Two natural stones from the island of Saaremaa are used in building projects – one is Selgase dolomite (read more here) and the other is Kaarma dolomite, also known as Saaremaa marble. Reval Stone processes both these stones and you can order products made of these stones from our online shop. In this post, we will take a closer look at the light grey natural stone from Kaarma.
The long history of dolomite from Kaarma
As the name suggests, it is quarried on the island of Saaremaa near the city of Kuressaare. This fine crystalline natural stone with colour ranging from light grey to bluish-grey is found in massive layers up to one meter thick. Kaarma dolomite formed more than 400 million years ago.
It is known that the dolomite from Kaarma was used as a building material already in the 13th century. Then it was used to build the local Kaarma church. Rumors of the value of the stone spread and a century later this stone was already used in the Estonian mainland. Starting from the 17th century the stone was also used in Tallinn. In addition to Kaarma church, this stone has been used in the construction works of several other valuable buildings – for example, Kuressaare castle, Tallinn’s St. Nicholas Church, and Riga cathedral (in Latvia).
However, the large-scale quarrying of this dolomite from Saaremaa began in the middle of the 20th century when it was also exported to Russia and Latvia.
About the use of Saaremaa dolomite
Centuries have passed, but the importance and popularity of Kaarma dolomite have not decreased and this material is used a lot even today. When freshly quarried the stone is easy to process and nowadays it is mostly used for finishing. For example, it has been used in the construction of Kumu Art Museum, Tallinn University building, and Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.
This stone from Kaarma is suitable for use on façades and stairs, for producing socle stones and masonry stones, for different kinds of tiles, for pillars, fireplaces, and a lot of other products.
Kaarma dolomite from the online shop
From 2021 it is also possible to order products made of Kaarma dolomite from our online shop. The product range of Reval Stone’s online shop currently includes floor tiles made of dolomite, skirting made of dolomite, and window sills made of dolomite.
If you are still not certain whether this is a suitable material for your project, we recommend ordering a sample tile of Kaarma dolomite from our online shop.
If you are interested in a product which you can’t order from the online shop, contact us at shop@revalstone.com.
