MSM Stone is Melbourne’s leading stone masonry company, able to offer a wide range of services such as kitchen benchtops, tables, vanities and wall cladding, with a wide variety of stone types. We offer all kinds of stone for our products, see below for the types of stone we use and their best uses in your home.
Marble Stone
Marble is a term used to describe a large number of stone types which are found in countries such as Greece, United States, Spain, Italy and Russia. Marble stone is classed as a metamorphic rock, meaning it has been transformed from an existing rock type, such as limestone. Marble has a huge range of uses, and has been used for thousands of years for sculpting, as well as for construction; the types of marble stone used in construction can be different to that used in sculpture, and it will be easier to polish. As marble can be damaged by acids, vinegar or other acidic liquids or cleaning agents should never be used to clean them.
Granite Stone
Granite is a coarse-grained rock formed through the cooling of magma or lava, containing large amounts of quartz and silica. It can be found in small fragments known as dikes (when magma flows between cracks in rocks and then cools) or in huge, continuous sections over hundreds of square kilometres, known as batholiths. Granite stone is mined all over the world, in particular in China, India, Canada, Spain and the United States. Granite is a very tough stone, making it ideal for use in construction and for items such as benchtops and tables, and it has been used for thousands of years in sculptures, gravestones and memorials.
Dekton Stone
Dekton is a completely man made type of stone which was developed by the company Cosentino and has been around since 2013. Dekton stone is manufactured by combining over 20 raw materials, which are then mixed with water and ground down until achieving the correct particle size. A process known as volumetric decoration then distributes the powder into a strip and is able to create different patterns and surfaces which mimic stone, timber grain or even metal, and different colours can be achieved by adding pigments to the wet mix.
A machine then adds immense pressure to the slab, after which a process known as Sinterised Particle Technology bakes the stone at 1,200ºC, creating an incredibly durable and stain-resistant stone which would normally take millions of years to develop in nature. Due to its strength and ability to be customised, Dekton stone can be used in a range of applications such as exterior cladding or benchtops.
Neolith Stone
Like Dekton, Neolith is a manmade type of stone which is created by applying intense pressure and heat to raw materials, resulting in a highly durable product with a range of uses, and it is available in different thicknesses, finishes and colours. Both Dekton and Neolith stone manufacture high-quality products so the main differences between them and which is better for you will depend on the application and your personal preferences in regards to colour, finish etc.
Reconstituted Stone
Unlike Dekton and Neolith, reconstituted stone does not use high pressure or heat in order to bind the particles together, but instead uses acrylic resins which are mixed with crushed stone, resulting in an end product which is usually lighter and sometimes more affordable than natural stone. As reconstituted stone is non-porous, liquids will not be absorbed by them, so they are easier to clean, and are ideally suited for kitchen benchtops, vanity units or splashbacks.
Are You Interested in Our Stone Masonry Services?
MSM Stone offers a wide range of products and services, using many different types of stone, available in a variety of different sizes and colours – so there is something to suit every space. For more information, or to receive a free quote, contact us today.
