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Which is better – natural or artificial stone?

الحجر الطبيعي
natural stone
natural stone

Natural stone – marble, granite, limestone, quartzite – has been widely used in construction and interior decoration since ancient times. Also, natural stone has long been used to create a variety of interior and landscape elements – sculptures, fountains, fireplaces, benches, trees, small architectural forms.

However, nowadays natural materials are increasingly being replaced by artificial decorative stones that imitate various types of natural stones. The variety of colors and patterns of artificial stone allows you to create products that are almost indistinguishable from products made of natural stone . At the same time, the use of decorative stone allows significant savings in finishing and facing work, because natural stone for facing the basement or facade is an expensive pleasure that not everyone can afford.

From this article, you will learn how and from what artificial stone is made today, what are the advantages and disadvantages, as well as understand how to identify natural stone or not.

How is artificial stone made?

For the production of artificial stone, cement, sand (including quartz), natural minerals (stones of natural origin, clay, sand or natural gravel), polyester-acrylic and polyester resin binders, as well as an auxiliary agent, stabilizer, coloring pigments and other additives are used to improve the quality of the material .

Reinforcement is used to increase strength, and due to fillers such as expanded clay, pumice and similar light minerals, the weight of the finished products is reduced. Then comes the turn of the complex technological process, which includes pressing under high pressure, firing and other actions known only to specialists. The resulting material resembles a thick piece of glass or ceramic tile and resembles a piece of sawn natural stone.

Should I choose artificial stone?

Owners of homes and personal plots often wonder what is better natural or artificial stone. There is no single answer here. Artificial stone is much cheaper and less expensive than natural stone, and in many cases its use is justified. On the other hand, it can serve you much less than normal, and its performance depends on many factors, for example, compliance with production technology.

Manufacturers of artificial stone claim that the difference between natural stone and its artificial counterpart is practically not noticeable. However, experts of the Art Stone Group are convinced that comparing natural and artificial finishing materials is approximately the same as comparing original masterpieces of art with their copies.

However, artificial stone has undeniable advantages. Firstly, it is inexpensive and at the same time high-quality material (if the production technology is not violated). It is resistant to high humidity and sudden temperature fluctuations, so it is suitable not only for decorating external and internal walls (for these works, you can safely use natural or artificial stone at your discretion), but also for finishing basement floors in city buildings. Due to a dense structure, artificial stone does not absorb moisture, which means that it is not affected by fungi or mold, it is resistant to abrasion. The transportation of such a stone and the installation of products from it does not cause difficulties, since the material has a small weight.

Should I choose artificial stone?

Owners of homes and personal plots often wonder what is better natural or artificial stone. There is no single answer here. Artificial stone is much cheaper and less expensive than natural stone, and in many cases its use is justified. On the other hand, it can serve you much less than normal, and its performance depends on many factors, for example, compliance with production technology.

Manufacturers of artificial stone claim that the difference between natural stone and its artificial counterpart is practically not noticeable. However, experts of the Art Stone Group are convinced that comparing natural and artificial finishing materials is approximately the same as comparing original masterpieces of art with their copies.

However, artificial stone has undeniable advantages. Firstly, it is inexpensive and at the same time high-quality material (if the production technology is not violated). It is resistant to high humidity and sudden temperature fluctuations, so it is suitable not only for decorating external and internal walls (for these works, you can safely use natural or artificial stone at your discretion), but also for finishing basement floors in city buildings. Due to a dense structure, artificial stone does not absorb moisture, which means that it is not affected by fungi or mold, it is resistant to abrasion. The transportation of such a stone and the installation of products from it does not cause difficulties, since the material has a small weight.

How to distinguish natural stone from artificial?

If you do not know how to recognize a natural stone or an artificial stone, just take a closer look at the pattern and texture of the material. Shades of decorative stone, despite their proximity to natural stones, still differ from them – the colors are brighter, one might even say, “technogenic”. Another difference that is always “fake” is the uniformity of the texture. In nature, you will not find two identical pieces of marble or granite – each will be unique, having its own unique pattern.

In addition, processing natural stone, giving it the desired shape is always manual labor. And artificial stone products are the result of mass production, so you can always find exactly the same sculpture or fountain in the vicinity.

We do not want to say that natural stone is better than artificial in everything. For many purposes, it is preferable to use an artificial decorative stone. So, for example, if you want to arrange an alpine hill with construction work on your site, then it makes no sense to overpay for natural granite, and even more so for marble. You will choose an artificial stone or a natural one for an alpine slide – outwardly there will be no difference. By the way, limestone and sandstone from natural stones are often used to create a rock garden.

A completely different thing is a countertop made of artificial or natural stone, a marble bathroom, an indoor sculpture or a garden fountain. Here the difference is immediately apparent. If you want to have an exclusive stone product in your home “for centuries”, which will emphasize the status of the owner of the house, then be sure that granite and artificial marble will not work for this. However, if for some reason you still choose a cheaper option, do not try to consider an artificial stone natural – you risk being in a very awkward position if your exchange is revealed. Today, many people are interested in how to identify a natural stone or not – and in fact, it is very easy to identify a fake!

The main advantages of artificial stone

Decorative products have many advantages over natural products. The most important ones:

  • Availability. For example, the cost of an artificial stone countertop will be several times cheaper than its natural counterpart;
  • wide range in. the possibility of choosing furniture of random shape, size and any architectural design;
  • Ease of installation. To install the device does not require any skills, it is enough just to follow the indicated instructions;
  • durability. thanks to the use of polymer composite materials, synthetic products are not subject to corrosion, moisture and fungal infections;
  • lightness of the material; In the manufacture of decorative panels, special polymeric fillers are used, which partially replace the original raw materials and have a low density. Furniture made of decorative materials is several times lighter, and strength is unchanged compared to natural counterparts.
  • Environmental safety. Polymer compound bases are non-toxic, all bonding components are chemically resistant to aggressive and thermally unstable environments. In addition, this product does not have its radioactive background, unlike natural granite and marble.
  • Modification possibility. If necessary, you can adjust any shape, size and special architectural design by grinding and trimming.

Advantages and disadvantages of natural stone

What are the advantages and disadvantages of natural stone? Despite the complete dominance of artificial panels and plinths, natural products are still in great demand.

Natural stone features:

  • Longer operating life. Natural products contain biological elements in their structure. These are microorganisms that naturally produce inorganic compounds that serve as the structural basis of the stone. In addition, the natural bonds between molecules have exceptional strength. It has not yet been possible to obtain this material artificially. Castles, forts and pyramids dating back hundreds and thousands of years have survived to this day.
  • The disadvantage is the high cost.

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