Marble for outdoor use?

[Tom Cullen]

I was just wondering if anyone would care to share their opinion on wither it is safe to use Marble tiles outdoors? Thing is , I have a pretty cool job lined up that requires four walls 5' X 6' to be used for a history of a local high school. They will use old photos and art work to give a history to the present day. Since older photos are fairly hard to work with and making them look good on granite is sometimes tuff, I was thinking of using marble to better highlight the images. The walls are vertical ( as walls would be LOL!) so no worries about wear other than the weather but being here in San Diego I'm wondering if thats a big concern? what do you all think? would the gloss finish tarnish after a while.

Tom

[Belinda Barfield]

I'm not sure of the conditions in your area, but in our area acid rain will damage marble tiles fairly quickly. It is my understanding that granite fares much better in an outdoor setting than marble, however, I defer to those with more experience than me.

[Nancy Laird]

Tom, you might try sending a PM or an e-mail to Bob Belt (member here, but not very active since he sold his laser [to us]). He did some marble memorials, including one for his dog that is in his back yard in Arkansas. When we saw it in September, it had been out for over a year--so it's been about two years now. In September, it looked brand new. I think he did quite a few marble pieces, so he will know how they hold up.

Nancy

[Joe Pelonio]

I have done a few memorials in marble too, one I saw after two years still looking new, and it's mounted nearly flat on the ground at the base of a memorial tree. Then again our smog is not too bad here, but we do get plenty of rain.

[Bill Cunningham]

I would imagine every area is different as far as acid rain is concerned.. Perhaps a wander through the local cemetary, to see how the surface polish of various stones types stand up.. Heck, there even all dated for you :D