2012

Marble and Granite countertops have become increasingly popular in recent years because consumers are attaching more importance to aesthetics without compromising functionality. They have realized that these products not only enhance the beauty of their kitchen and bathroom but also add significant value to their most valuable asset called home. Consumers are also embracing the reality that variation of color, asymmetric pattern, and those little blemishes - an artist may view this as character - here and there are in fact what makes a natural stone a natural stone.

Before the days of air-conditioning many farmhouses had separate buildings for preparing meals to avoid heating the main house with the heat of meal preparation. This building was called the “summer kitchen”. Today, air-conditioning has eliminated the need for a separate kitchen, but it is still a very desirable part of many homes, although nowadays it is usually placed outside on a covered porch or screened-in lanai so families can enjoy the outdoors while sharing summertime meals.

When it comes to durability, Caesarstone takes the crown, even up against granite, marble, laminate and solid surfaces such as other engineered stones. Combining the best qualities from nature and technology, Caesarstone is both nonporous and nonabsorbent. It is an ideal surface even for the residential or commercial areas that receive the highest traffic or exposure to moisture and liquids.

Marble and Granite is proud to offer the highest quality natural stone products available. We have created a new page on our website just dedicated to Granite Countertops

With today's infinite stone look-alike products and the overwhelming amount of information on the web, it's easy to become confused when trying to compare marble tiles and ceramic tiles. Natural stones such as marble, granite and slate range in availability (and price) as they are quarried in various locations around the world and imported to the U.S. Ceramic tiles are composed of clay and inorganic materials that are oven dried and glazed. So when is best to spring for the real thing or settle for ceramic? Let's take a look at the facts.

While you can never go wrong with marble tiles in classic shades of black and white, designers and homeowners should consider the other tones and hues of marble tiles that can enhance interiors. For a recent New England Home feature entitled "Trends & Trendmakers," several designers were asked to name the new and old trends that are prevailing in today's interior designs. When it comes to current trends in floors, walls and finishes, these designers concluded that color ins "in." As New England Home writer Paula M. Bodahput it, "Pastels and neutrals will never vanish, but all the pros agree that color is back in a big way."

What do most of the world's most lavish hotel lobbies have in common? Swanky marble tile floors!  A timeless tradition, marble surfaces have been used to exhibit luxury and elegance for thousands of years, beginning with the Ancient Greeks and Romans. Today, marble tile floors are tying together wow-factors like colossal ceilings, spectacular chandeliers and majestic fountains in the most famous hotels and buildings across the globe. From an ABC News feature, here are a few examples of the world's most magnificent hotel lobbies featuring marble tile floors.