Knowledge
What the company has written down about stone.
Huanshitong publishes twelve articles on its Chinese site, ten of them mirrored in English. Two are company posts; the rest are trade notes on finishes, care and the classes of stone. This page keeps what a buyer can use, in the company's own terms, with the source and date under each.
Glossary
The finish vocabulary, as the company lists it.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 毛料 raw stone | Stone as it comes off the mountain, before any working. |
| 荒料 block | Raw stone worked to six regular faces, ready to be sawn into facing stone. |
| 毛板 rough slab | A slab straight off the saw, not yet finished. |
| 镜面 polished | Ground and polished to a mirror finish. |
| 细面 honed | Ground smooth without the mirror. |
| 亚光 matte | A low sheen finish. |
| 仿古 antiqued | Brushed to an aged, softened surface. |
| 火烧 flamed | Surface burst with a flame for a rough, even texture. |
| 水冲 water washed | High pressure water leaves a light, sandy texture. |
| 荔枝面 lychee | Hammered to a fine pitted surface, like lychee skin. |
| 蘑菇面 mushroom | A raised, rounded rock face. |
| 自然面 natural split | The split face left as the stone breaks. |
| 喷砂 sandblasted | An even fine texture blasted with sand. |
| 雕刻板 carved | Relief cut into the slab. |
| 薄板 / 厚板 | Thin slabs under 15 mm; thick slabs over 20 mm. |
Source: h-stones.com/news-detail/10.html, 12 January 2023; English twin on en.h-stones.com, 16 January 2023.
Care
Five questions the company's care articles answer.
Why does the company say stone is afraid of water?
Its care article puts it plainly: damp causes hydration and carbonation in the stone, which shows as water spots, whitening and weathering. Keep stone dry and the room ventilated.
What should never touch a marble floor?
Acidic or alkaline waxes and cleaners, and household spills left to sit: oil, tea, coffee, cola, soy sauce and ink all sink into the pores. The article says to wipe them the moment they land.
Why is marble treated differently from granite?
The company's own comparison: marble is decorative but soft, easy to scratch and sensitive to acids; granite is hard and wear resistant, which is why it goes on kitchen counters and busy floors.
What does a stone restoration involve?
The step by step case the company published: dry the joints with infrared lamps, fill cracks with a marble filler, take off the discoloured layer with fine steel wool, then level, grind and polish. Sealing joints, it says, is the main way to stop water getting in.
What are the four classes of stone?
Sedimentary (limestone, sandstone, travertine), metamorphic (marble as recrystallised limestone, slate, serpentine, quartzite), igneous (granite) and artificial (terrazzo, agglomerate, cultured stone). Marble's colour comes from the minerals present when it formed.
Sources: the four care articles on h-stones.com/news-detail/2 to 5, 18 November 2022, and the two classification articles, 12 January 2023.
Districts
Ten stone districts of China, in the company's own list.
The company's article on China's stone producing areas names ten. Baoxing, its own county, is fifth, with three white marbles.
- Laizhou, Shandong
- Macheng, Hubei
- Shuitou, Fujian
- Yunfu, Guangdong
- Baoxing, Sichuan, the Oriental White Jade Capital: 汉白玉, 东方白, 雕刻白
- Tongshan, Hubei
- Wulian, Shandong
- Cenxi, Guangxi
- Hui'an, Fujian
- Pingyi and Pingshan, Ya'an, Shanshan and others
Source: h-stones.com/news-detail/1.html, 18 November 2022.
Company posts
Two dated notes from the company itself.
Enquiries
A question about a finish or a grade is an enquiry too.
Write to info@h-stones.com or call President Zhang on +86 188 0816 0666. The factory's own pages promise a reply within 24 hours on working days.
