Limestone

One of the most important resolutions to make when you decide to furnish your new home, or change the appearance of the existing one, is the choice of materials. In this section we want to introduce you to a material that is as elegant as it is versatile. A 100% natural product that can adapt to any style.

Whether you want a traditional, warm, and cosy environment or a completely modern and minimal space, this is the element to absolutely include.

We are talking about limestone. A natural stone that is extracted from the best quarries in the world and handcrafted in Italy in Artesia laboratories.

Read on to discover the benefits of this natural stone and the ways Artesia can introduce it into your everyday spaces.

What is limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary stone of marine origin and consists almost exclusively of the mineral calcite. In small quantities, dolomite, feldspar, clay minerals, quartz or mica minerals may also be contained. These mineral or organic additives give the limestone, which is white by itself, a varied colour. Thus, the sandstone can also be dyed reddish, greenish, yellow-brown, dark grey or black.

Most limestones formed from marine sediment deposited on sea floors, although some formed in freshwater lakes and rivers and even on dry land. Sources for the calcite in limestone include seashells. When shelled animals that use calcium carbonate in water to build their shells die, the remains of their shells accumulate on a sea or lake floor. Under the right conditions, large amounts of shell debris eventually get buried under other sediment and compressed into rock. Many limestones also contain fossils of such animals as corals, clams, and one-celled fusulinids that were preserved whole or nearly whole

Limestone is suitable for internal and external uses; thanks to the exceptional technical properties it possesses. Let's find out together what they are.

Properties of limestone

Limestone has countless benefits, both in terms of utility and design. We are talking about a robust and versatile material, capable of adapting to any style of furniture. Limestone is an excellent heat accumulator, which makes it perfect for wellness areas, for example. It also requires little maintenance, which is why it is often used in functional rooms such as kitchens or utility rooms.

But that’s barely it! Limestone is also extremely resistant to atmospheric agents and frost, fundamental properties for external applications. Speaking of external uses, it can also be adopted for the construction of swimming pool edges thanks to its non-slip effect.

Read on below to discover how we propose to incorporate this natural stone into the designing of your living spaces.

Limestone texture

Most limestones have a granular texture. Their constituent grains range in size from 0.001 mm (0.00004 inch) to visible particles. In many cases, the grains are microscopic fragments of fossil animal shells. Limestone can also be:

1. Massive - A fine-grained, light-coloured limestone formed from the calcium carbonate skeletal remains of microscopic marine organisms.
2. Crystalline - A marble formed by recrystallization of limestone because of metamorphism
3. Clastic - Formed from the cementation of sand and/or mud by way of calcite; often has the appearance of sandstone or mudstone and can be yellow, white, or grey in colour

Uses of limestone

Limestone offers countless types of applications, ideal for both indoor and outdoor spaces. The natural irregularity of the surfaces mixed with the subtle colour variations, make it possible to create compositions of high quality out of this material.

Artesia has built up a team of experts over the years to guide and support you throughout the planning and execution of your project.

The truth is that limestone has a larger implementation than any other natural material. Here are the most important ones:

1. Limestone indoor flooring – Two words to describe the benefits of an indoor limestone flooring: durable and beautiful. A limestone floor is resistant, robust, and easy to maintain. Thanks to the wide choice of tiles and slabs available, limestone floors can be adapted to any area and style. They can be used to create elegant public buildings such as hotels, offices, churches, museums and for private housing areas. Whether it's a classic villa, a modern attic, an old antique apartment or an exclusive holiday home, stone flooring adapts to any environment and lifestyle.
2. Limestone wall cladding– A limestone wall grants an extraordinary atmosphere to any room. You can design an entire room, such as a luxury bathroom, with limestone walls but you can also use a single limestone wall as an eye-catcher in the living area. The effect is assured for outdoor spaces too
3. Limestone furnishing accessories – Limestone can be used to create a large variety of furniture accessories. There are so many benefits in introducing limestone in your kitchen for example. Limestone tiles are heat resistant and independent of expansion and contraction, fundamental requisites for any cooking area. If these stones are properly cared for, they have the potential to last as long as 100 years. Limestone is also easy to polish.
4. Using Limestone in the Bathroom – Introducing limestone in your bathroom will help to create that luxurious spa feeling you need to relax at the end of each day. It is incredibly versatile, and you can use it in several areas such as flooring, wall tiles, and as your vanity top. Limestone is also perfect as a splashback and if you use it correctly, you will get a very natural, earthy look that will help to create a luxurious spa retreat kind of feeling and who doesn’t want that from their bathroom?!
5. Limestone for your fireplace – Limestone hearths are a great idea as the stone is a fairly inexpensive building material that is also extremely durable, fire-resistant, and easily cut to the size and shape needed. Limestone is naturally a very durable substance that typically holds up well when used in construction. The limestone hearth is not usually nicked, scratched, or dented easily. It does not normally break under normal use, so it will typically last for several years.
6. Limestone outdoor paving – Limestone pavers offer a wealth of design options for paths, driveways, plazas, and patios as they have all the properties that are crucial for outdoor use: they are robust, durable, weather & frost resistant and easy to maintain. Limestone slabs are ideal for paving garden paths and driveways but can also be used to create attractive terraces and public spaces.
7. Limestone façade cladding – Limestone façade cladding adds architectural beauty and elegance to home and corporate building facades. However, there is another very important function that limestone façade cladding serves: It protects and safeguards exterior building frontages against moisture and foreign elements. That’s why it’s becoming a very popular choice nowadays.

As you can see, there’s not a single area in your home where limestone can’t be introduced. Artesia’s international designers have created a vast limestone collection aiming to please every client`s expectations. Take a look at our house style and private residences  projects and Book a Video Appointment with an Artesia Specialist for further guidance.

Limestone interpreted by Artesia

Artesia interprets the working of limestone where normal production fails, through the application of modern machinery, the result of its precise know-how developed through the experience acquired in over 40 years of research.

Thanks to technology, Artesia is able to transform a raw limestone product into a perfectly calibrated product both in terms of size and thickness, which can therefore be easily applied to floors and wall coverings; Artesia can also offer a range of surface finishes that enhance the uniqueness of the product.

Artesia's slate products, made to measure, represent an additional service for the most demanding customer.

Limestone tiles pros and cons

As we mentioned above, limestone tiles have a whole lot of fundamental properties and can easily adapt to any kind of environment. But is it all positive? There certainly are some interesting pros, such as:

• The Unique Beauty - Limestone is a material that can be used to decorate any space. Limestone tiles have beautiful, natural textures since they are made from minerals that naturally settle on the earth’s surface over thousands of years.
• Customizable Sizes - Limestone tiles come in several sizes since the stone is easy to cut and shape into any size. This aspect guarantees endless choices to the consumer.
• Versatility - Limestone is a versatile stone that can be used just about anywhere inside or outside of your home. It’s a softer stone compared to others and can be cut into smaller sizes for tiling or even mosaic designs.The natural colour is something that never goes out of style.

Let’s analyze now some of the negative aspects of limestone tiles:

• Limited Durability - Limestone, in comparison to other stones, has a medium durability, but if you care for your limestone tiles, they can stay in good shape for a long time and give you the rich appearance you want in or around your home.
• Weight of Tiles - Limestone is a heavy material and limestone tiles, especially if they are large, are rather heavy. They should be handled with care, so they are not dropped, chipped, or cracked. This, however, doesn’t have an impact on their usefulness, their beauty, or their functionality.
• Regular Maintenance - Limestone is a material that needs maintenance as time goes by if you want to maintain its natural beauty.

If you want to know more about limestone tiles, contact our Artesia professionals. We can figure out the right material to upgrade your home and answer any questions you have about maintenance, material, styles, and more.

How to clean the limestone

Among the many interrogations surrounding the correct use of this stone, there is undoubtedly the decisive question: how to clean limestone?

For ordinary washing of the floor, it is recommended to use a normal neutral detergent without rinsing. Artesia offers ARDT11, a specific cleaner for natural stone with a pleasant scented formula created ad hoc for Artesia. The stone can be easily deep cleaned from time to time through the use of steam.

In case of more aggressive dirt, such as in the presence of organic residues, such as wine, oil, etc. another product can be used: ARTM21 Artesia stain remover which acts in depth, partially penetrating the stone and removing the stain. Since it is a natural stone, even if the degree of absorption is almost zero, in some specific areas of application we recommend a treatment to be done only once after laying.

For slate bathroom and kitchen floors, we recommend choosing a suitable finish or applying ARAM41 water-based stain remover after laying.

For the limestone shower interior, specific water-repellent treatments such as ARID61 are available in our catalogue.

Instead, a water-based liquid wax, ARCE31, is used to revive the color and protect the limestone surface.

As you can see, Artesia aims to respond to every need with a vast catalog that includes not only the best qualities of natural stone, but also the cleaning products suited to their characteristics. Do you have any questions about it? Contact the Artesia sales office!

Colour and types

Limestone is a very resistant stone with unique characteristics in terms of consistency and shades.

Its resistance to wear, durability and consistent resistance to frost make this stone the queen of stone materials. By virtue of these details, limestone is often used, as we saw in the previous section, for outdoor paving‚ gardens and swimming pools.

In fact, it has been used in construction since ancient times. Just think of the city of Noto, built almost entirely in limestone. The harmonious architecture and the homogeneity of the limestone tiles create such a scenographic balance that the city seems to have been built in a single night. The buildings were built in white limestone, a local stone, which when illuminated by the sun takes on a golden yellow colour reminiscent of the colour of honey. Its appearance has remained unchanged over the centuries, and it is still possible to admire it in all its beauty and grace.

Limestone is characterized by this unmistakable ivory white, embellished, and characterized by yellow and red veins. There is also the grey limestone, which comes from France and is particularly suitable, thanks to its uniform structure, for large interior spaces.

The pink limestone, known as the Albanese Stone, is also very interesting. In addition to the warm and welcoming colour, this limestone has a remarkable resistance to freeze-thaw cycles and impermeability to oils and bitumen.

Last, but not least, Puglia limestone, a natural resource and cultural heritage, known above all for its ease of processing.

In Artesia showroom in Via Pezzonasca 27 16047 Moconesi, Genoa (insert Location Map) you will find all these types of limestones as well as the blue limestone coming from Belgium, the red milestone arriving from the U.S., the green limestone of the South India, the dolomite limestone and much more. All varieties of stone that you can use to make your spaces elegant and comfortable. Come take a look. Otherwise you can consult our Online Collection