How to choose the right stone

When it comes to selecting elegant, enduring natural stone for your home, you have options including slate, granite, marble, quartz-based stone, soapstone and limestone. And like selecting the home itself, it's a personal selection—which variety talks to you? However, it's not just about what looks good. Some varieties of stone are better suited than others to particular uses. The experts at Jubilee Company along with your architect and builder can help you explore your options and provide guidance to the right choice for any project in and around your home.

Color

Natural stones are available in a beautiful spectrum of colors. Colors in granite and marble, for example, can range from soft beiges and pinks and classic black-and-whites to rich corals, greens, and multi-colors. Marble traditionally features swirls and "veins" of colors, while granite has a flecked or pebbled appearance. Unlike the repetitive unformity of materials produced by machine or assembly line, natural stone's varied appearance has wonderful character and creates a one-of-a-kind effect everywhere it is used.

Finish

Natural stone can be polished, honed, or flamed for a distinctive appearance:

• A polished finish has a glossy surface that reflects light and emphasizes the color and marking of the stone. This finish is typically used on walls, furniture tops and floor tiles.
• A honed finish is a satin-smooth surface with relatively little light reflection. It is generally perferred for floors, stair treads, thresholds, and other areas where heavy traffic will wear off a polished finish.
• A flamed finish is a rough-textured surface used frequently on granite floor tiles.

Usage

The harder the stone, the more it resists abrasion. One measure of natural stone's strength is the Measurement of Hardness (MOH) rating: 1 the softest and 10 the hardest. On the MOH scale, most marbles rate a 3 and quartz-based granites are a 7. Using a softer stone simply requires the homeowner to use gentler cleansers and more frequent dusting to prevent scratching.

Marble

Ideal for foyers, bathrooms, floors and hearths

Marble is found in the mountainous regions of Canada, Italy, Germany, Spain, the US, and other countries. Because of it's beauty and elegance, marble is a popular choice for countertops, floors, foyers, fireplace facings and hearths, walls, and windowsills.

Marble adds a sophisticated element to your home and its wonderful appearance, superior engineering characteristics, and ease of maintenance make it a natural choice for floors, wall coverings, table tops and bathroom walls, floors, vanity tops, tub decks and showers.

Marble should be cared for as you would a fine wood finish. Using coasters on table tops and cleaning up spills immediately will preserve marble's natural beauty.

Another option for marble-loving homeowners is using serpentine for kitchen counters. Sometimes called the "green" marble, serpentine is not a true marble but offers a marble-like look. And because it is magnesium-silicate based, it is not sensitive to critric acid and other kitchen spills.

Granite

An excellent shoice for kitchen countertops, floors, and other heavily used surfaces

Granite, quarried from the mountains of the US, Brazil, Canada and dozens of other nations, is one of the most popular natural stones on the market.

Available in a stirring range of colors, granite's durability and longevity make it ideal for kitchen countertops and ohter heavily used surfaces including table tops and floors.

While some synthetic surfaces scratch easily and melt under hot cookware, granite resists heat. Granite is also one of the most bacteria-resistant kitchen surfaces, and it is not affected by citric acid, coffee, tea, alcohol, or wine. It is also nearly impossible to scratch. And with proper cleaning, will not stain under normal use. Ask us about sealants available to further improve resistance to staining.

A leading consumer magazine recently compared granite with engineered stone, ceramic tile, laminate, butcher block, and ohter manufactured surfaces. Granite received the highest overall performance rating as a kitchen countertop material.

Because if its exceptional strength, granite is well suited for exterior applications such as outdoor kitchens.

Travertine, Limestone, Soapstone, Sandstone and Slate

Beautiful enhancements for your home, inside and out

Travertine, limestone, soapstone, sandstone, and slate are other examples of natural stone frequently used in residential applications.

Travertine is a type of limestone and other of the most popular natural stones for interior and experior wall cladding, interior and exo=terior oaving, statuary, and curbing.

Limestone is widely used as a building stone because it is readily available adn easy to handle. Poplar applications include countertops, flooring, interior and exterior wall cladding, and exterior paving.

Soapstone is growing in popularity. Popularity uses include kitchen countertops, bathroom vanities, fireplace surrounds, stoves, and stair treads. Care and maintenance is easy, but different than other stone types. Contact your stone supplier for instruction.

Sandstone is frequently used for fireplace facings, chimneys, garden walls, patio benches, and at poolside.

Slate is a popular flooring material and sandstone and slate are often used for exterior paving or pavers. Other slate applications include kitchen countertops, fireplace facings, table tops and roofing.

Call (972) 529-2140 for a Free Estimate.

The Jubilee Company is committed to helping you through the natural stone selection process... from start to finish! If you're looking for granite countertops in Dallas, then Jubilee is the right choice. Call (972) 529-2140 to learn more. We stock, fabricate, and install custom granite and marble kitchen tabletops, islands, and much more. If you’re building a custom home, remodeling, or renovating we offer one of DFW's largest on-site slab selections and inventories with more than 40 varieties to choose from. As the manufacturer, our fabricator direct advantage includes installation by highly-skilled professionals. We also provide our customers with a convenient one-stop solution for shower enclosures, frameless shower doors, glass shower doors, and custom mirrors in Dallas.