Best Building Materials: 5 Reasons Why Natural Stone Is the Superior Choice

Today’s contractors, architects, and future homeowners are expressing an ever-increasing interest in natural building materials and sustainable techniques. While there are many materials and design options available on today’s markets designed to facilitate what has come to be known as green building, stone still offers some marked benefits over all those new man-made alternatives. Read on to find out about five reasons why stone is still the superior choice.

1. It’s All-Natural

Stone is an abundantly available natural material that requires no additional resources to create. Natural Stone Manufacturers can simply source stones of various colors, shapes, textures, and technical characteristics from local quarries cut them to size, and use them to fabricate beautiful architectural features. This helps to reduce homeowners’ carbon footprints and ensure their homes are built sustainably.

2. It’s Durable

Many types of natural stone are incredibly durable, so they enhance the value of the home over time. Stones like slate, granite, limestone, and travertine all age very gracefully and are perfect for highly trafficked areas like kitchens, baths, foyers, and courtyards. With minimal care, they can last for decades, or even centuries, which means there’s no need for homeowners to worry about the impact of replacing stone features on either their wallets or the environment.

3. It’s Easy to Maintain

Ensuring that stone floors, countertops, and other architectural features are able to withstand the test of time and general wear and tear is relatively easy. There are numerous finishes and fabrication options that can extend the lifespan of stone, enhance its performance in both indoor and outdoor settings, and even make it more slip- and stain-resistant.

Cleaning finished stone is incredibly easy. Homeowners can use a mild dish soap mixed with water or purchase specialized cleaners, which tend to be formulated to meet sustainability standards. Regular cleaning and occasional sealing are all that most stone fixtures need to maximize their performance and longevity.

4. It’s Completely Recyclable

Once a stone fixture has outlived its usefulness in a residential home, it can be salvaged or recycled for reuse in other applications. Old stone buildings can be disassembled and the stones can be used for retaining walls, exterior facades, or pavers. Small stones and stone fragments can be used to make mosaics and other unique forms of art. Even the scraps and byproducts created during the manufacturing process can be reused in other applications to avoid sending them to the landfill. This helps to avoid unnecessary resource depletion and other negative environmental impacts.

5. It’s Healthy

Using natural stone as a building material isn’t just better for the environment. It’s also better for homeowners and their families. While man-made building materials often off-gas hazardous chemicals or exacerbate allergies and other respiratory issues, the stone does not have any of these problems. This natural material isn’t known to collect dust, pollen, and other allergens, and it doesn’t contain any potentially hazardous chemicals or other unwanted materials.

The Bottom Line

There are a lot of building materials available in today’s markets, many of which claim to be eco-friendly and sustainable. When it comes to the health of modern homeowners, their families, and the planet, no man-made material can compare to natural stone, though. Learn more about this versatile building material online or find inspiration for different ways to incorporate it into green building designs to maximize its potential.