Which Is Better Sintered Stone Or Marble

Marble has always been a popular building material because of its high-end and luxurious appearance and qualities receiving widespread praise for decoration projects. However, in recent years, there's a new material sintered stone, entering the public eye and becoming a new focus in the building materials industry. So, what is the difference between marble and sintered stone? Let's compare them in four ways.

1. Different sources and appearance

Marble is a natural stone, while sintered stone is a man-made material. In terms of appearance, both of them offer a wide range of colors and patterns, marble has a more unique and natural look due to its veining patterns, it is a present from nature, while sintered stone can be designed to replicate the look of other materials such as concrete or wood.

2. Different ingredient and structures

The main difference between marble and sintered stone is their composition.

Marble is mainly composed of calcite, limestone, serpentine and dolomite. Its main components are calcium carbonate (the total proportion is more than 50%), magnesium carbonate, calcium oxide, manganese oxide and silicon dioxide.

Sintered stone is made of natural raw materials (silica, inorganic clay, feldspar powder) through a special process, pressed with the help of a press, and fired at a high temperature of 1200°.

3. Different physical and chemical properties

Hardness:

The Mohs hardness of marble is 2.5-5. The texture is dense but not hard. It is easy to process, carve, grind and polish.

The Mohs hardness of rock slab is 6-7, which is wear-resistant and scratch-resistant, but easy to break.

4. Denseness

The density of marble varies greatly according to different varieties and is generally looser. But marble is also durable if it is well maintained when used for interior projects.

Sintered stone is denser and has strong waterproof and stain resistance capabilities.

Is marble or sintered stone better?

Aesthetics

As mentioned before, marbles are diverse and have fine and rich textures, and each slab is unique. Sintered stone is artificial, the vein is not as natural as marble, so marble wins in terms of aesthetics.

Performance

Sintered stone is wear-resistant, scratch-resistant, and low water absorption, which is slightly better than marble in this aspect. However, sintered stone is fragile, so try to avoid impact where it is used.

Processing

Compared with sintered stone, marble has a higher degree of freedom in processing and modeling, and can be used for the processing and design of sculptures, columns and other products.

Overall, the choice between marble and sintered stone will depend on the specific application, desired aesthetic and budget. Marble offers natural beauty but requires more maintenance due to its porous surface, while sintered stone is more durable and low-maintenance because of its non-porous surface but may not have the same unique character as natural marble.Consumers can choose according to their own style, function and budget. For example, you can choose sintered stone for stairs, background walls and other places, while you can choose luxury marble for floors, bathrooms and other places.