Apron made of decorative artificial or natural stone - beautiful, expensive and almost timeless. However, it is not as invulnerable as it seems, and requires, firstly, careful selection of finishing material, and secondly, proper care. From this article you will learn what kind of artificial and natural stones are, what they have pros and cons, how to choose the least brand mineral and how to take care of it. A collection of 40 photos of kitchen interiors with stone aprons will help you draw on the design ideas.
See also our base material: How to choose an apron for the kitchen - Help for the buyer
On artificial stone (agglomerate and acrylic)
To finish the apron, two types of artificial stone are used - agglomerated and acrylic.
- Acrylic Stone (Corian) - It is a composite material of acrylic resins, pigments and natural minerals. It is durable, but at the same time more flexible and lightweight than agglomerated and natural stone, it is easily cleaned, mounted, repaired, cut to the desired shapes and sizes. However, Corian is scratch sensitive and is afraid of contact with very hot objects. For example, from a hot cast-iron pan placed on a wall on an acrylic apron, a frosted stain may remain.
Acrylic stone in the decoration of a classic kitchen apron
Acrylic stone in the decoration of a classic kitchen apron
- Agglomerate - this is a material that consists of not less than 90% of natural minerals, all the rest is pigments, decorative glass / mirror additives, and also a binder - polyester resins. This composition makes the agglomerate super-durable, scratch-resistant, easy to clean (as opposed to natural stones), as natural as possible and more affordable. True, to mount, transport, repair and polish an apron from an agglomerated composite is almost as difficult as stone aprons. Even to the touch, the agglomerate is almost as cold as granite or marble.
In general, we can say that both acrylic and agglomerated stones are preferable to natural ones:
- Unlike the natural mineral, acrylic and agglomerate do not have pores, and therefore are hygienic and unpretentious in care. Moreover, unlike granite and marble, they are not afraid of acids. Neither beet juice, nor coffee, nor lemon will leave a trace on the apron under the stone.
- Artificial stone allows you to create monolithic structures without seams and give the edges of the panel a beautiful figured shape, for example, in the form of a crown as in the photo below.
This figured apron of sinter is 90% made of natural quartz and silicon
- Acrylic stone is amenable to local and complete repair. Chips, cracks, scratches and gouges are easily removed with the help of special glue for restoration, grinding and polishing.
- Externally, an artificial stone (especially agglomerate) is very similar to its natural prototype, it can be matte or glossy, have a uniform texture or a pronounced pattern with veins or patches.
- In a pair of "stone" apron can and should pick up countertop of the same materialas well as windowsill and bar counter.
The disadvantages of acrylic stone are a high price (sometimes it can cost more than a natural material), less durability and scratch resistance, as well as artificial origin.
Apron from an acrylic stone under marble
Tips for the buyer:
- Choosing an apron from an acrylic stone, give preference to light panels with a matte or semi-glossy surface and small patches. On this background, scratches, water droplets, stains and dirt stains will be less noticeable. But glossy aprons, especially in a dark color, will require you to double cleaning, because even small specks of dust are visible on them, not to mention fingerprints.
- You should not wash an apron from an artificial stone with rigid brushes and sponges, and also with abrasive, alcohol-and acid-containing cleaning agents.
- Polish the surface of the apron once every two years.
About natural stones
The main advantage of the apron made of natural stone is its natural and “living” beauty, which cannot be artificially recreated. In addition, the stone is very durable and can serve not years, but centuries. In all other respects, natural minerals, unfortunately, lose their imitations.
Firstly, due to the porous structure, all stones absorb moisture to a greater or lesser degree, and along with it dirt, grease and coloring pigments from products. To prevent this from happening, stone surfaces should be treated at least once a year with silyings - special protective impregnations for sealing pores.
Secondly, they react to acids. For example, lemon splashes can leave dull stains on a stone wall (they can be noticeable at a certain angle). Other disadvantages of natural stones include their radioactive background (insignificant, but still), the presence of seams between slabs or tiles, and, of course, the high price. Yes, and work with them more difficult because of the severity and hardness. For example, in order to cut a hole for a socket in a stone slab, you will need a diamond-coated disc.
The hue, pattern and texture of each stone apron is unique and not made by hands.
The apron can be faced with three formats of natural stone: slabs, tiles and mosaics.
- Slabs - these are large slabs with a thickness of about 2 cm, which, due to their size, make it possible not to split up the natural stone pattern, but to represent it as completely as possible. Apron decoration with slabs - the most spectacular and luxurious, but expensive and complicated.
Marble slab in the decoration of the apron of a modern kitchen in the residential complex "Garden Quarters" in Moscow
- Stone tile It resembles the usual ceramic tiles, because it also has standard sizes (30 × 30, 40 × 30, etc.) and sometimes requires the joining of the pattern. Stone in tiles is cheaper than slabs, it is easier to transport and fit. However, the apron of stone tiles has seams, which somewhat complicate its cleaning and require periodic updating of the grout.
- Mosaic of natural stone It consists of mats with mini-tiles already laid out of one or several types of stones, sometimes in combination with tiles made of glass, ceramics, smalt and other materials. The drawing of a mosaic made of stone can be both very simple and very complex - in the form of a panel.
Kitchen mosaic apron from stone, glass and ceramic tiles
See also: All about kitchen mosaic apron and more
The most popular types of stones for facing a kitchen apron are granite, marble, travertine.
Granite
Granite is great for finishing the apron, as it is very hard and dense, and therefore unpretentious and durable. Neither fat, nor food dyes such as beets, nor brushing with a brush, nor open fire, nor frost are afraid of him. In addition, granite can be chosen in the right shade for you, because its palette has almost a thousand tones. The most common and inexpensive granite is gray-pink, but you can choose green, black, brown, yellow, red, and even white stone.
Marble
Marble is perhaps the most beautiful and at the same time capricious stone. It is so not resistant to acids that even spilled kefir leaves dull spots on it. And because of its porosity and microcracks, marble very quickly absorbs moisture, and therefore any food colors. However, if the marble is well polished and impregnated with a hydrophobic composition, then coloring liquids and products, say, coffee or beets will not be so terrible. The main thing is to have time to remove stains and liquids as quickly as possible and always have on hand special tools for marble cleaning.
Apron from inexpensive domestic marble
Natural stone
White kitchen with marble apron
Brown marble in the kitchen apron
Travertine
Travertine (calcareous tuff) is an intermediate between limestone and marble, so it has properties characteristic of both minerals. The apron from travertine is strong, is not afraid of differences of temperatures, fire. However, it is less dense than marble, and is also afraid of acids and coloring products / liquids. So that the travertine apron does not get dirty and always looks good, it must be perfectly polished and treated with hydrophobic impregnation, self-polishing wax and mastic.
Another difference of travertine is its variety of patterns and shades. The apron from this stone can be white, beige (the most common color), brown, rich red.
- By the way, expensive natural travertine has a more budgetary alternative - flexible stoneconsisting of a cut of sandstone 1-2.5 mm thick, a binder polymer and a textile base. Externally, an apron made of flexible stone is practically indistinguishable from the original, unpretentious in care, can last up to 40 years, is subject to local repair, and due to its softness and flexibility it is easily mounted even without the help of specialists. The only drawback of a flexible stone is a limited number of shades (only a few dozen). In addition, an apron made of flexible stone requires the same care as aprons from slabs or tiles, that is, timely cleaning of liquids and processing with protective impregnations 1 time per year.
Tips for the buyer:
- When buying a stone apron, make sure that it is well polished. And before you begin to use it, soak the apron twice with protective impregnation and a brush (the first layer should dry completely).
- Handle stone apron need about once a year.
- Acquire natural stone only from reputable manufacturers to avoid buying a highly radioactive mineral.
- Laying tiles with stone, especially marble or travertine, can be trusted only to high-class professionals.
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