Quartzite Natural Stone Surfaces
Natural stone seems to never go out of date for those that appreciate the characteristics and unique look of natural stone surfaces. Quartzite natural stone enjoys the benefit of being classified with some amazing natural stone materials. But what exactly is quartzite? Let's take a few moments to consider this truly natural stone that offers a uniques set of benefits.
What is Quartzite?
You may be aware that natural stone is formed in various ways. One type of rock that you might have heard of is
metamorphic rock. Quartzite is one of a number of natural stone materials that falls into this class of natural stone. Quartzite is a metamorphic stone that existed as sandstone prior to its transformation. We won't explain the terminology here, but the aforementioned link has extensive information about metamorphosis. We though, will cover some of the basic features, benefits and appealing traits that quartzite natural stone offers.
Quartzite is a natural stone that is the result of sandstone being transformed into a hard, durable different type of rock. Because of the heat and pressure that the sandstone is subjected to during its transformation, natural quartzite ends up being very hard. In fact, quartzite is harder than some granite; which is very hard.
Benefits of Quartzite Stone
The hardness of quartzite yields properties that are beneficial for those using this natural material for hard surfaces in the home. For example, quartzite is scratch resistant beause of its hardness. And since it is the product of intense heat and pressure, quartzite natural stone is very resistant to heat.
Even though quartzite is very durable, that does not mean that it lacks in beauty. Quartzites are often times very elegant in appearance. In fact, quartzite resembles marble in many cases. On the other hand, this means that care is needed when shopping for quartzite to use as a countertop surface. Why is that the case?
Because quartzite resembles marble so closely, stone slabs sometimes get mismarked. This has consequences that can really affect how well your surface holds up and what kinds of care maintenance it will require. So if you are contemplating a purchase of quartzite, be sure to test the stone to make sure it is actually quartzite and not a mislabeled slab. You can learn more about why the differences matter and how to test slabs labeled quartzite in the article entitled
The Definitive Guide to Quartzite. The basic idea though is that you want to know for sure that your beautiful stone is quartzite.
The Colors of Quartzite
The appearance of quartzite like other natural stone is affected by the minerals it contains. Various amounts of the minerals and other substances in the stone impact the look of a given stone. For this reason, there are a number of quartzites that have been given notable names. Same of these are sold under the name and others are not. Whatever the case, the names are given to distinguish one quartzite from another. Here is a list of some of the quartzite colors available:
Uses for Quartzite Natural Stone
As with most other natural stone materials, quartzite can be used for a number of purposes. It truly stands out in some settings more so than others however, natural quartzite is used for any of the following:
- Bathroom Vanities
- Fireplace Surrounds
- Bar Tops
- Butler's Pantries
- Bath Surrounds
- Wash Stations
- Kitchen Countertops
Caring for Quartzite Countertops
Knowing what kind of stone you have is imperative because this knowledge will affect how you care for and clean your surface. For example, quartzite countertops need to be sealed because they have pores that can allow liquids to penetrate the stone and stain it. Yet, if sealed, this process is significantly inhibited to the degree that clean up is much easier and the time it takes for a liquid to penetrate a quartzite surface is greatly increased. Fabricators often times initially seal installed quartzite countertops using a
high quality stone sealer. However, this is not a one time treatment that lasts forever. The surface needs to be resealed periodically depending on how much use it gets.
In addition to sealing natural quartzite, cleaning the material is also something that is important. Therefore, Tenax offers stone professionals stone cleaners formulated for natural stone. These cleaners can be used as
natural quartzite countertop cleaner.
As we have seen in our discussion of quartzite surfaces, there are a number of reasons to become familiar with this unique natural stone. It is a hard, scratch resistant material that is elegant and durable. It also resembles other popular materials that have some of the same visual characteristics but are composed of different minerals. Finally, knowing about natural quartzite allows you to care for the material if you are the owner and offer the proper products if you are a distributor.
