It can be a challenge trying to keep up with the various materials available for projects. There are man-made materials and natural stone materials. Within those main categories are subcategories that differ in specific aspects. There are differences between materials within a category or subcategory.
There are also similarities between materials from different categories. In this article, we will explore some of the various materials and briefly consider why they are considered to be of a certain classification.
As we do, keep in mind that these are not the official classifications. These are simply classes and categories that we are using to help clarify what each material is.
Natural Stone Materials
You don’t have to look too far to see that many materials come from the earth. Materials cut right out of mountains and sliced like giant loaves of bread. These materials do not need to be manufactured or created through processes. Rather they are simply cut from a mountain and then “worked” a bit to prepare them for use in a project. For our discussion here, we are calling these natural stone materials.
Characteristics of Natural Stone Materials
Although there are several types of natural stones, they share some common attributes. And without getting into too much detail about any of them, we will talk briefly about some of them.
The first characteristic that you will find across the entire spectrum of natural stone is that it is porous. Natural stone has pores that give it certain ‘abilities’. For example, a porous material absorbs water and other liquids. The degree of porosity varies from stone to stone, but all natural stone has pores.
Another attribute that is a mark of natural stone is its composition. Natural stone is composed entirely of natural materials. When you think about it, that makes sense because it forms through natural processes without any assistance from humans. They only work the material after it is formed. The formation of what we refer to as “natural stone” occurs without help from engineers, chemists, or other very skilled and talented individuals.
Natural Stone Examples
Because there are so many different types of natural stone, it would very difficult for us to produce a complete list of them here. However, we have a list of several natural stone surfaces. The list is as follows:
• Granite
• Marble
• Quartzite
• Limestone
• Travertine
• Soapstone
• Onyx
• Sandstone
• Slate
As you can see from the list above, a number of materials fall into the “natural stone” category. And as we mentioned previously, there are similarities and differences from one stone to the next. But each one is a natural material, is porous, and composed of natural minerals.
