How To Check The Quality Of Your Marble Stone For Wall Cladding?

Are you thinking of incorporating marble stones into your home’s decor? Perhaps in the form of beautiful marble stone wall cladding that leaves your guests in awe! 

If this is your first time shopping for natural marble stones, you may be surprised to know the amount of fake or fabricated marble stones available these days. Thus, no matter how you desire to use the marble, if you want authentic stones, you should know how to distinguish them from fake ones.

So, jump into the following section and discover easy ways to distinguish natural marble slabs from fabricated ones.

How To Check The Quality Of Your Marble Stone For Wall Cladding?

Imitation marbles are ideal if you want the look of natural marble without the price and other risks. However, if you wish to install natural, authentic stones, use these techniques to check their quality.

1. Do the colours match?

Natural marble stones come in various colours, ranging from white to black. However, the tones are generally in softer hues rather than striking colours. Furthermore, fully published marble stones typically appear white without scratches. You can find natural limestone in green, pink, yellow, blue, grey and cream tones. However, marble can have unconventional shades, such as orange and turquoise, when mixed with other materials, like cement.

2. Do you notice knife marks?

 

The soft mineral calcite in natural marble causes it to age more quickly than its fake counterparts. With time and use, you can easily observe the differences between genuine and fabricated marble stone wall cladding. Blemishes, scratches and nicks on the stone surfaces are other telltale signs of authentic marble. Alternatively, if a marble slab is man-made, it would be less prone to knife and blade scratches.

3. Check the shine and sparkle

 

Manufacturers create synthetic stones from finely crushed materials, like glass. Although the fabricated stones look beautiful, they can’t replicate the shine and lustre of natural marble stones. 

4. Inspect the veins and outward appearance

 

The veins, fissures and cracks of marble stones can help you prove their integrity. If a marble slab has cracks and fissures on its surface at a specific spot, it will have the same veins on its back. Plus, high-quality slabs don’t develop more fractures or cracks if they break. Manufacturers often try to replicate this quality of marble with epoxy mesh or fibreglass.

5. Measurement and adjustment 

 

You can judge the quality of a tile by analysing its thickness and calibration. Since marble is born with flaws, you should get thicker tiles for better longevity. Manufacturers usually calibrate natural tiles and measure them to ensure the sizes match. You would want to get tiles of the same size and proper build instead of trapezoidal shape tiles. Trapezoidal shape tiles are unable to create tight and clean grout lines.

6. Splits and fragments

 

Most natural marble slabs are too soft to cut without cracks and chips. So, if you notice a bit of chipping around your marble tiles or wall cladding, don’t stress about it. However, if the chipping or cracking is more than 50%, it indicates the stone is too brittle. Hence, it is best to avoid that slab.

7. Replaced tiles

 

It’s common for factories to use fillers when manufacturing a product with natural stones. The purpose of using the filler is mainly to repair chipped or broken pieces. You can get an idea about the quality of the marble and how many fillers are in there by holding the slab at an angle to the light. High-quality original marble will appear reflective to the light, while the filler spots will look dull.

 

Bottom Line

 

Distinguishing authentic marble stones for marble stone wall cladding from fake ones can be challenging. However, following these tips can significantly reduce your chances of paying the price of the original marble for replicated products.