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Carrara marble: a luxury within your reach

Natural stone has been, since ancient times, a highly valued material in construction, interior design, and art of course. For example, Michelangelo used to personally select the blocks of Carrara marble that he would use for his sculptures, including for La Pietà and David. The prestigious Carrara marble is exclusively from northern Tuscany, Italy, in the Apuan Alps region. There are a handful of quarries there where this prized variety of white Carrara marble, synonymous of quality and luxury, is extracted from. Do you want to know more about the composition and architectural and interior design uses of Carrara marble, as well as some mind-blowing facts and care tips? Well, keep on reading and we’ll tell you all there is to know about this special stone.

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Dekton Natura and Opera

A stone of many tones

As a whole, marble is a metamorphic rock mostly made of calcium carbonate, which gives it its distinctive white color, and Carrara is no exception. The stone’s other shades are created by its additional elements like magnesium silicate, mica, quartz, chlorites, iron oxide…  Which help change the tone of Carrara marble from white to pearl white, commonly producing fine gray grains in the stone (on occasions they may appear as blueish-gray too). White Carrara marble has fine grains and a sandy appearance. In terms of its durability, it is around 3 to 4 on the Mohs scale. 

There are three varieties of white Carrara marble, all with different base colors: one is intensely white with light grains that are barely visible; another has a slightly off white shade, and the final one has a darker base color, which is a shade of gray pearl white. The active quarries where this marble is extracted from are located in three different locations: Colonnata, Ravaccione and Fantiscritti. Marble has been extracted from this part of the Italian Apuan Alps since ancient times, and nowadays the stone from here is cut using a diamond wire, meaning that each piece is unique, distinctive, and natural.

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White Carrara marble with black faucets.

Uses of Carrara Marble

White Carrara marble is ideal for homes, offices, and malls thanks to its esthetics, durability, and elegance. This type of marble is primarily used to clad walls, for flooring, kitchen countertops, bathrooms, kitchen backsplashes, staircases, and fireplaces. It is ideal to use both indoors and outdoors, for example, as a façade. Anything else? Of course! It can also be used for tabletops, (dining tables or side tables), credenzas, couch legs, or entire pieces of furniture, like tables. There is no doubt that Carrara marble is on trend in the 21st  Century and it is used for endless amazing furniture designs, providing sophistication and style. We can even see it in decorative lamps and design accessories, like trays. 

It can be purchased in many different shapes, sizes and thicknesses. The most common finish is a polished finish which reflects the light and easily catches the eye, creating some truly impressive spaces full of personality and character. However, be sure not to use polished marble for flooring - it can be a slip hazard. Carrara is a stone that can also be used with other finishes such as honed, distressed, or sandblasted, among others.

 

White Carrara marble cleaning and maintenance

White Carrara marble has some amazing features. It is a noble material that is highly resistant and unbelievably attractive, but it is also a porous material meaning that you need to use the right cleaning products to care for it. For example, it is susceptible to acids. In general, it can be easily cleaned with warm water or a soapy solution prepared with a neutral soap. To prolong its natural gloss, we recommend applying a special marble wax from time to time. If scratches or abrasions occur over time, the best solution is to polish the surface. Did you know that the word marble comes from the Latin word marmor? This was the original term for a stone that could be polished.

If you are going to have white Carrara marble in areas exposed to water, such as the shower or kitchen countertop, treat the surface with a special resin based sealant, to keep your marble in optimum conditions.

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White Carrara Marble

Do you want to find an alternative that looks just as good as marble but has even better features? Check out the Opera and Aura 15 models from the Dekton Natural Range which perfectly replicate this beautiful material. Dekton is the latest generation material that offers maximum resistance from scratches, abrasions, heat, and stains, and is the perfect choice when it comes to hygiene and cleaning.

In essence, both white Carrara marble or replica materials can offer so much to any architectural or interior design, with their esthetics creating a stately and sophisticated space, based around simple gray grains to add depth to the plain white surface. The result is a light and spacious area that you cannot help but admire.

The awesome esthetic, physical, and mechanical properties of Carrara marble mean that it has stayed relevant throughout the centuries and to this day it is still in high demand on a global scale. It is easily combined with any material and hugely versatile as it is commonly used in contemporary, classical or even more industrial designs.