SIMON BROWN STONEMASONRY

Simali Stone Flooring has on display at their Shaftesbury showroom a comprehensive range of natural stone. On show is a selection of limestone, marble, travertine, slate, terracotta and granite for flooring, wall cladding, worktops and vanity tops. We have a range of stone fire places, a selection of ceramic, glass, metal and resin tiles for floors and walls. In addition this season we have added travertine basins and bowls, and our tables in stainless steel with granite, marble and volcanic rock tops. We also carry a stock of adhesives, grouts, sealers and worktop maintenance kits. At Simali Stone Flooring we are happy to do site visits and we can also price your job to include fitting by our own fitters. A visit to our showroom will bring you an enthusiasm and appreciation of natural stone. We have a fabulous range of marble vanity tops, stone floor tiles and granite worktops to suit the discerning customer.

Limestone, with its unique characteristics, subtle beauty and great versatility has made ita popular choice for any design style. Limestone is considered the most abundant chemical sedimentary rock. Many different types exist, yet the mineral composition of all limestone is similar. Most of them are of marine origin, formed in ancient warm shallow seas directly and indirectly from the life processes of marine plant and animal organisms. As these organisms died their calcareous remains, shells and skeletons accumulated in these sea beds, building up vast deposits. Accompanying this process algae’s and other lime-secreting plants provided calcium carbonate, a calcareous ooze (mud). During these processes a wide variety of foreign materials ranging from clay minerals, quartz sand, iron oxides and other minerals, along with the remains other plants and animals were being added to this sedimentary brew, as the waters receded these deposits consolidated to form limestone rock masses. In some limestone, the partial or complete fossilized remains of these extinct organisms can be seen. Marble is a beautiful and exciting material with its varieties of veining, patterns and its palette of colours; this stone communicates permanence, integrity, quality and elegance. Marble is a metamorphic stone. It was at one time a limestone or dolomite that has been structurally altered by recrystallisation. Pure marble is white. The abstract variety of colours, mottling, clouds, swirls, shading, streaks, and veining are derived from the accessory minerals that were present in the limestone or dolomite. Commercially, "Marble" has become a trade term which is used to classify a wide range of stones used for decorative purposes that are capable of taking a polish. Marble, like any other building material, has its strengths and limitations. It is important to judge the performance characteristics of different stones individually and not assume that all marbles are alike.