Natural Stone Showroom in Holland, OH : Cameo Countertops

Our Materials

These are materials found around the world that have been formed by a natural process over thousands of years. One example is granite, which is an Igneous rock formed from molten lava, typically during the formation of mountains. Quartzite, marble, and soapstone are other common stones. Each has unique attributes suitable for different uses. We strive to utilize our expertise in suggesting the right product based on customer expectations. All of these stones possess a unique beauty and individual characteristics. They have the more gloss compared to other materials commonly available; however, they can be honed or leathered to reduce their glossy appearance.

Soapstone

Granite

Marble

Quartzite

soapstone

Are you looking for a beautiful, durable, naturally non-porous countertop that requires no maintenance? Look no further than Cameo Countertops, Inc. Our soapstone is elegant, cleans easily with soap and water, and can withstand chemicals, acids, or heat.

It is little wonder that soapstone countertops are growing in popularity among homeowners across the country. This completely natural surface has many distinctive benefits that you will not find in rivals like marble, quartz, or granite. Although soapstone offers amazing benefits, it also comes with cons that should be recognized before investing in a new countertop. To insure that you are pleased with your choice, we have put forth every effort to bring forward all of the pros and cons so to help you make a truly informed opinion about the new addition to your kitchen.

Mother Nature has put her best into producing this rock that is available in varying degrees of hardness. The softest type is used for sculpting, while harder stone is used for tables, kitchen work surfaces, wood burning stoves, tiles, etc. Durability is one of soapstone’s biggest bragging rights. It is common to see soapstone stoves and sinks that were manufactured in the 1800s still being used today in the northeast section of the United States. If you decide to incorporate soapstone into your kitchen, you can consider it a beautiful investment for life.

When it comes to any soapstone countertops, no two slabs are ever the same. The one that you have decorating your kitchen cannot be duplicated in another home. Your countertop will become a personal treasure, specifically unique to your home.

The color of the stone can vary depending on the area that it was derived from. The colors can range from an almost pale green, to a light gray. You will have the option of applying mineral oil to soapstone countertops to darken the look, or you can keep it looking natural and avoid the oiling process completely. Mineral oil does not have to be applied; therefore, you will have the choice between a lighter and a darker countertop based on your own personal preference.

granite

If you are shopping for granite, you have probably seen endless photos of beautiful installations and rows of pristine slabs at suppliers. However, have you ever wondered how granite goes from untouched rock laying beneath the earth’s surface, to a polished countertop shaped specifically for your kitchen?

Granite is a coarse-grained igneous rock composed chiefly of orthoclase and albite feldspars, and quartz. It often includes lesser amounts of one or more other minerals, as mica, hornblende, or augite.

Granite is found close enough to the surface to be cut from shallow quarries. In order to convert the granite into transportable blocks, small holes are drilled in the shape of the desired block size. Carefully planned explosives placed into these holes create just enough blast to separate the block of granite from the bedrock without breaking the block itself.

The blasting engineers must be very careful to direct the falling block onto a bed of soft sand so that it does not crack or split at a bad angle. Earth moving equipment is used get these huge raw blocks of granite to load into heavy duty trucks, to be transported to slab fabrication facilities.

Once the large blocks of granite are cut into big slabs, the surfaces are polished to highlight the natural colors and patterns, making them smooth to the touch. These machines have large diamond polishing pads that slowly bring out the shine in the stone with each new layer of polishing. Much like wood, granite much be polished with progressively finer pads to achieve a quality finish. This process just polishes the top surface of the stone, leaving the slabs with rough edges.

Our premium surface granite selection offers hundreds of colors and patterns. Whether your granite countertop needs are for the kitchen, bathroom, or other surface, Cameo Countertops, Inc. offers the perfect granite countertop for your project. All granite countertop slabs are customized to the customer’s specifications.

marble

Marble is a timeless material, and Cameo Countertop, Inc.’s marble countertop selection is unmatched. If you are a looking for a surface to sustain through the ages, this natural stone countertop material is the perfect option for you.

The sequence of events that brings natural stone from the quarry to the home has not drastically changed since stone entered the homes of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Large blocks of stone are cut from the quarry. From those blocks, thin pieces of stone, called slabs, are cut. The slabs are then shaped, polished, and shipped for installation.

The type of machinery used in this age-old sequence, however, has dramatically advanced over time. Three basic types of machines are involved in the fabrication process: saws, polishers, and routers.

Saws perform several functions during fabrication. A block saw, or gang saw, cuts the massive stone blocks into slabs. These days, diamond wire saws make short work of this task. A metal wire is studded with industrial-grade or synthetic diamonds, and this wire quickly cuts through stone as hard as granite. A bridge saw is then used to cut the stone slab into the proper shape for its application. These saws typically use circular metal blades studded with diamonds. Water is sprayed onto the blade to cool it throughout the cutting process. Modern technology has produced a new type of saw utilizing water jets, combined with an abrasive material, which cuts edges and holes quickly and smoothly. Many fabricators are now upgrading to these machines.

Polishers grind down the naturally rough surface of the stone to complete the consumer’s specific desires. Hard stones, like marble and granite, can be polished all the way to a mirror finish. The polisher consists of rotating pads that are surfaced with an abrasive substance. The finer and smaller the abrasive grits are, the higher the polish. Most modern polishers can produce a variety of finishes. This ranges from the smooth, soft look of a honed finish, to a slick, shiny mirror finish. Even decorative finishes, like flamed, tumbled, or hammered can be accomplished.

quartzite

Quartzite is a dense, hard metamorphic quartz based stone, typically formed from sandstone. In some deposits, intrusion of minerals during the formation process creates unusual coloration. Quartzite can be the hardest and most resilient of all natural stones. on the other hand, it can also include calcite, making it a Dolomitic stone; therefore, less resilient having some localized marble content.