What is marble?

     Marble is a rock widely used in buildings, monuments, and sculptures. It consists chiefly of calcite or dolomite, or a combination of these carbonate minerals. Marble is a type of metamorphic rock formed from limestone. Marble is found in many countries, including Taiwan, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Greece, India, Italy and Spain. Marble is formed from limestone by heat and pressure in the earth's crust. These forces cause the limestone to change in texture and makeup. This process is called recrystallization. Fossilized materials in the limestone, along with its original carbonate minerals, recrystallise and form large, coarse grains of calcite. Impurities present in the limestone during recrystallization affect the mineral composition of the marble that forms. The minerals that result from impurities give marble wide variety of colors. The purest calcite marble is white. Marble containing hematite has a reddish color. Marble that has limonite is yellow, and marble with serpentine is green. Marble does not split easily into sheets of equal size and must be mined carefully. The rock may shatter if explosives are used. Blocks of marble are mined with channeling machines, which cut grooves and holes in the rock.

    Marble has long been highly valued for its beauty, strength, and resistance to fire and erosion. The ancient Greeks used marble in many buildings and statues. The Italian artist Michael Angelo used marble from Carfare, Italy, in a number of sculptures.

    Large blocks of colored marble are used for columns, floors and other parts of buildings. Smaller pieces of such marble are crushed or finely ground and used as abrasives in soaps and other products. Crushed or ground marble is also used in paving roads and in manufacturing roofing materials and soil treatment products.

Written by: Joey Lewitin
PebbleArt Stone Home Decor

Marble ¨C Stone of Elegance
Information and Facts

    Marble is one of the most sophisticated of stones. It is generally smooth and polished, although it can come in a rough texture. Its use historically is very widespread in both art and architecture.

Formation
    Marble is a kind of limestone that has undergone a process which has made the structure of the rock more solid. This process allows the stone to take a high polish. This stone is generally formed when limestone is faced with extremes of pressure or temperature that cause it to undergo a process known as metamorphism. When Metamorphism occurs the structure of the limestone becomes crystal in nature, transforming into calcite or dolomite. These two substances are the main materials in marble. The crystal is a very strong molecular form and the result of this is a stronger, highly polish-able stone, with unique coloring characteristics often known as Marbling.

Coloring
    The many colors of marble are induced when impurities get caught in the structure of the marble during formation. Impurities such as carbon, iron, and various oxides cause streaks and shapes to appear in the surface of the stone. There are an enormous variety of impurities that can become trapped in the marble. The result is that marble comes in a very wide range of colors. Further, the way the impurities become trapped form randomized shapes in the marble which ensure that any piece of the stone is one of a kind. It is this feature that inspired many artists to work with marble as a medium.

History
    The ancient Greeks and Romans both used marble expansively. The Greeks built many of their famous architectural masterpieces using Pentelic marble. They carved many of the most famous statues in history from other Greek marbles. When the Roman Empire rose it conquered the Greek quarries, as well as many others quarries in various countries and used marble in many of their architectural and artistic endeavors as well. Marble is often associated with the Hellenic and Classical time period for these reasons.

Today
    Today marble is used in stone home furnishings, floors, counters, clocks, hot plates, tables, pillars, structural resurfacing, even bathroom applications. It can be found in almost every country in the world. Its style and versatility make it one of the ideal choices for building materials and structural supply.

Manufacturing Colorful Marble by Laser Scan Technology

    Recently, a new laser scan technology was invented in Portugal, which can make artifical marble appear to be as indentical as natural marble. The method is as follows: paint the marble with never-decay artifical pigment by laser, then the pigment will be adsorbed by the marble, so it takes on the color of natural stone.In order to achieve the best effect, you had better use CO2 laser reflected by moving viewfinder. This kind of artifical marble with natural colors are sold well in Portugal.

Caring for Your Stone Installation

   The natural stone you have purchased for your home or office is an investment that will give you many years of beautiful services. Stone is a natural product and simple care and maintenance will keep it looking beautiful. Here are some recommendations for routine care and cleaning.

Precautions

    Use coasters under all glasses, particularly those containing alcohol or citrus juices. Many common foods and drinks contain acids that will etch or dull the stone surface
    Do not place hot items directly on the stone surface. Use trivets or mats under hot dishes and placemats under china, ceramics, silver or other objects that can scratch the surface.

Cleaning Procedures & Recommendations

Floor Surfaces
    Dust mop interior floors frequently using a clean non-treated dry dust mop. Sand dirt and grit do the most damage to natural stone surfaces due to their abrasiveness. Mats or area rugs inside and outside an entrance will help to minimize the sand, dirt and grit that will scratch the stone floor. Be sure that the underside of the mat or rug is a non-slip surface. Normally, it will take a person about eight steps on a floor surface to remove sand or dirt from the bottom of their shoes. Do not use vacuum cleaners that are worn. The metal or plastic attachments or the wheels may scratch the surface.

Other Surfaces
    Clean stone surfaces with a few drops of neutral cleaner, stone soap (available at hardware stores or from your stone dealer) or a mild liquid dishwashing detergent and warm water. Use a clean rag mop on floors and a soft cloth for other surfaces for best results. Too much cleaner or soap may leave a film and cause streaks. Do not use products that contain lemon, vinegar or other acids on marble or limestone. Rinse the surface thoroughly after washing with the soap solution and dry with a soft cloth. Change the rinse water frequently. Do not use scouring powders or creams; these products contain abrasives that may scratch the surface.

Bath and Other Wet Areas
    In the bath or other wet areas, soap scum can be minimized by using a squeegee after each use. To remove soap scum, use a non-acidic soap scum remover or a solution of ammonia and water (about 1/2 cup ammonia to a gallon of water). Frequent or over-use of an ammonia solution may eventually dull the surface of the stone.

Vanity Top Surfaces
    Vanity tops may need to have a penetrating sealer applied. Check with your installer for recommendations. A good quality marble wax or non-yellowing automobile paste wax can be applied to minimize water spotting.

Food Preparation Areas
    In food preparation areas, the stone may need to have a penetrating sealer applied. Check with your installer for recommendations. If a sealer is applied, be sure that it is non-toxic and safe for use on food preparation surfaces. If there are questions, check with the sealer manufacturer.

Outdoor Pool & Patio Areas
    In outdoor pool, patio or hot tub areas, flush with clear water and use a mild bleach solution to remove algae or moss.

Do's and Don'ts
---Do dust mop floors frequently
---Do clean surfaces with mild detergent or stone soap
---Do thoroughly rinse and dry the surface after washing
---Do blot up spills immediately
---Do protect floor surfaces with non-slip mats or area rugs and countertop surfaces with coasters, trivets or placemats
---Don't use vinegar, lemon juice or other cleaners containing acids on marble, limestone, travertine or onyx surfaces
---Don't use cleaners that contain acid such as bathroom cleaners, grout cleaners or tub & tile cleaners
---Don't use abrasive cleaners such as dry cleansers or soft cleansers
---Don't mix bleach and ammonia; this combination creates a toxic and lethal gas

Chinese Stone Materials Popular Around the World

    In the new century, China has the world's largest output, consumption and granite exportation of stone materials, drawing attention from all over the world.
   "China exported nearly 3 million tons of stone materials, earning 800 million U.S. dollars, ranking first in building materials," according to Wu Bin, vice president of the China's Association of Building Materials.
   "China now has some 30,000 stone material companies, with an annual output of 12,000,000 cubic meters, which valued over 10 million yuan last year," Wu said at the Eighth China's International Stone Materials and Technologies Exhibition.
    As a vast mountainous country, China is rich in stone materials. Technology has been updated more rapidly since foreign production lines were put into operation. In many hotels in metropolitans in foreign countries, people can find exquisite Chinese marbles and granites.
    As China is developing its market economy and urban construction is thriving nowadays, the housing reform system has given rise to the popularity of interior decoration. The gigantic construction area of China has created a potential market here.
    As consumers from home and abroad place more emphasis on the environment and their quality of life, energy-saving stone materials are being developed. Chinese use science and technology when quarrying stone materials and trees are planted after quarrying is completed.
    The exhibition, the largest of its kind in Asia, is jointly organized by the China Association of Building materials and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT). The floor space covers 8,500 square meters with products and technologies from over 20 countries.

Combination of Natural and Innervations
KunMing Yellow Sandstone, New Decoration Material

    No matter how many varieties of natural stone used in decoration and fitment usually is, the reason that designers favor natural stone is only because of three features of natural stone, which is Natural, Innervations and Color Combination.
    If a stone variety has these there features, then, the stone surely will have more expansive application both in decoration and fitment. Recently, a new kind of natural stone, yellow sandstone was found in Kunming, YunNan Province, China. Kunming yellow sandstone is outstanding in these three aspects. And in the writers' opinion, using this kind of stone to decorate should notice its features:
    1. Natural Not only Kunming yellow sandstone has the specialty as a natural stone, but also the vision effect of its pattern extremely resembles the pattern of natural wood and nature, such as Schneider zelkova, deal, birch and landscape. The designers can take the advantage of sandstone to freely design the facing of lobby, corridor, wall, stair, pool and elevator room. Also they can make use of zelkova and deal to be a frame and make landscape enchased in the frame, in this way, the architects are able to form various patterns. Kunming yellow sandstone is forceful and healthy like wood, and also by reason of its patterns, they can arrange with many materials and colors.
    2. Innervations Except provided with the special wood pattern, the yellow sandstone's pattern is fluent and coherent to decorate long wall, stair, and compound. Novelty design and fluent effect make the design more attractive.
    3. Contrast of yellow sandstone and other stone make sandstone fully exhibit its art effect. Recently, writer has visited Wanghu Hotel, located in Kunming Hongta Gym Center, which is decorated by Kunming yellow sandstone. And after the visit, writer feels that the decoration really has artistic conception. If the readers have the chance to visit Wanghu Hotel, they will understand why the writer emphasized the natural and innervation features.
    In fact, in historical yesterday and today, in Chinese and overseas, there are a lot of sandstone decoration classic, like Vatican Cathedral. With the development of science and technology, sandstone is used in building, but the output of sandstone is so few, so only little construction are decorated with sandstone. Yellow sandstone found in Kunming, now has been exploited by Kunming Lishi Co., Ltd. And its output arrives at 1000 m3 per month. We hope more and more construction will use Chinese sandstone to decorate, and more architects will like Kunming yellow sandstone.

    1.The latest reports from STONE INDUSTRY, the most globally authoritative stone magazine, and STONE, a Chinese stone periodical, show: in the past one year, the total output of China natural stone has reached to 15 million tons, almost accounted for 24% of whole world stone output. By statistic data, last year all natural stone exploitation in the world was 62 million tons.
    2.According to the statistic about our country's import and export in 2000, the export has been 16% of whole world export, which was about 6.55 million tons; and the import was 6% of all import quantity, about 1.73 million tons. China trade value almost occupied 12% of the whole world, the import and export amounted to 1.214 billion US$. China stone products export to more than 50 countries and regions, and China imported from more than 20 countries and regions.
    3.Chinese stone export holds the most market of granite, stele and building stone. China has exported about 1.83 million tons in 2000 and the trade value was about 5.35 billion US$, which accounted for 1/12 of total global commerce value.
    4.Chinese natural stone export keeps a rising trend since 1980s. In 1989, it broke the record by 100 million US$, especially in recent 5 years, export has always keep more than 7 billion US$.

1996 "C2000 STATISTICS OF CHINESE STONE EXPOR

    5.The position of China in world stone market can be summarized as: Chinese stone has a huge weight but low value; It is mainly traditional products and hold very small proportion in machinery & equipment, diamond tools and stone appendix.
    6.The analysis about China main exports and import countries and regions

PROPORTION OF MAIN COUNTRIES AND REGIONS CHINESE STONE EXPORT TO IN 2000