How to choose your material: Marble

Marble is prized for its unique natural pattern and texture. It is a popular flooring and wall material among homeowners.

On the market, there are natural and artificial marble. The price corresponds to the quality and manufacture processes.

How do you discern the quality of these marble materials? Deco-Man's got you covered, read on!

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

STRENGTH

• High strength and wear resistance
• Can withstand acid and alkali
• Oil application not needed
• Does not attract dust
• Simple maintenance
• Long lifespan
• No warping and magnetising
• Moisture resistance

WEAKNESSES

• Lacquering is the only maintenance available
• Smooth surface makes seeped-in water and oil hard to clear away
• Not as beneficial to health as solid wood

PAY ATTENTION TO THE MATERIAL UPON PURCHASE

NATURAL MATERIAL

Natural marble has a beautiful pattern. After polishing, both lustre and density are excellent. Natural marble's wear resistance and anti-corrosiveness are higher than artificial ones.

Natural marble is also relatively pricier.

ARTIFICIAL MATERIAL

Artificial marble comes in various shades. It has a good flexibility and hardness, which make the material popular among younger people.

Artificial marble is also more affordable than its natural counterpart.

CHECKING FOR QUALITY

LUSTRE

Marble with a vitreous lustre tends to be of a higher quality.

APPEARANCE

Upon purchase, you should first check the appearance of the marble. Since the marble is naturally formed, physical defects are inevitable.

Fine marble should have a delicate and even structure.

SOUND

The sound of quality stone knocking against each other is crisp and pleasant.

If there is a slight crack in the stone, or the contact between the particles becomes loose due to weathering, the resulting sound is coarse and rough instead.

INK TEST

Drop a small amount o ink on the surface of the stone. If the ink begins to feather out, this means the grain of the stone is loose, or there are gaps present in the material.

If the stone has a high quality, the ink should not feather out.

CHOICE OF PATTERN

One of the reasons for marble's popularity is the wide range of colours and pattern.

However, simple and plain colours are more likely to withstand the changes of the home owner's taste.

Plain-coloured marble is usually pricier as a result.

REMINDERS FROM DECO-MAN

Most stone materials are radioactive, but since the amount of emitted radiation is very low, it hardly causes a reaction in the human body.

The reason marble is sometimes said to be hazardous is that artificial marble contains petroleum derivatives in which formaldehyde and benzenes are present.

Some unethical manufacturers might try to raise the profit by introducing other harmful additives to the raw material of manufactured marble.

This explains the public's concern towards manmade marble's impact on health.

This article was first published in Renonation.