Marble resistance to Weather +

["George Graham" <georgergraham@zzzzzzzzzzz>]

HI,
The debate over treating or not treating marble probably will never end. In
the middle 1980's I was  working for a company the installed some India
black granite around a pool of water. The caretaker was Mr.. Tarbox, who
believed in waxing everything. Over time all things seem to replaced . Who
knows what will be done to preserve marble 20 years from now?

Jane Armstrong's book shows that her favorite subject was animals carved in
marble. Her work is very realistic and uses many different kinds of marble.

I understand your concerns about what kind of marble to use. Its kind of
nerve wracking to commit to a material that you aren't experienced with. All
I can do is pass on what I know and hope it helps in your decision.
I recently checked the Tenn.. marble company website and it appeared that
they are still selling champion pink. About 10 years ago I talked to them
about getting a block 6'x4'x2'. If memory serves me right, they wanted 160
dollars a cubic foot. No doubt it cost more now.

Georgia marble has been used extensively for many years for outdoor
monuments, fountains and sculpture. I'm sure the Lincoln Memorial in Wash.
DC is georgia marble. The georgia marble co. used to also have a picture of
a large outdoor fountain in Chicago that has withstood the test of time and
elements, in their advertising.

Scott Owens , is a sculptor in Colorado that uses Yule marble to do amazing
figurative work. I have his web site on my favorites list, but it appears
that the address is no good, so I can't send you to look at his work. If you
can track him down, and he still has a website, check it out. That will show
you what can be done with yule marble.

My opinion on marble resistance to weather, is that even the softest, most
crumbly sugar stone quarried in Vermont, 200 years ago, that has been abused
by the worst weather New England can throw at it, still retains its basic
shape. Although the sharp detail has been lost, you can still make out what
is carved. The marble sculptures of presidents that fill the capital are
mostly domestic marble. Georgia, colorado, Tenn..pink and indiana limestone
have been used in outdoor building construction all over the country, and
are a proven , known , and carvable marble. I can't leave out the good
Vermont marble. Its all good stuff.

If I were doing an outdoor marble project , I would feel comfortable using
any of these stones. If my project involved water standing in a pool or
fountain, I'd be just a little nervous about indiana limestone and vermont.
But that's just my feeling, and not really based on science.
Hope this helps,
George Graham