Stone is a natural substance, a solid aggregate of one or more minerals or mineraloids. It is hard, solid substance found in the ground that is often used for building construction & interior space. Stones are segments of rocks that can be easily transported. Many varieties of stone are available but only which have needed property are used in construction.
Types of stones:
1) Igneous rock
‌2) Metamorphic rock
‌3) Sedimentary rock (limestone, sandstone)
Qualities of good stones:
A) Strength
B) Hardness & toughness
‌C) Durability
‌D) Fire resistant
‌E) Specific gravity
‌F) Porosity
‌G) Easy dressing
H) Appearance & colour
Varieties of stone:
‌1) Granite
Granite is an igneous rock; it was once molten and formed as it cool deepen within the earth. It is a dense - grained, hard, heat resistant, water resistant, antibacterial and non - porous material. It is durable and resistant to scratching, staining and etching. It is a budget friendly stone. It offers a much wider range of its natural variations. It is available in Italy, the US, Canada, India, Brazil, China and dozens of other countries around the world.
Uses:
It's used as different countertops material. It's also used as paving block and as a building stone. It is used for tile flooring, stairs treads, wall cladding, window and door frames, monuments, etc.
Available sizes & thickness:
Size: 112 mm x 65 mm
Thickness: 3/4 inch to 11/4 inch
‌2) Kota
It is a natural limestone. It is especially available in Kota, Rajasthan, India. It is available in many colours like black, pink, grey, beige and brown. It is hard, non-porous. It has 2 finishes - rough dressing and polish finishing.
Uses:
It is used for flooring, which enhances the look in interior space. It is an excellent stone for corridors, path & patios, driveways and comments buildings. It is also used for wall cladding and inlay works.
Available sizes & thickness:
Sizes are available in wide ranges:
30 x 30 cm
30 x 60 cm
40 x 40 cm
40 x 60 cm
50 x 50 cm
60 x 60 cm
60 x 90 cm
Thickness: 12 mm to 45 mm
‌3) Kadappa
It is a natural limestone. The specialty of this limestone is in its hardness and it can be used for both interior and exterior space. It is available all over the country. It can be easily cut in desired shapes & sizes. It is available in many surfaces like natural, polished, sand blasted, honed, brushed, lather finish, tumbled and calibrated. It is also in combination of surfaces.
Uses:
It is used as limestone slabs, paving, building blocks, flooring, wall cladding, countertops, and pavement of floors of commercial buildings. It is also used for benches, shelves and platform of kitchen.
Available sizes & thickness:
Sizes:
30 x 30 cm
60 x 30 cm
60 x 60 cm
90 x 60 cm
Thickness: 2 cm to 5 cm
‌4) Tandur
It is a natural limestone. It is durable, hard and has a beautiful appearance. It is used for both interior and exterior space. It can be carved easily. It is available in many colours - green, brown, grey and yellow.
Uses:
It is used in commercial buildings, swimming pools, hotels for exterior appearance. It is also used for flooring, wall cladding, platforms and tabletops for interior appearance.
Available sizes & thickness:
Sizes:
18" x 24"
24" x 24"
36" x 24"
Its thickness range is 1" to 1.5".
‌
5) Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock. Marble is usually a light - coloured rock. Due to its impurities, it can be bluish, grey, pink, yellow or black in colour. It comes in fantasy brown, rainforest brown, rainforest green, forest green marble and yellow marble.
Marble is very easy to carve and that makes it useful for producing sculptures and ornamental objects. It is low - hard, soluble, heat resistant, absorbent and neutralizing material. It can be polished to high luster.
Uses:
The attractive pieces of marble to be cut, polished, and used as floor tiles, architectural panels, mandir, facing stone, window sills, stair treads, columns and many other pieces of decorative stone in interior spaces.
Available in sizes & thickness:
Sizes:
12" x 18"
12" x 12"
12" x 24"
16" x 16"
24" x 24"
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6) Shahabad
It is a metamorphic rock. It is hard, durable, eco - friendly, non-porous, wear resistant and strong material. It is commonly used for sculpture and as a building material. There are many shades available like dark, light, plain, shaded in many colours. This range is widely demanded in interior, commercial and industrial sectors. It is cost effective, highly durable, acid resistant and smooth finishing, sturdy construction.
Uses:
It has beautiful appearance, so we can use it as wall cladding, in flooring designs in interior and exterior spaces. It is also used for waterproofing, due to its non - porosity.
Available in sizes & thickness:
Size: 9" to 28"
Thickness: 20 mm to 35 mm
7) Basalt
Basalt is typically a dark, black rock; weathering can lead to yellow - brown colour. It is also found on the moon. It comes in various shades like butterfly black, poipu black, obscura negra, mangolian black. It has many finishes like honed, lychee, adze, flamed, pineapple, mushroom, split/pitched, corduroy, sandblasted, scored & chiseled, antiqued, etched and engraved. It is hard and tough, high sound absorption coefficient, high tensile strength, durable and highly strongest stone.
Uses:
Basalt is used for floor tiles, building veneer, monuments, wall cladding, stepping stone, pool coping, stone facades, stair planks, treads & risers, water features, pool surrounding, parking lot area and in landscaping. It is cut into dimension stone. It is also used in construction like building blocks and in the ground work. Basalt yields stone wool is an excellent thermal insulator, which is used in interior spaces.
Available in sizes & thickness:
Sizes:
30" x 60"
60" x 60"
60" x 60"
40" x 40"
80" x 40"
80" x 80"
100" x 50"
120" x 60"
59.7" x 59.7"
99.7" x 59.7"
Slab size: 24" x 48" to 36" x 72"
Thickness: 15 mm to 20 mm
8) Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer stone is natural limestone. It is found in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India. Jaisalmer stone is also known as yellow stone. It has different type of quality like Etta gold, floury gold, teakwood, mulsagar and khandupa. It is hard, durable and ability to withstand rough weather conditions make it suitable for interior and exterior applications.
Uses:
It cannot be used in parking areas. It is used for kitchen top, island tops, vanity tops, countertops, tabletops. It is used in interior decor as well as in exterior decor. It is also used to make jaali, jharokha (small window), and sculptures. It can be used in flooring with other stones like Kota stone, marble stone and granite stone.
Available sizes and thickness:
Sizes:
12" to 33"
Slab size: width 4ft
Length 8ft
Thickness
20 mm of slab size