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Glossary of Terms

Glossary is usually defined as an alphabetical list of technical terms in some specialized field of knowledge. This knowledge base glossary provides a collection of knowledge base documents that define many technical terms. These terms are arranged alphabetically, but you can quickly jump to a specific term by selecting its first letter from the index of the knowledge base glossary below.

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10 Glossary Terms Found.
MACHINE FINISH
The generally recognized standard machine finish produced by the planers
MALPAIS
Literally, badland; refers to dark-colored rock, commonly lava, in rough terrain
MANTEL
The structural member spanning the opening of a fireplace. Also, a shelf (usually cubic stone) which is part of the finish and above the fireplace opening
MANUFACTURED
Dimensional stone fabricated, ready for installation
MANUFACTURER
One who fabricates dimensional stone
MARBLE
A metamorphic crystalline rock composed predominantly of crystalline grains of calcite, dolomite, or serpentine, and capable of taking a polish
METAMORPHIC ROCK
Rock altered in appearance, density, crystalline structure, and in some cases, mineral composition, by high temperature or intense pressure, or both. Includes slate derived from shale, quartz-based stone from quartzitic sand, and true marble from limestone
MICROFIBER
A special type of fabric or fabrics treated in a way by which the single filaments must be less than 1 “Denier”. (’Denier’ is the term used to define the diameter or fineness of a continuous or filament fiber.) For instance, fine silk is 1.25 denier. Microfiber fabrics are usually between 0.5 and 0.6 denier
MOHS SCALE
In 1812 the Mohs scale of mineral hardness was devised by the German mineralogist Frederich Mohs (1773-1839), who selected the ten minerals because they were common or readily available. The scale is not a linear scale, but somewhat arbitrary. An item with a higher Mohs value can scratch an item with a lower Mohs value. A lower rated item cannot scratch a higher rated one: 1. Talc; 2. Gypsum; 3. Calcite (Most Marbles); 4. Fluorite; 5. Apatite; 6. Feldspar (Granite); 7. Quartz (Granite); 8. Topaz; 9. Corundum; 10. Diamond. Countertops with a 7+ are considered excellent, a 6 good, a 5 poor (because knives can scratch) and a 4 or below unadvisable. When sediment and grit are harder than the surface, they will scratch and harm the stone.
MUD BED
A mix of sand and Portland cement that gets set over the sub floor with a thickness of approximately 1” and on which stone tiles will then be set. It is meant to absorb the possible settlement movement of the building, so that the stone tiles will not crack.