The Consumer's Guide to Marble in South Florida

"Buy Marble Where Your Builder Buys Marble"

It isn't a slogan at South Florida kitchen and Bath, it's good advice. Whether you've just moved to a new home or have decided to renovate your kitchen, South Florida Kitchen & Bath is your one-stop shop, offering quality and affordable prices. Its spacious South Florida showroom showcases one of south florida's largest collections of marble products.

With all of its beauty and history, marble is definitely one of the most magnificent flooring materials. With that, however, comes a great amount of care. Like other natural flooring materials, you want to stay away from using abrasive cleaners or scrub brushes. A damp rag will do the trick for wiping off the dirt. Be sure to remove any large pieces of debris that may scratch the surface.

Marble is extremely versatile

Natural stone falls into two main categories, according to the Marble Institute of America. Siliceous stone is composed mainly of quartzlike particles, and includes materials like granite, slate, sandstone, and quartzite. Calcareous stone is composed mainly of calcium carbonate, and includes marble (shown), travertine, limestone, and onyx. These stones are more sensitive to acid than siliceous ones.

Marble is an extremely versatile natural stone, used in high traffic areas like commercial foyers and hallways, as well as in residential kitchens. Use of marble in these areas and others is one which is attached to the classical era – Ancient Greece and Rome – but also to the Ancient Aztecs, who used marble for similar purposes thousands of miles away. These cultures used marble as a staple item in their architectural traditions, because of its natural beauty and resilience.

While marble and granite may be better known for their uses within interior decor, they make a fine addition to outdoor environments as well.

A contractor might install slabs or accents as hot tub decks, spa surrounds, natural stone balusters and railings, doorways, alcoves, or porticos. And of course, marble and granite always have their place in statuaries. There are several South Florida marble and granite businesses that sell marble and granite fountains, sculptures, gazebos, and even furniture, such as tables and benches.

Marble is a natural stone material that has historically associated with durability, toughness and elegance as well. As materials for home flooring, these can be created to provide an appealing, unique and distinctive luster to the floors of your home.

Marble can help fight allergies

Marble tiles can be created to provide a unique and distinctive shine to your home's floors. This helps enhance the overall look and feel of a particular room where it is installed. If you install this stone in the right manner, you need to pay only little attention to maintaining the beauty of this flooring material. Also, like any hard flooring surface, marble is a good choice for people with allergies because it does not hold allergens. Then there is the "awe". The guests that enter your home will be taken back by the beauty of your marble floors.

Quartz surfaces are essentially man-made stone. Manufacturers of quartz slabs take the strongest element of quartz crystals and mix it with a polymer to form a new surface that has the relative appearance of natural stone but is actually stronger and requires less maintenance than natural granite or marble.

Quartz as a rule is much more uniform in color and pattern than natural granite as the mix is controlled by the manufacturer. This process does give the material a more manufactured look, though one should never purchase quartz if they are looking for the depth and individuality of natural granite.

No two slabs of granite are alike; giving each top a personality of it's own, and allowing for truly unique kitchens. It is also for this reason that consumers will want to go to a granite supplier and choose their own slab, having it tagged to be used for their particular job.

A good retailer will always recommend that a customer choose their slab so as to avoid potential problems later if there is any discrepancy in color or pattern from the sample the customer saw in the store.

Don't forget the edges! Talk to the designer about various options for the different surface materials. You may be able to choose from rounded and bullnose or beveled or waterfall edges. Most of the stone surfaces can be shaped to your specifications. Wood is malleable and easily manipulated into desired angles and ogees. Keep in mind that if wood trim or edges are too intricate, food can become trapped and harbor bacteria. Keep it easy to clean. Laminate edges can be higher at the edge to create a dam that won't allow liquids to drip off the countertop and onto the floor. If you choose to tile countertops, be sure to ask for specially made tile edges that will match the surface tiles.

Maintaining Your Marble Surfaces

In making sure your marble flooring will stay in good shape, and retain its shiny glow for years, you simple need to follow the following cleaning guidelines. First, ensure that you keep your surfaces as dust free as possible, by dust mopping it regularly with soft, clean, lint free mop. You should also clean them carefully with water and a mild neutral-ph cleanser, which was especially manufactures for use in stone surfaces.

As you're shopping around, keep in mind these important aspects of countertops: durability, resistance to staining, ability to handle hot cookware, ease in cleaning and maintaining, and of course pleasing to the eye. You don't have to choose all one variety of surface material - a combination of several may be more functional. Stone or solid surfaces work best around the stove and ovens. An area of butcher block allows for chopping, and plastic laminate around sinks works great. The key is to get the most functionality for the money spent and be happy with the end result by being an informed consumer.

Visit our website at southfloridakitchenandbath.com for further information.