Granite and Marble: Toronto

Granite and Marble: Toronto

Both granite and marble are beautiful, durable types of natural stone that can transform your living spaces. Toronto homeowners have discovered the air of luxury that adding granite or marble floors, countertops, and wall tiles can bring to any room in the house.

 

These two types of stone are often confused, and sometimes even installed in areas where they don’t belong. Before purchasing any stone, seek out one of Ontario’s knowledgeable stone importer/distributors. The staff at better stone suppliers will help you to ascertain which type of stone will work best in your home, and to find granite or marble with unique colouring and patterns that suit your aesthetic.

 

Marble Basics

 

Marble is basically crystallized limestone that has metamorphosed due to tremendous pressure and heat. Marble is often associated with the world’s finest sculptures and some of our most famed buildings. The ancient Greeks used marble for the Parthenon. Michelangelo’s David is carved from marble. The Taj Mahal, St. Peter’s Basilica floor, the Palace of Versailles, and many other architectural wonders feature marble elements.

 

Due to its history and its beauty, marble is associated with elegance and wealth. A marble floor can transform an ordinary room into a formal dining room; a classic Carrara marble countertop will turn your utilitarian kitchen into the headquarters for sophisticated foodies. Marble is softer and more porous than granite, but it is durable and timeless. It’s available in a wide range of colours, from creamy white to vivid jewel tones with dramatic veining and accents. Marble can be polished to a high shine or given a honed (matte) finish. Various faux antique finishes can also be applied.

 

Granite 101

 

Granite is extremely durable, scoring almost as high as diamond on the Mohs scale of hardness. Granite is stain resistant, heat resistant, fade resistant, water resistant, scratch resistant, and heat resistant. With minimal maintenance, your granite floors or counters will last for generations, and will probably outlast the life of your house.

 

Many people don’t realize that granite also comes in a stunning array of colours and patterns, from the neutral beiges and greys to exotic hues. Granite is an igneous rock composed of crystallized quartz and feldspar, with additional minerals such as mica and feldspar providing variation in colour and patterning. It, too, is finished in various ways, including high polish and honed.

 

Which Stone Should I Choose?

 

Some misleading and simplistic articles on the internet suggest that one or other of these two stones is always the best choice in a given situation. You may find pieces that recommend you use only granite for flooring, for example, and never marble. In fact, there are a lot of variations in kinds of granite, just as there is a wide range of marble available. One type of marble may be better suited for flooring than a lesser grade of granite. The type of finish applied may also affect the way a particular stone can be used.

 

Visiting a reputable Ontario stone importer/distributor is the best way to learn more about stone, and to pick exactly the right marble – or exactly the right granite – for your home.