Castillo Marble – 3 Interesting Historical Facts
Castillo is a fine-grained marble featuring a dark grey background with very thin, light and dark grey veins formed in parallel patterns. Its texture and colour create a pleasant ambience both indoors and outdoors.
Like other Italian Marbles, Castillo is adored for its expression of nature. It is authentic, unique, and unaffected by changing fashion.
Natural Stone Extraction
In Roman times, stone was extracted by hammers and chisels based on natural fractures found in the stone. Sticks, iron & wooden wedges were used to repeatedly strike the fracture lines until they fully opened. This process was extremely labor intensive and was the process used until the 18th century when explosives were introduced.
In modern days, production has increased by large amounts due to the introduction of specialized machinery. These advancements include machines such as wire stone saws that allows the cutting of many blocks at one time.
Not only has stone extraction improved, but stone transportation also became easier and less dangerous with the introduction of large trucks and other heavy equipment. In early times, stones were guided up and down slopes using timber and ropes for transportation and moved onto barges for transportation via the river systems. This method of transport often damaged the blocks and limited the availability of good material to work with.
Castillo marble and other Italian stones
The rich history of stone production by the Italians dates back through time and has tested the quality and reliability of so many famous stones from the area. Not only have the Italian stones become embedded in the world’s cultural heritage through famous buildings and monuments but the essence of style has grown around these materials. Castillo sits among these tried and tested stones as a proven marble that will enhance any installation.
Castillo – Veining, Patterning and Strength
Castillo marble derives its unique grey colour and veining from the way the minerals were deposited in the earth’s early history. Castillo can vary from the dark greyish blue base to a slightly lighter colour but normally sits within this range. The veins are often parallel when viewed from a distance but have much greater pattern and movement when viewed close-up. Castillo is a very hard marble and works well in almost every application including bench tops, vanities, facades and paving.