6 Important Questions You Should Ask While Shopping for Stones

Assume that you and your partner are on shopping for stones. You are only one step further from achieving your dream “decoration” for your house. You decide to use a stone since you two really like the color and pattern. You pay the price and go back to home. The stones are installed and you are every happy with the look. But after a short while, you realize a crack or scratch on the stone. Or you notice a stain which insists on remaining on the countertop. What would you do? Isn’t it a little bit late?

You should learn about the sizes, cracks, color types and any other detail if you do not want to experience the situation we mention above. This is why in this article we list 6 important questions that you should ask while you are shopping for it. Ask and learn.

Question Number 1: Is this a fissure over there?

A fissure is a visible hairline crack, which is the natural weak point of a natural stone. You should examine the stone and learn the location of the fissure because the fissure should not be located where the stone needs to be strong like around a sink. So the cutting process should delicately be performed considering the location of fissure.

Question Number 2: How thick does the stone need to be?

This thickness should meet the result that you would like to achieve. If you are planning to buy a countertop, the stone must be thicker than a stone to be used for flooring. You can measure the place where the stone will be used and take a note for it. You can tell the measurement of the stone to the salesperson in the store. But if you have no idea about how thick the stone should be, you should definitely take professional advice. You can search over Internet or ask an expert about it.

Question Number 3: What kind of finish you would like to have?

First of all, you need to make a search about the stone finishes. Think about which type will look the best on your floor or bathroom countertops. Matte, gloss, tumbled or flamed; which one do you think you like the most? Sit on your computer desk and ask Google about these finishes. Then, decide what you want.

Question Number 4: How porous is this stone?

All types of stones have different levels of porousness as their nature. Some stones like limestone and marble are generally more porous than the others. The more porous they are, the more likely they are to absorb the stains from the liquids like wine, coffee and even orange juice. For your kitchen, you need to have a “less porous” stone material since you deal with food all the time in there. Before deciding on a stone, you need to think carefully about how and where you plan to use it.

Question Number 5: How well will the samples match what comes to your home?

This is the point you should be very careful about. You do not want to have a different color or pattern than what you have paid for. Examine the stone you would like to buy very carefully, take a photo if you can and make sure that you have your sales receipt with you, just in case.

Question Number 6: Are you going to seal it, or not?

Sealants are the products which are frequently used on natural stones. But, be aware of that some sealants make the color darker or give a shinier look than you expected. So, best thing to do is to ask for a sample which shows you the different options that you achieve with sealant. You need to know how the finished surface will look.