Marble for Swimming pool edges.

We could say ‘that marble was and still is the symbol of luxury and resistance in time’. Whatever rock the creator selected, the result was more or less the same. The Greek classic culture remains fadelessly written on the marble of Mount Penteli, the culture of the Cyclades on the white marble of Paros island, the Eygptians on beige and yellow hard limestone, the Chinese and Inkas in Peru on granites. Strength in manufacture, prestige in work, duration and resistance to time, love for nature and environmentally friendly.

Perhaps there weren’t swimming pools as we know them nowadays, but the use of marble was very widespread in Roman baths, as it was later in the Turkish bathrooms. Marble used on the edge of the swimming pool for its decoration, is very old. Even today there are still swimming-pools of 20, 30 or more years that had their edges elaborately decorated with marble.

The most experienced and oldest swimming pool professionals agree that the two basic elements that make a swimming-pool unforgettable are the cleanliness of its water and type of its edge. The form of a swimming-pool is particularly important when viewed from above. A well designed pool may add a deal to the rural residence or hotel but makes little difference to the one that enjoys swimming in it, as he cannot have a complete picture of its form as a swimmer! The internal walls of a swimming-pool are constructed in tiles, tessera, liner or dyed cement, the finish makes little difference when the pool is filled with water, diffraction blunts any difference and unifies the aesthetic result to a large extent. Although aesthetics play a crucial part in the choice of edge a further four considerations come into play during design in order to avoid future problems, anti-slip, resistance to stains, resistance to frost and resistance to erosion.

Regarding anti-slip, marble edges are by the safest choice, especially when in combination with finishings including sandblast, blow, ageing, acid effect and flaming, giving the desirable key finish that surpasses cement and many kinds of ceramic edge.

Ceramic edges do not easily stain while cement and the unprotected and unsealed edge made from natural rock can be subjected to stains even if, in time each rock, just as a lively organism can protect itself and remove every foreign thing from itself.  

Natural Stone Paving

Natural stone paving is highly sought after material for exterior patios and driveways. Real stone paving offers more character and authenticity than its man made counterparts and if purchased from the right source, should not be any more expensive. The main three materials used to produce stone paving are sandstone, limestone and slate.

When purchasing paving, as well as considering different colours and materials it is also important to consider which sizes you would like. There are normally between four and seven different sizes for each type of paving and some people prefer to use one size throughout the area whilst others may go for a mixed, random pattern made up of three, four, five, six or even seven different sizes. Also some paving is cut to metric measurement (e.g. 300 x 300) where as some quarries still cut to imperial measurements (e.g. 275 x 275).

The depth of most exterior paving normally varies by 10mm. The most suitable depth is between 25mm and 35mm. In recent times a large quantity of paving has come into the UK with a depth a 0f 15mm to 25mm; this is due to the fact that at this smaller depth more square metres can fit into each crate and container. This paving may be cheaper to purchase but is much less durable and hard wearing than material at the standard depth and when used on driveways will eventually start to crack.

If you are considering using natural stone or any type of paving product on your driveway you should be aware that recently passed legislation dictates that planning permission is required in areas where flooding is a possibility. 

 

Sandstone – As one of the most popular materials for stone paving, sandstone paving comes predominantly in dark brown and beige tones and light yellow and sandy coloured tones. Sandstone paving can be supplied with both a riven surface (rough, textured, natural finish) and honed surface (sawn and perfectly flat finish). Sandstone paving is produced in the UK but due to labour costs it is much more cost effective to import from India, when using sandstone paving in residential areas. The two most common Indian types are raj green and fossil mint, although they are commonly renamed when arriving in the UK.

 

Limestone – Another material which is predominantly imported from India when required in exterior paving form. Limestone is available in different tones of grey, blue, black and brown. Limestone paving can be supplied with both a riven surface (rough, textured, natural finish) the most popular types of Limestone paving are the kotah limestones.

 

Slate – Slate is a common material in the UK and although welsh slate is commonly used for roofing and landscaping most slate paving originates from India, China and Brazil. The most common paving colours for slate are black and dark grey but it is also available in green and some metallic-esque finishes such as ocean, copper and salmon pink. Slate is usually supplied with a riven texture and is somewhat more costly when a honed finish is required. View Stone & Porcelain's great range of sandstone paving - www.stoneandporcelain.com

Laying Tiles Hints and Tips.

Check your stone tiles are sealed properly – You can do this by pouring an egg cup full of water onto the floor, it should form a small pool on the surface, leave it for about ten minutes. When you go back to the pool it should still be there, if the water has absorbed into the stone leaving a dark stain patch then the stone requires more sealant. You can check your wall tiles by throwing a mug full of water at the surface, the water should trickle down the surface like rain drops on a window pain.

 

 Kitchen tiles, what comes first the units or the tiles? – When laying tiles into a new kitchen area you will need to consider whether you wish to lay the tiles or install the units first. This will be dictated by your timescale and what’s easiest and most efficient for your builder. We recommend tiling the whole of the floor before installing the units, this way appliances are easier to take in or out if they need to be replaced or repaired. This also means that if you want to change your kitchen further down the line you won’t have to retile your floor.

 

Cleaning grout – At the end of the laying process you may need to clean excess grout from the surface, to do this use grout haze and latex film remover. Never clean up grout with any kind of acidic solution. This will remove your sealant.

 

Laying Slate – If you are laying slate tiles it is a very good idea to go through them and group them together by thickness and give them a quick wipe-down before you start laying.

If anybody has any other handy hints and tips, please leave a comment. View more advice on laying natural stone and porcelain tiles here - http://www.stoneandporcelain.com/laying_advice.php?cat=Laying%20Guide

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Origins Of Marble.

The word ‘marble’ derives from the Greek marmaros “shining stone”. This stem is also the basis for the English word marmoreal meaning “marble-like”.

Marble is a metamorphic rock resulting from regional contact metamorphism of sedimentary carbonate rocks, either limestone or dolomite rock. This metamorphic process causes a complete re-crystal-lization of the original rock in to an interlocking mosaic of calcite, aragonite and / or dolomite crystals. The temperatures and pressures necessary to form marble usually destroy any fossils and sedimentary textures present in the original rock. Pure white marble is the result of metamorphism of very pure Limestone’s. The characteristic swirls and veins of many coloured marble varieties are usually due to various mineral impurities such as clay, silt, sand, iron oxides, or chert which were originally present as grains or layers in the limestone. Green coloration is often due to serpentine resulting from originally high magnesium limestone or dolomite rock with silica impurities. These various impurities have been mobilized and re-crystallized by the intense pressure and heat of the metamorphism.

Natural patterns on the polished surface of “landscape marble” can resemble a city skyline or even trees. Some historically important types of marble, named after the locations of their quarries, include: Thassos (Greek) Thassos is one of the most known Important quarries relating to the Prehistoric, Neolithic and Archaic era have been found in Thassos. There is also Paros and Penteli in Greece. Even since in antiquity, Penteli has been famous for its marble which was used for the construction of the Acropolis and other buildings of ancient Athens. Penteli marble is flawless white with a uniform, faint yellow tint, which makes it shine with a golden under sunlight. The ancient quarry is protected by law and used exclusively to obtain material for the Acropolis restoration project. The roadway used to transport marble blocks from the quarry to the Acropolis in the past was a continual downhill and followed the natural lay of the land.
Marbel can also be found in Italy in the Carrara and Luni regions. Carrara marble has been famous since the times of ancient Rome. The Pantheon and Trajan’s column in Rome are constructed from it. Many famous sculptures of the renaissance, such as Michelangelo’s David, were carved from Carrara marble. The stone tradition meets with the most up-to-date techniques of the stone industry. All this, in deep connection with the territory and a back ground of more than one hundred companies and almost one hundred quarries working within the sector.

The derivation for the word ‘Carrara’ possibly comes from the ancient term “Kar” (stone). Ancient Romans quarried the marble, loaded it onto ships at the port of Luni and took it to Rome by sea.

White marbles, like Carrara in Italy and Royal white and Bejing White in China, have been prized for sculpture since classical times. The preference for this material comes from the softness, relative isotropy, homogeneity and a relative resistance to shattering. Also, the low index of refraction of calcite allows light to penetrate several millimetres into the stone before being scattered out, resulting in the characteristic ‘waxy’ look which gives ‘life’ to marble sculptures of the human body.