Stone of the month: Modak Pink Sandstone

Modak Pink Sandstone is one such natural stone that can be used in various areas of a building. From outdoor paving to indoor flooring, and even wall cladding, this stone is perfect for both traditional and contemporary layouts. Its eclectic mix of warm pink and orange hues gives a wow factor to any indoor or outdoor space. Let’s get to know more about it below.

Modak Sandstone

The use of natural stones in building construction is nothing new as our ancestors realized their worth years ago. Primarily admired for their beauty and sturdiness, natural stones carry an inherent capability to transform any interior or exterior space like no other.

Among various types of natural stone available in the market nowadays, sandstone and especially, Modak Pink Sandstone remains a hot choice among construction contractors, architects, landscapers, retailers, and wholesalers worldwide. Admired for its stunning beauty, rich hues, durability, hardness, and natural slip-resistant ability, Modak sandstone lends a remarkable visual and functional appeal to any indoor or outdoor space.

Salient Features of Modak Pink Sandstone

  • Beautiful surface texture due to its dark brown and pink flashes and veins
  • An excellent choice for patios, driveways, outdoor paving, and several other applications
  • Superb resistance to abrasion, harsh weather, acid and alkali
  • Seamlessly blends with the surroundings
  • Modak Sandstone slabs are frost-resistant

Mining of Modak Sandstone in India

Being among the largest producers of raw natural stones, India has a huge reserve of sandstone. These reserves can be found all across the country, but most of Modak Pink Sandstone quarries are located in the states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

The extraction of Modak Pink Sandstone includes the removal of layers or large pieces of stone from an unearthed geologic deposit. The selection of the specific quarrying procedures employed sometimes depends on various factors like differences in the physical properties of the deposits, density, bedding planes, depth, financial considerations, and quarry owner’s preference. ( Source

Processing Unit

Stone processing refers to the use of various technological procedures, as an outcome of which the stone is provided a specific shape and size, and its visible surface – a particular texture. Structure of technological progressions of natural stone processing encompasses: rough processing of stone in the shape and size of the product – precise treatment of the natural stone in terms of shape and size – textured handling of the stone product.

The general process of Modak Pink Sandstone starts with primary cutting, followed by the application of a finish, and proceeds with a second cutting or shaping.

To cut and shape the Modak Pink Sandstone, cutting and calibration machines are used in the processing units. Similarly, for brushing and polishing, special machines are used. For further modifications, small hand-held tools like axes and mauls are used. Today, most Indian sandstone manufacturers provide standard and custom-sized sandstone products to B2B buyers globally.

Finished Material

Modak Pink Sandstone is mainly known for its bright and dynamic shades of honey, rose, and terracotta. Due to its natural ability to easily gel with its surrounding, it remains high in demand from different parts of the world.

Once the cutting and polishing are done, Modak Pink Sandstone is cut into different shapes and sizes to meet the diverse needs of B2B buyers. Some of the popular Sandstone products and their respective dimensions are:

  • Tiles: 30 x 30, 60 x 30, 60 x 60 and 60 x 90 cm with thickness 2 cm, 3 cm, 4 cm, 5 cm or 6 cm.
  • Slabs: 120-190 cm x 90-60 cm with thickness 2 cm, 3 cm, 4 cm, 5 cm or 6 cm.
  • Palisades: 10-12 x 12-25 x 30-250 cm
  • Wall cladding: 100 x 25-45 x 5 cm
  • Step Blocks: 75-200 x 35 x 15 cm
  • Floorplates, facing bricks, wall stones, skirting stone, and cobblestones
  • Custom-sizes with varying thickness

Color Variants

Modak Sandstone is known for its terrific combination of colors with a pale background and beautiful pink veins. As this sandstone is hand-quarried and specific characteristics, each piece of Modak Pink Sandstone features a distinctive look in terms of color variation and texture.

Finishes

Indian Modak Pink Sandstone comes in a variety of finishes that give a smooth texture to the stone surface before application. The actual finish of Modak Sandstone or any other natural stone largely depends on the precise needs of the buyers. A majority of natural stone suppliers and exporters in India employ highly advanced machines and tools to achieve the desired finish on the stone surface.

  • Semi honed + Tumbled + Sandblasted + semi brushed
  • Tumbled + Brushed
  • Bush hammered
  • Natural + Brushed
  • Honed + Sandblasted
  • Natural + Brushed + Tumbled

 

Modak Pink Sandstone
Modak Pink Sandstone with semi honed, tumbled, sandblasted & semi-brushed finish
Project in Panama
Modak Pink Sandstone with tumbled & brushed finish

Modak Pink Sandstone Edges

There are two major edges in Modak Pink Sandstone – Machine Cut (MC) and Hand Cut (HC)

Hand-cut Modak stone (Tumbled + brushed finish)
Modak Sandstone
Machine-cut Modak stone (Tumbled + brushed finish)

Applications

Due to its beautiful texture, hardness, durability, and slip-resistant qualities, Modak Pink Sandstone always remains a hot choice for installation in outdoor areas like pathways, patios, gardens, stairs, floors, fountains, swimming pools, tabletops, walls, and others. However, it can also be installed in indoor areas too depending on the exact functional and decorative needs of the property owner.

Some examples of Modak Pink Sandstone installation is given below:

Paving Modak Sandstone

Modak Sandstone Flooring Project – Outdoor tiles (60×90, 60×60, 60×30, and 30×30 cm thickness 2.5 cm) in natural top calibrated bottom hand cut edges

Modak Sandstone Flooring Project – Outdoor tiles (60×90, 60×60, 60×30, and 30×30 cm thickness 2.5 cm) in natural top calibrated bottom hand-cut edges and crazy (size 30×30-60×30 and 2-4 cm) with natural finish on both side

Modak Sandstone Flooring Project
Modak Sandstone Flooring Project

Modak Sandstone Flooring Project

Outdoor tiles (60×90, 60×60, 60×30 and 30×30 cm thickness 2.5 cm) in natural top calibrated bottom hand cut edges

 

When it comes to buying high-quality Modak Pink Sandstone, India emerges as a foremost choice among B2B buyers. Many sandstone exporters in India offer an extensive range of standard and custom-sized stone products at the most competitive prices to architects, landscapers, construction firms, contractors, interior designers, and others.

Natural Stone Cladding – A Smart Alternative to Glass Facades

For ages, natural stone has been a staple of construction materials both commercially and residentially. Its superior level of strength, durability, and aesthetical value makes it a clear choice among contractors, architects, and interior designers. 

The use of natural stone for any type of construction develops a sense of perpetuity and firmness, even when tattered and weather-beaten. It’s been extensively used throughout the past as the structure and facade of buildings- buildings that have factually stood the test of time.

While natural stone has been a preferred choice for centuries, glass has subjugated commercial construction—particularly high-end projects like skyscrapers—in recent times. But, various studies show that architects are progressively opposing this surplus of glass by switching to stone for their construction projects. 

For a majority of developers and architects, glass had become a new norm, an evident option that often leads to a plain, texture-less, and bland design.

Another reason behind the changeover from glass to stone is due to environmental concerns.

According to the United Nations, 40% of the world’s energy intake can be accredited to construction. Today, real estate developers and architects around the world are under pressure to create environmentally sustainable buildings. ( SOURCE

This is where natural stone outperforms glass by enabling developers and architects to construct buildings that leave lesser carbon footprints as compared to glass.

According to a study conducted by the German Natural Stone Association (DNV) in 2010for over 100 years, a natural stone façade gives substantial environmental rewards as compared to a glass façade. The study reveals that natural stone facades need an ominously lower sum of primary energy than do glass facade systems, both during production and usage. Over their entire life, glass facades need almost three times primary energy than natural stone facades. (Fig 1)

Fig1

Other environmental facts about glass facades are:

Global warming potential (GWP) – 2.5 times higher

– Ozone-smog potential (POCP) – 4 times higher

– Acidification potential (AP) – 3 times higher

– Ozone depletion potential (ODP) – 1.5 times higher

– Eutrophication potential (EP) – 4 times higher

The next part of the study reveals a considerable environmental benefit of natural stone over the glass. The main energy need of a glass facade is more than twicethat of an equivalent natural stone facade (Figure 2).

Fig-2

Overall, the ecological effect of glass facades is found to be 60 to 175 % higher than that of a facade made using a natural stone.

Economical benefits of using natural stone

Natural stone outperforms glass façade not only in terms of the environment but is also very reasonable in terms of price.  For example, the heat transfer factor for a natural stone facade is 0,32 W/m2, which is quite lower than a glass facade that has a coefficient of 1,25 W/m2. Due to this lower heat conductivity level, the heating/cooling requirements of buildings featuring natural stone facades are markedly lower as well.

Another research done by Darmstadt InstitutWohnen und Umwelt reveals that the energy requirement of a facade of natural stone is expected at between 100 and 150-kilowatt hours per square meter annually [kWh/m²a], while the initial energy consumption of glass façade buildings extents to 300 and 700-kilowatt hours per square meter in a year. ( SOURCE)

Types of Stone Cladding

When it comes to design a steady and elegant cladding using natural stones, it is extremely necessary to take into account the weight and other properties of the stone. According to experts, the weight of the stone is extremely important after all it is about fixing a heavy object to a vertical surface.

The most widely used types of natural stone cladding are:

Handset Cladding

Traditional handset cladding is considered an ancient building construction practice in which natural stone is attached to pre-built support. In general, the natural stone acts as an exterior wrapper for a building.

Rainscreen Method

Under this type of cladding, natural stone panels are connected onto the building face using either a covered system or a visible clip mechanism. Stone-clad rainscreen façades are primarily back-ventilated and include an interior drainage fissure, which helps in the removal of the underlying moisture in the structure.

Custom Cladding

This type of cladding includes the creation of custom stone-clad surfaces that appear like complex mosaics.

Natural Stone Options for Cladding

Different types of natural stones can be used for wall cladding purposes. They are generally divided into three geographical segments – sedimentary rocks such as sandstone, metamorphic rocks such as slate, and eventually, igneous rocks like granite.

When it comes to choosing the best material for cladding purposes, architects and contractors must take into account several factors like projected application, appearance, project scale, and most importantly, the composite that would provide the preferred level of strength and longevity.

Below are the popular natural stones for wall cladding

1. Sandstone

Rainbow Sandstone

Sandstone is a great option for wall cladding due to its cost-effectiveness. It can be installed on new or existing walls.

The best thing about sandstone is that it comes in a wide variety of hues and patterns which means it can easily gel with the surroundings.

Moreover, it can be used for both exteriors as well as interior applications due to its exceptional level of hardness, durability, and weather-resistance qualities.

2. Quartzite

Known for its amazing hardness and durability, quartzite always remains a preferred choice for cladding purposes. 

This natural stone comes in a wide assortment of colors that are caused by minerals subverting the stone during the development process.

With its shades ranging from copper and silver to green, quartzite cladding is the most sought-after way to transform the looks of any construction.

D-Green

3. Granite

Black Galaxy Granite Tiles

It is a coarse-grained natural stone that is made up of intertwining crystals. It is widely used for wall cladding applications due to its water resistance and thermal insulation properties. Besides, it is highly durable, easy to maintain, and looks awesome which means it possesses all the qualities required for exterior construction applications like wall cladding. From Ivory White to French Green, this stone comes in nearly an endless range of colors. Granite wall cladding performs not only functionally but visually too.

4. Marble

For ages, marble has been widely used for various types of construction. It is a stone that is greatly appreciated for its ability to reflect light, weather resistance, and timeless existence. 

Wall cladding done with Indian marble instils a sense of space and creates a stunning background for sculpture and other decorative elements.

Nevertheless, marble stone can be used in different ways to give any wall a distinctive look. Some of the popular patterns are random layout, layered effect, progressive vein-matching, and well-defined portraits.

Green marble forest polished

5. Limestone

Kota Brown Limestone

This natural stone can be used on the outer surfaces of hotels, high-rise buildings, homes, shopping complexes, and office buildings. The homogeneity of this stone product makes it a wonderful choice for wall cladding.

Severalultra-modern architectural projects such as theatres, auditoriums, and conference halls have been covered in this stone, specifically in lighter colors. 

However, the yellow and pink shades of limestone are also widely treasured among constructors and architects.

6. Slate

Being a metamorphic stone, slate is considered a perfect constructional material for both exterior and interior cladding purposes. Apart from a stylish and sophisticated look, the natural stone features extreme durability, great water resistance, and low maintenance.

As they come in a wide range of colors, architects and interior find it easy to get the perfect match for the surroundings. When it comes to sizing, slate stone can be bought in standard as well as custom sizes as per the project requirements.

Black Rustic Slate

Now, let’s look at some examples of natural stone wall cladding below:

Granite wall cladding
Quartzite wall cladding
Wall Cladding Copper Quartzite Project In Moscow
Quartzite wall cladding

Generally, it can be easily perceived from the above analysis is that natural stone has a natural tendency to support the environment rather than act against it. From energy consumption to thermal insulation and causing ecological damage, wide-ranging choices, and cost-effectiveness, natural stone outperforms glass in almost every aspect.

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