The Veining Within Natural Stone Kitchen Benchtops
A prime reason to install a stone benchtop is the beautiful veining and flecking which covers their surfaces in swabs of colour. These patterns result from mineral deposits that settle into the rock over time. Read on to discover two main types of veining that can occur in nature and also how a stone can be cut differently to show off the patterns within. Ultimately, this awareness can help you to arrive at the best decision when picking a countertop for your kitchen.
Two Types Of Veining
The veins and speckles in a piece of rock result from crystalised minerals filling up cracks that develop across the surface. For instance, a long break might appear, which could subsequently fill up with water and minerals. When the water evaporates, it leaves the minerals behind to form linear streaks of colour. This happens time after time to create all the variances in a particular slab of stone. The patterns from such a process are called crack seal veins.
Other patterns form when a hole or cavity develops in a rock, and subsequent layers of various minerals settle on the walls to eventually fill it in. Patterns formed by this process of open-space filling create numerous irregular and circular shapes.
Cutting The Slab
A rock's history of cracks and mineral deposits creates its unique patterning, which is why no two slabs ever look exactly the same. The appearance of your benchtop not only depends, though, on such organic processes but also on how the slab is cut. A vein-cut stone is cut against the veins so that they display in long lines, which can appear similar to parallel grains in a piece of timber. Cross-cut stone slabs are cut with the veining, which will appear as swirls, showing off a variety of hues.
Choosing Your Benchtop
Armed with this knowledge, you're in a better position when researching a benchtop for your kitchen. Do the various patterns of the models you're looking at form long, branching lines? Or do the patterns appear as circular or irregular shapes? Ask the contractor also whether the slab is vein-cut or cross-cut. Once you start looking at countertops with more awareness, you'll develop a greater appreciation of their diversity, helping you to arrive at the perfect one for your kitchen. Consider your options carefully when looking at stone benchtops, which typically last for decades, as you don't want to install one before realising that you prefer something else.
To learn more about stone benchtops, contact remodelling contractors in your area.
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