Natural Stone Industry Glossary

Glossary is usually defined as an alphabetical list of technical terms in some specialized field of knowledge. This Natural Stone industry glossary provides a collection of industry terms that define many products and technical terms. These terms are arranged alphabetically, but you can quickly jump to specific term by selecting its first letter from the index of the glossary below.

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Search Results: 14 Terms Found

SLATE
A fine-grained bluish, gray or green metamorphic rock that is easily split into smooth flat plates.

SOUNDNESS
The property and characteristics of stone used to describe the cracks, imperfections, and faults.

SPALL
A fragment or splinter of stone separated from the base stone.

STONE CARE AND MAINTENANCE
The process of caring for natural stones, tiles, grouts and mortars. Maintenance can include period re-sealing as with granite.

STUNNED CRYSTALS, (MARKS)
Whitish markings in stones that are the result of damage occurring to the crystals when subjected to high stress.

SAND BLASTED
A finish for stones that is matte in appearance created by the application of sand under high pressure

SANDSTONE
A sedimentary rock that consists of quartz, feldspar and sand. Available in a wide array of colors and designs including reds, yellows and browns.

SAWED EDGE
A smooth edge finish for stone that is created by the cutting with a diamond blade or gang saw.

SAWED FINISH
A finish for stone that features textures from rough to smooth accomplished by chat sawn, shot sawn, diamond sawn, or other processes.

SEALING
The process of applying a chemical compound designed to make joints water tight. Tiles, stones, countertops, grouts, foundations, windows and more can be sealed to resist water.

SEDIMENTARY STONES
Rocks that have been formed by the natural sedimentation process within the Earth's surface. Can include rocks or fossils.

SERPENTINE
A dark green mineral comprised of hydrated magnesium silicate that is spotted or mottled like a snake's skin.

SETTER
A professional journeyman who installs stone and tile.

SHALE
A soft, finely stratified sedimentary rock that is formed from consolidated clay or mud that can be split into plates. Typically not as hard as slate and comes in a variety of shades including blacks, browns, grays and reds.