Marble Quality Check and Inspection

Marble quality check and inspection is important. While there is no industry standard for quality when it comes to marble, there are some ways you can watch out for lower-quality materials. Learning what makes a marble stronger, what makes it weaker and when these factors matter can help you choose the right material for your tile design.

Marble Elegance and Class

Marble has brought elegance and class to homes, commercial building, castles and so on for centuries. In recent times, the love for marble has grown to furniture and now fashion accessories and clothing designs. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the product, there are many limitations to its usage, which is why we have a mixture of faux marble. It can be difficult to tell if you are looking at authentic marble, faux marble or simple a print. Modern imitative materials can replicate the exact look and functionality of marble. Human-made marble has its beauty and value but you may want to know when you’re looking at the real thing. Learning the characteristics of marble will help you identify it on sight.

Metamorphic Rock

Marble is a metamorphic rock that is created when limestone is subjected to a considerable amount of heat and pressure within the earth’s crust. This makes it a dense and durable material. It gets its unique coloring, textures and veins from the metamorphic change that the limestone undergoes regarding its marble effect and mineral composition. Marble undergoes a re-crystallization process wherein fossil materials, and other sundry elements and minerals are heated and pressurized, creating the stone.

Wide Applications of Marble

Marble is a natural stone which is used in the construction of residential buildings, public buildings, offices, and religious structures. Apart from the flooring, marble tiles are also used in backsplash, countertops, facades and as decorative wall cladding. For more durability, it is advisable to use good quality marble.

Marble with Centuries-old Elegance

Marble adds a centuries-old elegance to any home or commercial building it inhabits. But it can be difficult to tell if you are looking at authentic marble, faux marble or granite. Modern imitative materials can replicate the exact look and functionality of marble. Human-made marble has its beauty and value but you may want to know when you’re looking at the real thing. Learning the characteristics of marble will help you identify it on sight.

Inspecting the Quality of Marble

There are many ways and means for inspecting the quality of marble. Before buying marble tiles for your house, a homeowner must check its quality at the site. Here are some ways in which you can get a rough idea about the quality of marble.

Check the Coloration

While the coloration of marble can vary from pristine white to black, the natural stone comes in subtle shades of coloring rather than stark colors. Marble free of any impurities or flaws appears as a solid white. Layers in the limestone and integration with other naturally occurring minerals can create green, yellow, pink, grey, cream and bluish coloration. Bright and stark colors such as turquoise, orange or black signify granite, human-made stone or natural marble that has been mixed with other ingredients such as cement to create a faux marble product that is easy to a custom color.

Look for Veins

The veins and swirls present in many marble pieces occur when various mineral impurities mix with the original limestone. From discrete cream veins in white Carrara marble to violet, red or blue veins in yellow Sienna marble, natural marble will show its impurities through long sinewy streaks. Granite often has similar color variegation, but the secondary coloration in granite will look more like clouds than streaks, or it will have a salt-and-pepper look to it. Manufactured materials can imitate a swirled, veined look, but will not show the depth and dimension that the naturally occurring veining in marble does.

Do the Knife Test

Authentic marble is a metaphoric rock formed by applying heat to limestone, forming crystals of calcite, a relatively soft mineral. Because of this, the surface of marble shows scratches and wear more easily than its imitators. The malleability of marble is what has made it a popular material for sculptures and custom-shaped kitchen countertops, and any real marble will become more highly individualized through aging and usage. If you see scratches or signs of wear on the surface of your stone, you are looking at real marble. If you scratch a knife across an inconspicuous area or on the underside of the slab and it shows little or no damage, you are looking at the more durable granite or manufactured stone.

The Shine and Sheen

The glossiness of true marble is one of its most desirable attributes and distinguishable characteristics and can’t be sustainably imitated. Synthetic stones made for kitchen countertops and other household surfaces incorporate glass and other finely crushed materials with a high sheen into their compound. This can create an initial high gloss, but will not shine as clearly or brightly as highly polished natural marble. Use marble polish to get the stone’s surface to its purest and cleanest state, and to be able to see the true nature of the stone.

Cracks and Appearance

The veins, cracks and fissures in marble give it a naturally artistic appearance, but can also affect its strength. Examine the surface of marble for large fissures or cracks. Then turn the tile over to check the other side in the same place. Quality tiles do not have fissures or fractures that go all the way through the tile, but instead, have a vein of color without a crack running through it. Manufacturers also apply fiberglass or epoxy mesh reinforcements on the backside of lower quality and weaker tiles to ensure that the tile does not break. You cannot install marble tiles with this backing over thinset, as it affects the ability of the marble tiles to adhere. Use an epoxy-based thin-set instead of one containing cement.

Calibration and Dimension

The thickness of tile, its calibration, offers one indication of its quality. Obviously, the thicker the marble tile, the better, as marble tiles naturally contain flaws. These flaws are nice to look at. But, depending upon its application, they can also cause the tile to break if it is too thin. Besides calibration, check tile dimensions to make certain all the tiles are square. During the cutting process, cutting tools can get off track and misalign, causing slightly trapezoidal tile shapes — not good for creating tight and equal grout lines. Select tiles that are of the same dimensions, height, length and depth, when you want a level floor or countertop.

Chips and Cracks

Marble tiles with chips and cracks can indicate a weakness in the tile. While some chipping and cracking is normal, when chips and cracks appear on more than 5 per cent of the tiles, the marble is too soft and can chip and crack when you cut them for installation. Carefully look at the marble for smoothness on all surfaces: the edges, front and back. Check for pockmarks or indications of crumbling in lower quality tiles.

Doctored Tiles

Sometimes manufacturers add fill to areas that chip or crack on tiles. Suppose you notice dull areas when holding the tile under a light at a slight angle, especially when most of the surface has a mirror-like appearance. In that case, this typically indicates a lower quality marble. High quality marble tiles contain no holes or breaks that require the addition of fill.

Heterogeneity of Natural Stone

The heterogeneity of natural stone is sometimes matters of dispute between the contractor and the supplier as the expected look is not obtained once the work is complete. This is because the natural stone usually has variations of color, texture, marbled, etc., associated with its natural origin and, moreover, need not constitute grounds for rejection. In fact, many designers look to enhance the aesthetic value of the pavement from the variations in appearance. In general, it could be said that the variations in appearance along with a sufficiently harmonious laying can be a tool of architectural design, rather than a cause of rejection.

Samples Representation

Therefore it is necessary that, before delivery of the material, the manufacturer provides a reference sample. This should be consisted at least four pieces and covering an area of at least 0,36 m2. The said sample must represent the extreme and average aspects of the material. Sample must be accepted by agreement between the supplier, the project management and property owner. The criteria for acceptance or rejection of certain defects must be defined. It should be defined contractually between the manufacturer and the client before the start of supply.

Final Statement

In general, following defects could be considered as grounds for rejection: broken pieces, pieces with cracks on some surface, pieces with breakage in the corner and breakage or chipping of the edges.

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Sources

cmpstone.com.au/how-can-you-tell-the-quality-of-marble/

www.veriquality.net/case-study/Stone-and-Marble-Stone-Inspection