thereafter check for the appearance of any scratch of the glass surface or just a removable mark created by the powdered stone. In case the stone has multiple shades, try performing the test on different areas of the glass surface.

Mazeras Stones Finish

They are natural stone tiles that commonly found in Kenya and are largely used for both interior and exterior finishes. They provide a good finish due to their natural organic look and also add character when well done.

There are two main factors that set Mazeras apart from other finishing materials like tiles which is,due to their tensile strength ,they are naturally scratch resistant and depending on the thickness, they are hard to chip and crack. The other factor is the appearance of natural stone versus imitation stone tiles as the gap between them is small it is nevertheless present.

The two main factors that affect Mazeras is cost and availabilty.Mazeras can be more expensive than other tile depending on the type of tile chosen.Generally Mazeras can be an inexpensive floor finish.

Placing Mazeras can be a tedious and expensive process due to the slight variations in size It also requires a finished surface that needs to be sanded and varnished.

Another major issue could be availability as sometimes shortages of the cut stone could occur and major orders could take time to manufacture.

Tile on the other hand can be easily placed and do not require finished surfaces and is often readily available for delivery.

When it comes to color variations, Mazeras is quite loaded with some. Often when making a color choice, you can choose among the mixed choice which includes colors that are similar to each other those being brown, yellow and grey. For smaller orders they can be divided.

Secondly is the black choice which is consistently a greyish black tone and the last come as the red choice which is a light and brownish red.

The size and shape of the Mazeras stone are made according to order and can vary greatly. The larger the Mazeras pieces the greater the thickness to avoid breakages .Small pieces can be as thin as 5mm and thinner pieces can be requested when placing an order.

The size is chosen according to the location and design where mazeras will be applied whether 50x50cm square pieces or narrow two inches length.

Application of Mazeras can be used in a variety of ways from kitchen to bathroom floors to outside wall or chimney décor .It is preferably used outdoors as the high temperatures absorption of natural stone can mean unpleasant cold floors compared to a moderate temperature wood floo.

Also the rough surface of the natural stone can be tough on bare feet compared to a smooth tile. Though used for both its functional and aesthetic appeal the aesthetics are often the main aim by which mazeras is applied.
It is very important that Mazeras is well done in both its installations and design.

As Mazeras is mainly a finishing work. Working with a poor architect or contractor can ruin the quality of the finished product A well experienced designer and a tasteful at that, will make sure that the Mazeras is used correctly to either accentuate an area of the building or complement the overall design. The designer will also determine the size and color of the Mazeras for the given purpose.

The designer may be excellent but it is also crucial to find a contractor that can deliver on quality and can also make adjustments to the design if necessary as plans are never perfect and often need tweaking.

A contractor that pays attention to the finest details will make all the difference in the Mazeras stone installation and finishing.

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