Sandstone is a sedimentary rock found on the earth’s crust. These sandstones are rich in quarts and/or feldspar which are quite common in the market. Sandstone is commonly used in luxurious homes and buildings due to its natural beauty and elegance. Apart from its stunning features, most (if not, all) laboratories in the world use sandstone floors because of its capability to withstand different types of chemicals.
Sandstones are developed or created in a natural process that would take thousands of years. Most stonework manufacturers today focus on quarries to harvest sandstones. Though sandstone mining is a controversial topic, high-end companies and industries prefer to use sandstone slabs and fixtures on their buildings or properties for aesthetic purposes.
A lot of consumers have no idea what it takes for these sandstones to pass quality control. Quality control certifications are important for every consumer because of the fact that it was thoroughly inspected by accredited individuals to ensure the reliability and safety of the sandstone slab. Regardless of the type of sandstone (natural or pre-made), the sandstone inspection processes necessary to pass the quality control guidelines are as follows:
BINDING INSPECTION
Thoroughly inspect and identify the different materials to be used as binding agents for the sandstone slabs to be molded and produced to ensure that all of the necessary agents are defect-free and are complete. The notable binding agents include:
- Calcite
- Clay
- SilicaNote: It is important to take note of the extra binding agents to be used to ensure that all of the materials used adhered to the quality and safety guidelines for everyday use.
VISUAL INSPECTIONThoroughly inspect and verify that all of the sandstone slabs are free from any damage, defects or any pre-production anomalies that could take place during the molding and cooling process. Depending on the surface requested, each sandstone slab should have these finishes:Sandblasted Polished – these slabs are commonly used as floorings due produce an aesthetic touch on every room. Ideal for laboratories as well.
Honed – these slabs are usually used as walls or wall surfaces due to its natural color and brim which is ideal for any contemporary function rooms. Most builders choose honed sandstone slabs due to its natural toughness and reliability.
Antique – these slabs go well in antique-inspired rooms and surfaces and bring vibrant life inside the function area. These slabs are perfect as flooring and/or wall decorative.
Mosaic – these slabs are considered to be the easiest one to create because mosaic sandstones are beautiful as it is. These slabs are commonly used in garden as decorative or flooring.
Sawn – these slabs serve a better role in wall designs because of the never-ending designing options it brings in tile-like form.
Just like sand, sandstones have different colors ranging from tan to black.
WEIGHT AND MEASUREMENT INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection process is to verify that all of the sandstones, regardless of the type, matches or is a few centimeters more than the projected length and width to ensure that all of the sandstone slabs are uniform in size and diameter.
By using a state-of-the-art weighing device, all of the sandstones will be weighed accordingly to ensure that all of the identical sandstone slabs have the same specifications as per personalized sizes. Sandstone slabs that fail the measuring and weighing inspection will be labeled as “REJECTED” and will be used for sandstone tiles to save production time.
QUALITY CONTROL INSPECTIONThe purpose of this inspection process is to verify that all of the sandstone produced are of high quality and free from any damages, defects and pre and post production anomalies like chips, cracks, lumps, holes and other known issues to ensure that all of the sandstone slabs to be sent for shipping and distribution are 100 percent reliable.
Most sandstone slabs that finished weight and measurement inspections are typically ready for distribution due to the rarity of sandstone slabs breaking apart after production. Should there be any defective sandstone slabs, it is important to re-use the materials for smaller sandstone stonework on the production queue.
