Marble is sometimes brushed in order to give the stone a worn look and with a surface that is pleasant to the touch and has a silky marble surface texture. Brushed marble finish is often associated with another marble finish, namely antiquing. Actually, brushed marble finish is only one of the marble treatment techniques used to age the stone together with, for example, honing and sandblasting. Like honing, therefore, also brushing makes the stone lived and worn; however, brushed marble is undoubtedly characterized by a rougher and more porous surface. Brushed marble finish helps bring out the natural color of the stone by adding a more detailed texture. On the other hand, compared to honed marble, brushed marble generally does not have a high degree of shininess.
The technique for obtaining brushed marble is completely natural and does not require chemical or corrosive products that could affect the crystalline structure of the marble surface. In particular, this marble processing is carried out by means of specific rotary machines with different grains (based on the material to be treated) and, subsequently, with the aid of nylon abrasive brushes and small parts of diamond or silicon carbide. In addition to marble, these techniques make the process effective on numerous types of material including granite, travertine, tiles and other natural stones.
The action of these plastic or metal wheels, which must not be too energetic or incisive to avoid damaging the marble surface, aims at reproducing the effect of a delicate erosion capable of enhancing the different pigmentations of marble as well as its natural porosity, with a final result much appreciated from a tactile point of view, so much so that it is nicknamed “silk effect”.
Finally, brushed marble is often combined with another marble finish particularly suitable for outdoor use, namely bush hammering.
Brushed marble finish is a process considered suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications. Following this type of stone finish, objects and surfaces appear as worn by use and their darker shades give the stone a lived-in feeling as well as a familiar warmth. The aged appearance of brushed marble therefore makes it very suitable for rustic spaces such as for the creation of a brushed marble floor or even a kitchen top in brushed marble.
Similar to bush hammered marble, albeit to a lesser extent, brushed marble has a pretty rough surface and thus acquires a non-slip property. For this reason, brushed marble is particularly suitable for the creation of outdoor furniture elements such as stairs, sidewalks, paths and outdoor floors.
Brushed marble finish is undoubtedly a very versatile process: first of all because it can be applied, as we have already seen, on many types of materials without particular contraindications. Secondly, by relying on competent companies such as Dedalo Stone and thanks to special machinery, brushing can be carried out both in the workshop and on site at the building under construction, after the stone has been laid.
A significant benefit offered by brushed marble finish is that, if the processing is done correctly, any stains on the stone will no longer be particularly visible due to the irregularity of the worked marble surface.
Brushed marble is fairly easy to clean. However, cleaning must be carried out more frequently since dust and debris can more easily accumulate in the recesses of the irregular surface of brushed marble.
Luxurious furniture in lightweight marble
Dedalo is a company from Carrara that designs and produce monolithic luxurious furnishings in lightened marble, with a contemporary design. Our goal is to reaffirm the use of marble in everyday life without renouncing, for reasons of weight, to its three-dimensional vocation, proposing sculptural and extremely engaging shapes.
