Metamorphosized travertine is marble-like and can take a polish. Sandstone Sandstone is a sedimentary rock made of compacted sand, held together with calcium, silicon or ferrous minerals. Sandstone varies in color, from red to yellow to white, based on the presence of other minerals. Sandstone is soft and easy to quarry and shape. It is susceptible to erosion and deterioration from air pollutants.
Brownstone is a variety of sandstone.
All stones are natural materials subject to variation in properties according to specific mineral composition, size and thickness of the tested piece. Coefficient of Expansion Stone expands and contracts minimally with temperature change. Normally the amount of change is too insignificant to cause a problem. However, some of the purest marbles retain a small incremental change after each heating cycle. This is called hysteresis.