Marble is an extremely popular choice for interior design and has become notably fashionable over the past few years. It’s aesthetically pleasing and works well with a variety of colours and designs. It has numerous pleasing qualities that lend to its appeal to homeowners. But how much do you really know about marble? Read seven interesting facts about marble below!
1. It’s naturally cool
Marble usually feels cool to the touch because it’s a dense heat conductor that absorbs heat very easily. So for example, when you touch marble with your fingertips, your body heat is transferred to the stone and dissipates. This is different to other surfaces that aren’t good heat conductors. If you were to touch carpet or wood, the fibres and air pockets on the surface trap the heat long enough for it to warm up, and the heat doesn’t dissipate as quickly.
2. It has some unusual uses
While it might be most famously recognised as the material used for iconic architecture, statues or marble worktops, it has a few unique uses that may surprise you. A few of these uses are:
- Pharmaceutical ingredient – Marble is great for acid neutralisation. If you have any medicine for acid-related indigestion take a look at the ingredients! If it contains calcium carbonate it’s probably derived from marble dust.
- Whiting and pigment – Marble’s naturally white form is sometimes used to produce a product known as “whiting,” a white powder that is used as a pigment, brightener, and filler in paint, paper and other products.
- Toothpaste – Most toothpaste contains marble dust. It’s the perfect soft abrasive.
- Luxury phone cases – The marble phase in fashion saw the rise of marble-themed decor, but now you can get luxury phone cases made from real marble.
- Bottling – Marble dust is also used to create carbonic acid gas (carbon dioxide) which is used in the bottling of beverages.
3. The Great Pyramids of Giza were covered in marble
A relatively unknown fact is that the Great Pyramids of Giza were once covered in a bright, white limestone protective casing. It is no longer present due to years of erosion.
But wait, that’s limestone, not marble? Well, that’s explained in the next fact…
4. Marble is actually made of limestone
Marble is actually largely made up of limestone and calcium carbonate. It’s formed by high pressure and high temperature in the crust of the earth. Metamorphic rock is a new type of rock that’s made when an existing rock undergoes metamorphic deformation, so in layman’s terms, marble is formed when sedimentary rock heats up and melts, and then recrystallizes.
5. Marble isn’t called ‘marble’?
What interior designers and stonemasons call ‘marble’ is different from what geologists define it as. Geologists distinguish marble as metamorphosed limestone and dolomite rock. Whereas, commercially, marble is used as a much more general term for a variety of metamorphosed rocks. Simply put, commercial names such as ‘marble’ and ‘granite’ include a variety of rocks and materials that technically, do not match their scientific definitions.
6. Each slab is totally unique
The veins that make marble so instantly recognisable are actually impurities within the rock! Every slab of marble is different, so it’s key to source marble from the same batch if you want it all to match as well as it can. These patterns are the result of mineral-based impurities that are present in layers or grains within the stone. They create marble’s iconic swirls and streaks that you often find in kitchen worktops and bathroom worktops.
7. Marble’ has Greek origins
The word “marble” is believed to derive from the Ancient Greek verb μαρμαίρω (marmaírō) which is translated to ‘to shine/gleam/sparkle.’ Marble is stunning, and we can see why so many people love to have it in their homes.
So there you go, seven interesting facts about marble! It’s more than just a great kitchen worktop material. If you want to know more, you can read more of our blogs here, or call us to speak to an expert. We are also experts in granite worktops and quartz countertops.