Industrial exploitation of Belgian blue stone began in the early eighteenth century. Let’s see what are the mean reasons for success of this natural stone.
Endless possibilities
Blue stone is a building and ornamental stone. We can find it in all rooms in various forms : floors, staircases, wall decoration, window sills, fireplaces, worktops, sinks, decorative elements, etc. It offers enormous creative possibilities.
Aesthetical appeal
The charm of limestone is worldwide recognized. Blue stone, adapting to all types of architecture, inevitably increases the prestige of our homes. In addition, it is possible to obtain almost twenty different colors depending on the polishing and the type of treatment applied.
A stone standing the test of time
Blue stone is very durable because it is resistant to wear, crushing, weathering, stains and dirt. So it is no coincidence that this type of stone is used in the construction of many monuments. Some feel that blue stone is even more beautiful in time, which is very rare for materials! Its color varies beautifully with time, we call this its “patina”. Moreover it is quite easy to renovate blue stone to improve its appearance and aspects and to treat it for more resistance to traffic and/or stains.
Comfort and ease of maintenance
It is a non-porous stone with a relatively closed structure. It has a low absorption rate in terms of water or grease stains, it dries quickly and has limited plant growth. Consequently blue stone is easy to clean : with a mop or outdoors by the rain. Finally this type of stone gives us a certain thermal and acoustic comfort.
Finally we can say that blue stone offers many advantages. But we shouldn’t confuse Asian blue stone with Belgian blue stone. The Asian version doesn’t have the same technical and aesthetical properties. But the real difference lies not so much in the intrinsic qualities of the stone but in the know-how of the professionals in the Belgian quarries, who work the blue stone in a remarkable way.
For more information about Belgian blue stone : http://www.pierrebleuebelge.be/
For more information about the renovation and treatment of blue stone, go to page Renovation of blue stone