Faux marble, the term faux itself means made to look real, hence not genuine. Faux marble is human-made marble; it can be moulded according to the customer’s choice and comfort in size. This feature of faux marble has created a huge demand among interior designers and more significantly since 2020.
Faux marble is popular by other names like
- Artificial marble
- Cultured marble
HOW IS FAUX MARBLE CREATED?
To understand the creation of artificial marble it’s necessary to know about the creation of natural marble. Originally marble is a rock made naturally inside the earth. There are 3 types of rock:
1. Igneous Rock:
These rocks contain basic oxides in greater proportion like aluminium, iron and magnesium. They appear denser and darker. Such rocks are extremely hard and quarried for purpose of road making and gravestones.
2. Sedimentary Rock:
Forms when sediments accumulate over a long duration. They may be coarse or fine-grained. Sandstone like grit, clay, sand and gravel are very familiar examples before us.
3. Metamorphic Rock:
These are the rocks which are formed when igneous rocks or sedimentary rocks come under intense heat and pressure inside the earth. The original character of igneous and sedimentary rocks gets altered under this process. Intense heat and pressure changes.
- Clay into Slate
- Sandstone into Quartzite
- Shale into Shist
- Coal into Graphite
- Limestone into Marbles
![Natural Marble](https://blog.ravzon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Untitled-design-8-1024x576.webp)
Some marbles appear white, some with different shades and designs. These shades and designs are achieved due to; the various minerals limestone met while undergoing the intense heat to convert into marble.
After knowing the process of creation of natural marbles let’s know more about the creation of artificial marbles or faux marbles. The natural creation of marble is a geological activity that occurs inside the earth.
Development in science enabled humans to make such things marble above the earth too. To make faux marble; in a predetermined quantity, a mixture gets prepared. The mixture of faux marble contains cement, sand, quartz, stone powder, acrylic glue and colophony.
This hybrid mix is stirred well and put in a mould. Then this mixture made for faux marble undergo intense pressure to get accumulate and solidify to become artificial marble.
Types of Faux Marble
Faux marble is actually of three types which are:
1. Faux stones:
They seem to be natural stones and do not get scratches on them. They are made out of marble pieces with resin.
2. Painted laminate:
Here the name itself suggests the process of its manufacturing. Laminated tiles are painted in such a beautiful way that it resembles marble. This is pocket friendly for customers.
3. Faux marbleizing:
The cheapest of all the three types of marble. In this process, the concrete wall gets painted artistically so that it mimics marble by look. Customers have the choice to either have a glossy or mate finish.
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The creation of marble whether natural or faux marble involves a common thing: that is intense pressure. Now let’s know about the differences between artificial marble and natural marble.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NATURAL MARBLE AND FAUX MARBLE
FEATURE | NATURAL MARBLE | ARTIFICIAL MARBLE |
WEIGHT | Heavy | Light |
THICK / THIN | Thick | Thin |
MAINTENANCE | High | Low |
COLOUR AND PATTERN | Depends upon the mineral got mixed into limestone inside the earth. | Myriad shades and patterns are available to satisfy customers of different tastes. |
LOOKS | Homogeneous patterns are not available. | Available in every pattern and shade and homogeneity is available. |
HEAT RESISTANCE | High | Low |
INSTALLATION | Need experts | Easy |
COST | Highly expensive | Pocket-friendly |
Marbles are used in many places in office space and at home. They are used for floors, steps and kitchen platforms too. Marbles are part of daily life usage so it is necessary to know about their proper maintenance and cleaning process.
Natural marble needs much more attention and care than artificial marble needs. Some easy tips are
- While cleaning, please avoid acidic substances. Acidic substances make marble lose its shine. Also, keep harsh scrubbers far away for cleaning purposes of this lustre stone.
- Try to clean stains instantly before it turns into a permanent mark over the marble. To clean stains use a gentle cleanser or mild detergents.
- Marbles can be sealed which adds a layer of protection above the countertops. Sealant provides more time to clean stains.
ADVANTAGES OF FAUX MARBLE
- They are available in many patterns and colours; providing a wide palette for selection to customers
- The maintenance of artificial/faux marble is too easy.
- The intense pressure faux marble undergoes makes it strong and extremely durable in nature.
- Light-weight and features of easy installation enable faux marble to be shaped to the size of the customer’s preference.
- Most importantly, it is less expensive.
DISADVANTAGE OF FAUX MARBLE
- It is not good to bear intense heat.
- The gel coating applied on artificial marble usually tracks easily.
CONCLUSION
Faux marble is a pocket-friendly and easy-maintenance product with long durability. The process to make this marble is easy and hence is easily available in the market. While purchasing the product it is advised to customers to check the quality and pricing of marbles available in the market. For further queries visit Ravzon.
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