Kilkenny Marble in Ireland

Natural marble is found all over the planet, including in Ireland. Irish marble is one of the kinds of natural marble you will find when searching for types of marble online. And even though Irish marble is found only in Ireland, it does have the fundamental properties that every other natural marble has. So even though we will speak about the Irish marble called Kilkenny particularly in this article, just about everything we mention is applicable to all of the other specific kinds of marble. So let's get into our consideration of Kilkenny marble in Ireland.

Kilkenny Marble Composition

As mentioned above, most marble is the same in how it is composed. Therefore, Irish marble is composed of mostly the samme thing as other marble. That is not to say that there are not uniques things about marble in Ireland, there are characteristics that set marble from a particular area of the world apart from other marble. Usually it has to do with color variations and/or the pattern of the color. But when it comes to composition, Kilkenny marble is made up of the same primary mineral that all marble is made up of, calcite. That is one of the things that makes it marble.

Kilkenny marble is made up largely of calcium carbonate. Kilkenny is found in Ireland and is thus grouped with the other Irish marbles. But don't let that fact distract you from the fact that basically Kilkenny marble is a calcium carbonate material like all marbles. There are other natural stone types that are made up largely of calcium carbonate too, but these are not technically the same as Kilkenny marble. Some of these other materials include:

• Travertine
• Limestone
• Onyx

We won't go into the details of how those materials differ from Kilkenny marble from Ireland in this article, but it has to do with the structure of the material and/or how it forms rather than what it is made of.

Working With Kilkenny Marble From Ireland

When it comes to working with Irish marble, including Kilkenny, there are some things to keep in mind. The first is that Kilkenny marble is a relatively soft material as far as stone goes. It will require diamond tools to cut, shape and polish it even though it is not as hard as other materials. But, what tools?

Choosing tools for working with Kilkenny, Irish marble is pretty easy for fabrication pros. Knowing exactly how hard the marble they will be working is helpful in some cases. But for the most part choosing diamond tools designed for use on marble will suffice. This is especially important in the case of blades. While a variety of diamond blades will cut Kilkenny marble, choosing a diamond blade for calcareous stone such as marble yields the best results.

Handling Slabs of Kilkenny, Irish Marble

Besides the fabrication of Kilkenny, there is another issue that professionals in the fabrication industry must be aware of when working with Irish marble. That is how to handle the stuff. Any stone material is heavy if you have enough of it. And let's face, marble slabs are large and heavy. There are a variety of solutions fabricators use to move, position, and generally handle any Irish marble, including Kilkenny. One of the simplest ways is to use a device to handle the material. For example, copper plate clamp lifters are designed for that purpose and can make life easier for professionals.

Caring for Kilkenny Marble

The care and maintenance of marble is affected by the substances of which it is composed. As a natural stone, Kilkenny is no different. And that makes sense right? If Kilkenny is made of the same mineral and that mineral affects the care and maintenance of the surface... You get the idea.

Daily Cleaning of Irish Marble

One of the most basic things to do to care for Kilkenny surfaces is to clean them daily using a cleaner designed for natural stone surfaces. Using a cleaner for natural marble is recommended for the best results. If you are wondering why, keep reading as we explain the reason in the next section.

Periodically Sealing Kilkenny from Ireland

Marble from Ireland requires periodic sealing like any other marble surface. In the previous section we mentioned using specific cleaner for Kilkenny surfaces. It is because some cleaners break down the sealer used to treat Kilkenny marble. You can find the right sealer for your surface by visiting our natural stone sealers page that has several sealers for all sorts of surfaces.

The time frame between sealing depends on the stone. Even Kilkenny marble cut from the same block may vary so you will need to do a water test to determine if it is ready to be sealed again. To do a sealer test, simply pour a puddle of water on the Kilkenny surface. Let the water sit for a few minutes. The faster the stone absorbs the water, the "thirstier" the stone is. And a thirsty stone needs sealed.

As we have seen in this article, there are many specific kinds of marble. But they are mostly made up of the same minerals. And even though they look different or are from various regions, handling them and caring for them is the same. Therefore, treat your Kilkenny surface the way you would any precious marble.