TRENDING - Italian White Marbles, the most popular counter-top and back-splash choice right now.
There are many varieties of Italian White Marble though and it can be confusing to know what you are looking for and what you are getting when shopping for a slab or tile. So, we did some research to be able to better explain to clients the different types and thought we might share that information with you.
There are three main types of White Italian Marble and they all come from the Carrara region of Italy located on the coast of Northern Tuscany. The mountains come almost up to the sea in this area, and white marbles have been quarried in these peaks since the time of the Roman Empire. There are many marble quarries in this area but the three main types are Bianco Carrara, Statuary White, and Calacata, all of which are graded for specific attributes like the whiteness of the background and the color and movement of the veins. This is similar to the way diamonds are graded for color, clarity and cut. And, like diamonds, the higher the grade of white marble, the higher the price.
The simplest way to tell these materials apart is to look at the background and vein color.
Bianco Carrara – A “grayish white” background with overall thin and feathery grey veining.
Statuary White – A cool, bright white background with thicker dark grey veining evenly distributed over the surface.
Calacata – A warm white background with a blend of thick and thin bands of beige, light grey and green grey to blue grey.
Hope this helps!