Author: yxpweed
Marble refers to a metamorphic rock formed by alteration of limestone or dolomite, often irregularly colored by impurities. Marble composed mostly of calcite, a crystalline form of calcium carbonate, CaCO3. It is widely used for sculpture, as a building material, and in many other architectural applications. The word 'marble' is colloquially used to refer to many other stones that are capable of taking a high polish. Marbles comes in different colors such as black, red, gray, white, pink, green and mottled and banded etc.
It is a hard wearing beautiful product and is heavy, as it comes in slab form commonly. Marble is generally used for roofing, flooring, wall cladding, and all other interior and exterior application. There is a wide categorization of marble stone types including different type of tiles, chips, blocks etc. This stone works perfectly for decorating home, office and other places very elegantly.
Most of the marble products are rectangular in shape but they come in various sizes. For example marble tiles, marble slabs and marble blocks are rectangular and flat in shape. On the other hand marble chips and marble floor tiles come in different shapes. Marble chips are small pieces of marble that have no definite shape as they often occur naturally. Marble chips are used to give parks, gardens or landscapes an exiting and cool look. One need not use any special product to fix these marble chips as these can easily be spread over the area that one wants to cover.
Marble tiles are made in an array of size and thickness. Marble tiles can be used in the houses or in the gardens (outdoors) because of their long term strength. Marble slabs are flat in shape and have small thickness. Marble steps and Marble floor tiles are available in various shapes and small sizes so that they can be used on house floors, stairs and various other places. Marble blocks came in large sizes and are very durable. Marble blocks are mostly used for various exterior purposes.
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_823630_27.html
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Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Soapstone Slabs and Blocks Add Function and Form To Your Spaces
Author: Anne Harvester
You may have marveled at the beauty of soapstone sinks, fireplaces, countertops, tiles, mosaics and cookware. Their finished beauty defies their humble beginnings as soapstone slabs and soapstone blocks. Taking rough stone from the side of a mountain in Brazil through all of the processes needed to bring a sink or a countertop to life is an interesting and detailed task, but one that is offered by stone masons around the world so that you can enjoy the results of soapstone in your home or office.
Some of the world's most lovely soapstone hails from Brazil. Soapstone is a metamorphic rock that consists primarily of talc and magnesium. Miners drill holes with heavy water pistons into the side of a mountain where the soapstone is located and once a hole is made through the area, a heavy cable studded with diamonds is used to slice the chunk of soapstone from the mountainside, a little like using a piece of dental floss to slice through a delicate cheesecake. Heavy bucket loaders come in and loosen the large pieces from the earth. After a thorough washing with water, the soapstone is taken to a stone yard for processing, where large saws with diamond edges are used to cut the soapstone into the desired shapes.
Soapstone is typically sold in slabs and blocks. Both have specific uses in construction applications for homes and commercial spaces.
Soapstone slabs are used for making luxurious countertops. These countertops are much in demand, both for their beauty and for their heat and stain resistance. You can set hot food containers directly on the countertop, with no ill effect. They clean up easily with common household cleaners as well.
Soapstone blocks can be used for crafting sinks and fireplaces, although slabs can be used for this purpose as well depending on the specific design desired. Grinders, guided by lasers, are used to grind the sandstone to create basins, and drains are cut out with specialty cutters that can make a hole in the solid piece of stone. If soapstone slabs are used in creating sinks, heavy waterproof epoxys are used to glue the flat pieces together so that they will hold water. A very unified and elegant look can be achieved when soapstone slabs are used for the countertops, and soapstone blocks are used for the sinks in a bathroom or kitchen.
Soapstone comes in beautiful shades of grey, blue and charcoal, all with unique veining so that no two pieces are exactly alike. You can adorn your home and workspace with all of the sophisticated style and durability that comes from using products made from soapstone slabs and soapstone blocks from Brazil.
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_648533_27.html
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You may have marveled at the beauty of soapstone sinks, fireplaces, countertops, tiles, mosaics and cookware. Their finished beauty defies their humble beginnings as soapstone slabs and soapstone blocks. Taking rough stone from the side of a mountain in Brazil through all of the processes needed to bring a sink or a countertop to life is an interesting and detailed task, but one that is offered by stone masons around the world so that you can enjoy the results of soapstone in your home or office.
Some of the world's most lovely soapstone hails from Brazil. Soapstone is a metamorphic rock that consists primarily of talc and magnesium. Miners drill holes with heavy water pistons into the side of a mountain where the soapstone is located and once a hole is made through the area, a heavy cable studded with diamonds is used to slice the chunk of soapstone from the mountainside, a little like using a piece of dental floss to slice through a delicate cheesecake. Heavy bucket loaders come in and loosen the large pieces from the earth. After a thorough washing with water, the soapstone is taken to a stone yard for processing, where large saws with diamond edges are used to cut the soapstone into the desired shapes.
Soapstone is typically sold in slabs and blocks. Both have specific uses in construction applications for homes and commercial spaces.
Soapstone slabs are used for making luxurious countertops. These countertops are much in demand, both for their beauty and for their heat and stain resistance. You can set hot food containers directly on the countertop, with no ill effect. They clean up easily with common household cleaners as well.
Soapstone blocks can be used for crafting sinks and fireplaces, although slabs can be used for this purpose as well depending on the specific design desired. Grinders, guided by lasers, are used to grind the sandstone to create basins, and drains are cut out with specialty cutters that can make a hole in the solid piece of stone. If soapstone slabs are used in creating sinks, heavy waterproof epoxys are used to glue the flat pieces together so that they will hold water. A very unified and elegant look can be achieved when soapstone slabs are used for the countertops, and soapstone blocks are used for the sinks in a bathroom or kitchen.
Soapstone comes in beautiful shades of grey, blue and charcoal, all with unique veining so that no two pieces are exactly alike. You can adorn your home and workspace with all of the sophisticated style and durability that comes from using products made from soapstone slabs and soapstone blocks from Brazil.
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_648533_27.html
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The desirability of a soapstone stove
Author: Jonothan Blocker
If you are seeking a surface for your kitchen that is at once traditional yet contemporary, you’ll be hard-pressed to do better than a Soapstone Stove.
Soapstone – so-called because it provides a tactile sensation similar to that of a dry bar of soap – is a unique form of what geologists call metamorphic rock, which is sometimes called “fire rock.” Metamorphic rock is that which starts as one kind of minieral, but under preternatural geologic pressure and heat, is transformed – “morphed” – into a different kind of mineral.
The material that goes into the creation of a soapstone stove is geologically related to marble, and even shares some of marble’s aesthetic qualities. Composed primarily of magnesium, talc and dolomite, soapstone is found primarily in strata dating back 300 – 400 million years – long before even the dinosaurs. Soapstone has a grained appearance similar to that of marble; this is one of the attributes of a Soapstone Stoves surface that makes it so attractive.
The desirability of Soapstone Stoves surface goes far beyond the aesthetic, however. Although soapstone itself is relatively soft as stone goes, it is also highly durable, heat resistant and heat conducive, and impervious to chemical stains and damage. Because it is inert, it is possible to spill almost anything atop a soapstone stove surface without damaging it. Any stains can readily be wiped away, or sanded off without doing any substantial damage to the surface.
In fact, soapstone has been used for pottery, ovens and other types of cookware for eons. Inuits and other Native American peoples have created exquisite works of are using soapstone that is used for boiling and roasting. The properties that make soapstone impervious to heat yet an efficient conductor of heat; food cooks evenly and thoroughly throughout atop a soapstone stove surface.
If you are seeking a unique type of cooking surface for your kitchen that blends with virtually any type of décor from one inspired by the ancient Mediterranean to the most contemporary styles, a soapstone stove will serve well. It is a bit of an initial investment, but history shows that it is one that will last for generations; there is many a soapstone stove that has been in everyday use for decades, even centuries. When you invest in a soapstone stove, you are investing in a piece of that history that will serve you for a lifetime, as well as the lifetime of your children, grandchildren – and beyond.
Check out soapstone today, and find out how a soapstone stove can enhance both the appearance and the utility of your kitchen today.
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_573293_15.html
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If you are seeking a surface for your kitchen that is at once traditional yet contemporary, you’ll be hard-pressed to do better than a Soapstone Stove.
Soapstone – so-called because it provides a tactile sensation similar to that of a dry bar of soap – is a unique form of what geologists call metamorphic rock, which is sometimes called “fire rock.” Metamorphic rock is that which starts as one kind of minieral, but under preternatural geologic pressure and heat, is transformed – “morphed” – into a different kind of mineral.
The material that goes into the creation of a soapstone stove is geologically related to marble, and even shares some of marble’s aesthetic qualities. Composed primarily of magnesium, talc and dolomite, soapstone is found primarily in strata dating back 300 – 400 million years – long before even the dinosaurs. Soapstone has a grained appearance similar to that of marble; this is one of the attributes of a Soapstone Stoves surface that makes it so attractive.
The desirability of Soapstone Stoves surface goes far beyond the aesthetic, however. Although soapstone itself is relatively soft as stone goes, it is also highly durable, heat resistant and heat conducive, and impervious to chemical stains and damage. Because it is inert, it is possible to spill almost anything atop a soapstone stove surface without damaging it. Any stains can readily be wiped away, or sanded off without doing any substantial damage to the surface.
In fact, soapstone has been used for pottery, ovens and other types of cookware for eons. Inuits and other Native American peoples have created exquisite works of are using soapstone that is used for boiling and roasting. The properties that make soapstone impervious to heat yet an efficient conductor of heat; food cooks evenly and thoroughly throughout atop a soapstone stove surface.
If you are seeking a unique type of cooking surface for your kitchen that blends with virtually any type of décor from one inspired by the ancient Mediterranean to the most contemporary styles, a soapstone stove will serve well. It is a bit of an initial investment, but history shows that it is one that will last for generations; there is many a soapstone stove that has been in everyday use for decades, even centuries. When you invest in a soapstone stove, you are investing in a piece of that history that will serve you for a lifetime, as well as the lifetime of your children, grandchildren – and beyond.
Check out soapstone today, and find out how a soapstone stove can enhance both the appearance and the utility of your kitchen today.
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_573293_15.html
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Oil From Shale
Author: Dayele
Oil shale is a sedimentary rock rich in kerogen which is a fossil fuel. Kerogen is an immature form of hydrocarbon that has been trapped in the oil shale. Solid oil shale is transformed into synthetic crude oil. Synthetic crude is a liquid fuel that can be refined into diesel and gasoline.
There are hundreds of patents from different companies trying to come up with cost efficient ways to extract the oil from the oil shale. Nothing made sense cost wise until oil started getting up over $70 a barrel. Now with oil hovering above $90 a barrel extracting oil from oil shale is starting to look promising.
Right here in the U.S. is one of the largest potential reserves of oil shale in the world. It lies in the Green River Formation which is an underground lakebed that spans some 17,000 square miles in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. It is said to hold at a minimum 800 billion barrels of oil that can be recovered. A Department of Energy study says that the Formation can sustain two million barrels a day by 2020 and three million a day by 2040.
Shell Oil has developed the most promising technology which they call the In Situ Conversion Process. How it works is this: 1800 foot wells are drilled and then heating rods are inserted in the wells. The heating rods heat the oil shale to 650 degrees Fahrenheit. They surround the wells with freeze walls which keep the oil from escaping into the ground water. The freeze walls are created by piping coolant deep into the ground around the wells. This freezes the rock and water around the drill site. The heat from the heating rods transforms the oil in the shale into oil and natural gas. The natural gas is separated from the oil and then will be used to produce the power to heat the rods. Of course a lot of water and energy is used to extract the oil from the oil shale. Most oil companies, like Triple Diamond Energy Corporation, will generate their own power from the natural gas extracted right at the drilling site. The oil will be piped to a refinery to be converted into gasoline.
Surface mining of oil shale deposits is just like strip mining for coal and has numerous effects on the environment. This new In Situ Conversion process will significantly reduce the damage to the environment caused by extracting oil from oil shale deposits.
Chris Jent is the Chief Marketing Officer of Triple Diamond Energy Corp. Triple Diamond Energy specializes in acquiring the highest quality prime oil and gas properties. For more information, visit http://www.triplediamondenergycorp.blogspot.com.
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_246509_15.html
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Oil shale is a sedimentary rock rich in kerogen which is a fossil fuel. Kerogen is an immature form of hydrocarbon that has been trapped in the oil shale. Solid oil shale is transformed into synthetic crude oil. Synthetic crude is a liquid fuel that can be refined into diesel and gasoline.
There are hundreds of patents from different companies trying to come up with cost efficient ways to extract the oil from the oil shale. Nothing made sense cost wise until oil started getting up over $70 a barrel. Now with oil hovering above $90 a barrel extracting oil from oil shale is starting to look promising.
Right here in the U.S. is one of the largest potential reserves of oil shale in the world. It lies in the Green River Formation which is an underground lakebed that spans some 17,000 square miles in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. It is said to hold at a minimum 800 billion barrels of oil that can be recovered. A Department of Energy study says that the Formation can sustain two million barrels a day by 2020 and three million a day by 2040.
Shell Oil has developed the most promising technology which they call the In Situ Conversion Process. How it works is this: 1800 foot wells are drilled and then heating rods are inserted in the wells. The heating rods heat the oil shale to 650 degrees Fahrenheit. They surround the wells with freeze walls which keep the oil from escaping into the ground water. The freeze walls are created by piping coolant deep into the ground around the wells. This freezes the rock and water around the drill site. The heat from the heating rods transforms the oil in the shale into oil and natural gas. The natural gas is separated from the oil and then will be used to produce the power to heat the rods. Of course a lot of water and energy is used to extract the oil from the oil shale. Most oil companies, like Triple Diamond Energy Corporation, will generate their own power from the natural gas extracted right at the drilling site. The oil will be piped to a refinery to be converted into gasoline.
Surface mining of oil shale deposits is just like strip mining for coal and has numerous effects on the environment. This new In Situ Conversion process will significantly reduce the damage to the environment caused by extracting oil from oil shale deposits.
Chris Jent is the Chief Marketing Officer of Triple Diamond Energy Corp. Triple Diamond Energy specializes in acquiring the highest quality prime oil and gas properties. For more information, visit http://www.triplediamondenergycorp.blogspot.com.
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_246509_15.html
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Stylish Travertine tiles
Author: Jill Anderson
Travertine tiles are prepared from natural travertine stone, which are alike in texture and composition to limestone.
Travertine tiles are naturally tough and loaded in calcium. This uniqueness makes it ideal for both core and external applications such as wall tiles, flooring, garden paths, terrace pavements, counter and tabletops. Brown, silver, red, white, yellow and beige are the general colors available in the market today.
Tile options are typically products of either cross-cut or vein-cut methods. Cross-cut follows the grain of the bedding and its layers to construct a consistent texture. Vein cutting goes through layers of rock bed and creates a more striated and spotted appearance.
Contemporary travertine comes in assorted finishes, the most well-liked being honed or polished. Honed tiles are polished for a flat matte surface. Tumbled travertine is rolled with gravel to give it an uneven, unpolished, and coarse rustic look. Filled travertine tiles are those whose pits and crevices are filled with resin or cement for a level, solid surface. On the other hand, unfilled travertine tiles give it a singularly unique and antique look.
Filled tiles are much easier to clean than unfilled travertine tiles as dirt particles can fall in the crevices, pits and uneven surfaces. The polished travertine tiles are the accepted choices for residences. A smooth, untouched surface reflects natural light and allows for a lustrous touch to the tiles. Combined with the fine variations in shades and vein markings, travertine is a versatile abode building substance. Travertine absorbs oils and is susceptible to hard scratches and acids. If it will be used in the bathroom and kitchens, it has to be treated with oil repellent sealers to guard it against wetness.
Su.J is a retailer of bathroom fixtures explains how Bathroom Tiles gives a beautiful look to your bathroom floor Atlasbathrooms.co.uk provides all types of bathroom tiles like Granite Countertops, Porcelain Tile, travertine tiles and Slate Roof Tile etc.
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_906849_80.html
Read More ..
Travertine tiles are prepared from natural travertine stone, which are alike in texture and composition to limestone.
Travertine tiles are naturally tough and loaded in calcium. This uniqueness makes it ideal for both core and external applications such as wall tiles, flooring, garden paths, terrace pavements, counter and tabletops. Brown, silver, red, white, yellow and beige are the general colors available in the market today.
Tile options are typically products of either cross-cut or vein-cut methods. Cross-cut follows the grain of the bedding and its layers to construct a consistent texture. Vein cutting goes through layers of rock bed and creates a more striated and spotted appearance.
Contemporary travertine comes in assorted finishes, the most well-liked being honed or polished. Honed tiles are polished for a flat matte surface. Tumbled travertine is rolled with gravel to give it an uneven, unpolished, and coarse rustic look. Filled travertine tiles are those whose pits and crevices are filled with resin or cement for a level, solid surface. On the other hand, unfilled travertine tiles give it a singularly unique and antique look.
Filled tiles are much easier to clean than unfilled travertine tiles as dirt particles can fall in the crevices, pits and uneven surfaces. The polished travertine tiles are the accepted choices for residences. A smooth, untouched surface reflects natural light and allows for a lustrous touch to the tiles. Combined with the fine variations in shades and vein markings, travertine is a versatile abode building substance. Travertine absorbs oils and is susceptible to hard scratches and acids. If it will be used in the bathroom and kitchens, it has to be treated with oil repellent sealers to guard it against wetness.
Su.J is a retailer of bathroom fixtures explains how Bathroom Tiles gives a beautiful look to your bathroom floor Atlasbathrooms.co.uk provides all types of bathroom tiles like Granite Countertops, Porcelain Tile, travertine tiles and Slate Roof Tile etc.
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_906849_80.html
Read More ..
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