NATURAL STONE
NATURAL STONE
A table top in natural stone fits perfectly in the range of classic outdoor furniture. We have chosen the best quality natural stone: Belgian hard stone, also known as Belgian Freestone or Blue Stone. This natural stone comes from Hainaut in Belgium. It is a natural and living stone. The fossils of water fauna and water flora are very beautiful to see. Every table top is therefore unique. A beautiful traditional product. This Blue Stone is used for various applications such as bathroom, kitchen, terrace, hall, stairs, facades, veranda or swimming pool.
Koningdamen has a complete program of stone table tops. Each table top is made to measure (dimensions and thickness) with any further finishing (surface, edges, corners). Sawing and finishing natural stone is craftsmanship. Modern machines are used, but knowledge and experience are a requirement for a beautiful product. Natural stone is a beautiful product for use as a tabletop and is therefore widely used.
Natural stone is, as the name suggests, a product of nature. Geological processes have formed the natural stone. It is the combination of geological age, the chemical composition and the way in which the rock originated that has shaped the many thousands of types of natural stone. The most commonly used types for tabletops are Belgian hard stone and various types of granite, such as Impala Granite and Black Granite. and then be cut to size for the final table top, in the desired dimensions and thickness. Natural stone is practically indestructible as a tabletop. Resistant to time and with the years it only gets nicer. So you choose natural stone not only because it is beautiful, but also for its lifespan.
Belgian Freestone
Belgian bluestone is often found in less deep layers of the earth and is a sedimentary rock that has formed in rivers and seas due to deposits. A sand-lime brick in which you can fully see the play of nature, with countless fossils. Such rock is made up of various layers. When the final blades are sawn from this rock then you see the play of nature reflected in it, so you will not find two identical blades in Belgian hard stone. The Belgian hard stone is naturally extracted from the subsurface. Blue Stone is very hard and not porous. Compared to other rocks and composites (counterfeit sheets, with the same appearance on the surface only), Blue Stone is very resistant to wear and compression. Thanks to its low porosity, this rock does not absorb water. A property that makes it a maintenance-friendly product. Indoors it is sufficient that the freestone is treated with lukewarm water, with or without a dash of natural soap. You see the self-cleaning properties outdoors. Blue stone can withstand rain, thunder-storms, large temperature differences and frost without any problems. However, a natural stone table top will age over the years.
Impala Granite and Black Granite
Granite types have emerged as solidifying rocks (magma rocks) and are generally found in the much deeper layers of the earth. Deeper in the earth's crust there are no remains of animals and plants and the pressure under which this rock originated is much greater. Granite species therefore have an even structure and are also harder. A granite tabletop retains its structure and luster and will not turn gray like Belgian bluestone. Granite is a more expensive than Belgian freestone. Impala granite has a surcharge of around 25-40% and Black granite of around 50-80% compared to Belgian hard stone.
Finishing the tabletop
Once a block of natural stone has been sawn into slabs, the stone can be further processed. This is partly done manually (really traditional) and partly machines are used for this. Processing includes: refining, polishing, sanding and polishing the surface and sides.
In general, hard stone is brought to the final table top in several successive operations. The sanding cuts are removed with sanding and the blade becomes smooth. You start with very coarse-grained sanding discs and work in a few steps on ever finer sanding discs, making the leaves nice and smooth. The next phase of the sanding process, where a very fine sandstone is used, is also called 'polishing'. When polishing, the stone starts to show a luster, but the stone is not yet highly polished. Depending on the fine grain of the sanding discs, we then speak of 'lightly polished' and 'darkly polished'. With polishing as a possible final treatment, the matt gloss or high gloss (you see this especially with the finishing of granite) is achieved. The polishing is done with a felt disc.
There are also various finishing options for the edge of the table top. Below are some examples that have to do with the shape of the edge (straight edge, parrot's mouth, round corners, etc.) and how the edge itself is machined (lightly polished, darkly polished, embossed, etc.).
- Straight edge and straight corners, straight edge and
rounded corners, semi-circular edges, right corners;
- Surface darkly polished, sides slightly polished, surface darkly polished, sides slightly polished, surface and sides darkly polished;
- Edges quarter round, right corners, edge with parrot's beak;
- Surface and sides darkly polished, surface darkly polishned, sides slightly polished;
- Edge brushed Straight edge, rounded corners surface and edge darkly honed;
- Surface darkly honed, sides slightly polished Encased edge in the surface (tabletop)
Standard for table tops in Belgian Freestone:
- Straight edge (side) and rounded corners;
- Surface of the blade darkly polished and the sides slightly polished.
The various other finishing options are available at an additional cost, usually this is a fixed price per meter.
Maintenance of Belgian Freestone
In general, Belgian bluestone, as indicated above, is very maintenance-friendly. The robustness of the material makes the table top practically insensitive to weather conditions. At the same time, use can naturally cause stains. Hereafter advice on removing different types of stains.
- Rust stains, local brown stains: lightly sand in circular movements with fine sandpaper, with water if the finish is polished or honed; then optionally apply a mixture of linseed oil and turpentine (50/50);
- Silicone stains: immediately remove the stains with a thinner, if necessary treat them as indicated for the rust stains;
Oils, vegetable and animal fats: acetone, ammonia. To remove grease stains from a barbecue, all you have to do is wait until it rains (after all, Blue Stone is not porous). Or you pour a bucket of water with a few shoots of ammonia in it over the table top. To keep the shine, you can then put half a liter of natural soap in a bucket of lukewarm water and rub it into the tray with a stiff brush, the next rain shower will do the rest;
- Candle stains: let the wax cure and with a scraper pf remove a spatula;
- Coffee, wine, lemonade stains and also blood stains: apply lukewarm soapy water and rub in with a scouring pad;
- Ink stains: solution with bleach.
Note: always test the treatment or product in a discrete place. Chemical products are forbidden for blue stone, as for all other natural stone.
Solid table base as basic
Koningdamen offers various sturdy table bases, loose and in combination with a tabletop in natural stone. These are made of solid steel as standard. The frame is galvanized against rust and then coated in color. We use dark green as the standard color, but we can coat the frame in any desired RAL color. We offer a range of round tables, square tables and rectangular tables. The minimum thickness of a natural stone leaf is 2 cm. This is sufficient for the smaller dimensions (round table tops up to approximately ø 100 cm, for square table tops up to approximately 100 x 100 cm and rectangular table top with a length up to approximately 150 cm). When the table top becomes larger, we recommend starting from a table top of 3 cm thickness and more. On the one hand this is important for the strength of the top as a whole, on the other hand a thicker top also looks better when it comes to a larger table.
If you have questions about tabletops in natural stone please feel free to contact us.