Did you know that not all stone is created equally nor will wear as expected in certain applications? True! As a matter of fact, we face this issue multiple times a year with old and new projects.
Here are some truths when it comes to stone:
- If you want a natural stone (ie, marble or soapstone) to perform as quartz or flawless stone, just purchase quartz. Natural stone simply can’t step up to your standards, after all, they are natural elements of the earth and subjective to flaking, staining, and breaking.
- Marble and soapstone are gorgeous, and also incredibly soft, but will break and stain. Don’t go there unless you are: meticulous and forgiving.
- You can get natural stone repaired from a very good installer with zero warranties, but it’s still preferred than having stained surfaces that drive you nuts trying to repair, eventually replacing it unknowing of the result. We can always replace it but it is at least try to repair the stone before it is pulled out and abandoned.
THE FIREPLACE:
As a piggy-back to repairing stone in this project, we are also removing a ventless gas fireplace and simply creating a space to have a beautiful candelabra. Since it’s on an interior wall, the fireplace can’t exhaust and truly the ventless ones are not sufficient. So, we settled on the concept of having polished absolute black granite that will create the fireplace interior and reflect the candlelight.
Long and short, the stone is powerful, beautiful, and graceful. But it needs to have reasonable expectations and be well cared for and loved. Plan accordingly and buy well.