The great Pantheon and the statue of David were built with this marvelous stone called carrara marble. This hard stone has always played a prominent role in both art as well as architecture for not just decades such centuries. They were first used by the Romans who pulled the slabs from the Carrara queries of Tuscany back in the golden days of the Roman Empire. The stone is especially known for its white as well as whitish gray colored veins that act as a distinguishing feature of this wonderful stone. These stones, when used in the right manner, can easily turn any room or property into a work of art.
The reason why these marbles are called carrara marbles is because of the fact that they are mined in the quarries of Massa-Carrara which is located in the north western side of Tuscany. It is from the mines of this location that this stone is exported to other parts of the world in massive blocks. These huge blocks are then cut into hundreds of slabs and then honed to provide them with a very smooth yet matte finish. Some of the these slabs are also polished to give them a shiny gloss. However, it is not that easy to distinguish carrara marble from other marble stones. You would need to know what they really look like if you are to be able to spot them. These marbles have whitish gray background with bluish gray veins spread all over them. This is one of the most visible distinguish features of this stone. The stones with whiter background are costlier than the other ones.
Carrara marbles are usually used in places with high temperatures as they are resistant to extremes of temperatures and heat. These stones emit coolness to rooms and thus help in keeping the interior temperatures of house moderate. These stones have always been known to keep homes cooler, and therefore were used extensively in the pre- air conditioning era in the hotter months. So if you are living in African countries or south Asia or Australia, then this is the stone that should be on top of your list for flooring purpose as it will not only provide much needed respite from heat during months of summers but also keep your electricity bills to the minimum. However, you should not get these stones polished as doing so can make scratching more evident than normal circumstances.
The reason why these marbles are called carrara marbles is because of the fact that they are mined in the quarries of Massa-Carrara which is located in the north western side of Tuscany. It is from the mines of this location that this stone is exported to other parts of the world in massive blocks. These huge blocks are then cut into hundreds of slabs and then honed to provide them with a very smooth yet matte finish. Some of the these slabs are also polished to give them a shiny gloss. However, it is not that easy to distinguish carrara marble from other marble stones. You would need to know what they really look like if you are to be able to spot them. These marbles have whitish gray background with bluish gray veins spread all over them. This is one of the most visible distinguish features of this stone. The stones with whiter background are costlier than the other ones.
Carrara marbles are usually used in places with high temperatures as they are resistant to extremes of temperatures and heat. These stones emit coolness to rooms and thus help in keeping the interior temperatures of house moderate. These stones have always been known to keep homes cooler, and therefore were used extensively in the pre- air conditioning era in the hotter months. So if you are living in African countries or south Asia or Australia, then this is the stone that should be on top of your list for flooring purpose as it will not only provide much needed respite from heat during months of summers but also keep your electricity bills to the minimum. However, you should not get these stones polished as doing so can make scratching more evident than normal circumstances.
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