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The Beauty of Natural Stone

Why natural stone? For a number of solid, natural reasons.

Natural stone is strong and stable to live with. It exudes a rich, organic, beautiful surface and has a confident, timeless "presence" in any room.

Go ahead -- rub your hand across any natural stone product. Can you feel the eons of time it took to produce this natural wonder of Mother Earth?

It's a fact. The formative process for natural stone began millions of years ago, deep beneath the surface of the earth.

A combination of heat and pressure created blocks of natural stone, including granite, marble, travertine, limestone, and slate.

As the earth's crust began to grow and erode, it pushed minerals up from its core, forming massive rock deposits, which we refer to as "quarries".

Walk across a natural stone floor and tread on the same material quarried and constructed by ancient people of nobility and notoriety.

From ancient monuments like the pyramids in Egypt and the majestic Greek and Roman temples, to the great civilizations of India and China, natural stone has been an important part of architecture throughout history.

It is the world's oldest building material -- imagine its beauty and elegance in your new home or remodeling project.

How old? In 2500 B.C., Djoser's Step Pyramid in Egypt, the first structure to be made entirely of natural stone, was constructed using huge blocks of granite and limestone.

During that time, natural stone was considered too opulent for average homes and was found only in temples, palaces, government buildings, or in the homes of the very wealthy.

Today, natural stone quarries are found in many countries throughout the world such as Italy, China, Spain, India, Canada, Mexico and also here in the United States.

Recent advances in the stone industry's equipment technology have greatly impacted the process of extracting stone from the quarry and installing it in a home. Maybe your home.

Indeed, nothing compares to the beauty of natural stone, and nothing can create pride quicker than when you walk into your home with a natural stone floor.

Count on "oohs and ahs" from your friends and neighbors, too.

And while it is typically more expensive than stone tile, natural stone will virtually always increase your home's resale value. That's another important consideration when shopping.

Today, there is a large selection of natural stone to choose from, and we will be showing you and explaining about each stone family in detail.

Modern tools can accomplish this with such speed and efficiency that now natural stone is accessible to all and is beloved for its durability, personality and aesthetics.

In these sections on Natural Stone you can count on learning about granite, the hardest and densest stone, marble, known for its rich, luxurious quality, limestone, a softer, more porous stone, and the popular travertine.

We will also take an informative look at slate and tumbled stone, America's favorites in rustic settings.

As a side note, you should be aware of a product called Manufactured Stone. (Also called Agglomerate Stone.) It's a synthetic stone product that can be used for flooring and you can learn more about it in the How It's Made section.

We invite you to join us as we present the Natural Stone story, and, who knows, it just might have a storybook ending – as the flooring solution for the way you live.

Specialty Raised Flooring, INC. is an authorized U.S. dealer for Master Graniti Spa - Italy

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The Warmth and Beauty of Natural Wood

Trying to choose the proper wood flooring product for what room? What are the types of wood floors? Many considerations must be given when selecting a wood floor product. Here we will share the many types, sizes, colors, application methods, and the variety of wood floor species on the market today. This information is a general, overall foundation in helping you start your search. Always look at several product lines, make comparisons as to wear warranties, thickness, type of construction, type and number of finish coats, along with the many other important specifics outlined herein.

Entry / Foyer - Foyers tend to be more formal than not. Making a design statement in this area has most recently become a new wood flooring trend. Custom One-Of-A-Kind designs like Accents, Borders, Inlays, and Medallions are very popular. Always use outside walk-off mats and if there is no design, area carpets inside will help in keeping wear down

Kitchens/Family rooms: These are most common spaces for wood floor installation in new construction and remolding. The ease of care, open floor plans, and the flow of traffic make this a very popular area for wood floors. Dark and white/bleached wood floors do NOT fare well in this area because of the high traffic, food & water continuously being on the floor. In some very grainy species, the direction of the wood floor can add to the wear of the product. NOTE: Kitchen wood floors should be screened (lightly sanded) and recoated as needed, say every 6-18 months, depending on the amount of traffic and cleaning habits. Make sure the finish used is recommended by the manufacturer and/or is a compatible with what you have. Good cleaning habits are very important part of maintaining a wood floor, high traffic or not. Clean regularly, and always wipe food & water spillage immediately.

Formal Living and Dining Rooms- Most often a more traditional formal setting, darker in color with the combination of oriental carpets. This area also often receives border inlays, with turning blocks or corner accents to add a Custom-One-of-A-Kind floor. Design considerations for this area often will be compatible with the furniture being used. Not matching the exact color but a darker or lighter color in the same family of the floor color, thus complimenting each other. Remember the darker the floor, the smaller the space will appear, and maintenance consideration will increase.

Bathrooms - A bathroom that receives daily use would not fare well with wood floors, due to continued moisture exposure. On the other hand a guest bathroom not used on a day to day basis could be considered. Make sure to use area carpets/mats, and always immediately wipe up any water.

Home offices, Bedrooms - Wood Floors work well in bedrooms, often with area carpets being used. Office settings lean toward the traditional darker colors, and bedroom are a 50/50 tossup on colors used. NOTE: Rolling furniture, chairs, TV stands etc., can damage the finish very quickly, if used day to day. Make sure the floor is protected and/or the rollers are not made of metal or other damaging materials. Regular maintenance is required.