This article is specifically designed for Indian subcontinent)
Marble Stone
Marble stone should be hard, sound, dense, and homogeneous in texture with crystalline texture. It
should generally be uniform in color, veining and be free from stains, cracks, decay and weathering etc.
Precautions while Purchasing Marble Stone
1. Check the quality of marble stone and compare the available quality in your area with the quality of
stone available in any other reputed market near your area. .
2. Try rates from three or four shops. The rates may vary in following two ways.
According to quality of the stone
According to size of stone slab as the smaller the size of stone slabs is, the cheaper the rate of stone
slab would be.
3. Make sure that the stone being offered is hard. This can be verified by pressing the stone with some
hard object forcibly. In case of katcha stone the chips of stone will split from stone slab.
4. Make sure that the stone slab gives clear ringing sound when struck.
5. Verify that the stone is free from any stain i.e. deep cut or mark on the surface.
6. Confirm that the stone has uniform color without any spot.
7. Check the thickness of stone pieces and take supply of only those pieces that have the same
thickness.
8. Check stone pieces thoroughly because it is generally observed that the shopkeeper place superior
pieces on the top of stack and inferior pieces below.
9. Measure the stone by smallest rectangle at the time of payment. The broken piece should not be
measured.
10. Make sure that the loading is done in your presence as the labor at the shop may also load inferior or
rejected pieces instead of superior pieces of the same size in the vehicle.
11. Get the pieces of stone laid vertically; not horizontally in the vehicle. If loading is done in horizontally ,
the stone slab may break during transport.
Precautions While Purchasing Granite Stone
Granite is a stone that is gaining popularity because of its hardness, ability to take good polish and wide
variety of colors available in it. The following precautions should be taken while purchasing granite stone.
1) Check patches on surface of discoloration, hairlines, cracks, deep pin holes on the surface. These
signify a weak slab and will cause problem.
2) Check artificial coloring as it is a huge problem with stones now a days especially the black granite.
Stone merchants rub industrial oil on the surface to intensify the color and creates a deep black and rich
polish that wears off in matter of weeks.
3) Verify artificial color by rubbing with cloth dipped in kerosene oil or white petrol. If cloth brings black
color then it is a fake color.
4) Also check the back of the slab for circular mark. These are made by kerosene cutter which is used to
cut the block of granite slab. This shows that the cutting process is wrong. The granite slab should be
water cut having no circular mark on the back of the slab.
Bad
Good
The basic requirement of a flooring material is that it gives you a level, smooth surface. It should be hard,
durable and abrasion resistant. It should also be easy to clean and maintain.
Granite for flooring is normally available as tiles or slabs. The tiles are generally 9 to 10 mm thick and
normally available in 2 feet X 1 Foot size. The slabs are generally 18 to 19mm thick and are available in
larger sizes also. Thicker slabs such as the ones used in old temples and palaces are not used nowadays.
Water cut and Kerosene cut granites are available in the market. After quarrying granite is cut into smaller
slabs using gang saws. A lot of heat is generated during the cutting process and traditionally water is poured
over the stone while being cut. This process takes a lot of time but gives the best results. Adding Kerosene
instead of water speeds up the cutting process many fold but unfortunately the gloss on Kerosene cut
granite tends to fade off quite soon. So when you are using granite slabs and you want the polish to last
more than a year, make sure they are water cut. They should retain the shine for many years.
Unfortunately, both Kerosene cut and water cut slabs look the same to the naked eye, so the only way to
ensure that you are getting water cut stone is to source it from a reputed dealer or physically be present
while the granite is being cut.
Granite tiles, which are thinner, are invariably kerosene cut as the chances of breakage increase, the longer
the cutting process takes. For example a slab which takes 8 hours to cut through with water may take only
2 hours with kerosene. Therefore it is unlikely that you will find water cut granite tiles and a if a supplier
tells you that his tiles are water cut, deal with him as you would with a used car salesman. Granite tiles will
not retain the shine for more than a year or so with constant use, so they are to be used only for areas with
light usage is expected. These may be used for dadoing or cladding walls as the wear and tear would be
considerably less on vertical surfaces.
Once a granite floor is laid, it is generally not possible to repolish the floor. Marble on the other hand can be
polished two to three times as the years go by.
The minerals which make up granite affect the porosity of the rock. Certain granites tend to absorb more
water, which will result in a patchy look to the floor, especially after you mop it. Keep this in mind while you
select your granite. Generally the greys are more porous than the reds.
