Have you ever sat across from a trade professional and flet like they were talking a different language? Your head spins while they toss around confusing words like Un-gauged, Igneous and Metamorphic. Well, no need to grab your dictionary….below are some common stone terms:
Backsplash: the area located between the countertop and upper cabinet – usually 16-18 inches in height.
Border: a decorative piece of tile. Often long and narrow, set within the field tile to create interest.
Bullnose: rounding of an exposed stone edge.
Cladding: when a wall is faced in stone.
Face: the portion of the stone tile or slab that is exposed.
Forty-Five: a way of describing a diagonal stone setting design (on the 45 degree angle….)
Grout: an epoxy based material used to fill joints between tiles.
Inserts: decorative tile or accents that can be inserted in the field tile design.
Joint: an area where two tiles or two slabs meet.
Liner: a long narrow piece of decorative tile placed within a design to create interest.
Mortar: the material used to set stone.
Quarry: the physical location where raw blocks of stone are removed from the earth.
Slab: a linear piece of stone cut from the original quarried block.
Watch for some not so common terms next week!
And by the way…..Un-gauged is when a tile has been cut without strict uniform thickness, igneous is a type of rock that is formed from the cooling of molten matter, and metamorphic rock is a type of rock that is altered in appearance by extreme heat or pressure.