Geological Rock Types

The journey begins from the earth to your home when blocks of stone are extracted from huge quarry beds by large cutting machines. These blocks are then transported to a factory where they are cut into slabs by water-cooled gang saws. The slabs are then machined to give a honed or polished finish to the surface and cut into various size tile formats. Further specialist finishing methods can then be employed to produce a variety of ‘antiqued’ surfaces and edges. The geological complexity of stone results in natural variation from tile to tile; this is why all natural products exhibit their own individual characteristics.

Whilst we work closely with suppliers to select our stone and take great care to show representative displays, images and samples, a degree of natural variation is beyond our control and will inevitably occur. This is part of the beauty of natural stone, to help appreciate the extent of any variation, it is important that you view as much stone as possible before placing your order and ensure enough stone is ordered initially, including extra, as batch variation may occur between orders. On a final note you must ensure your stone installer blends the tiles prior to fixing, so that the spectrum of shades are distributed evenly.

Many of our stones are available in a variety of finishes, each of which will alter the appearance and shade of an individual stone type; a polished finish will intensify the colour and any markings within the tile, whereas a tumbled material will appear more muted and subtle. Shade variation can occur between different sizes of tile in the same stone, therefore we would usually advise against mixing individual tile sizes, unless they are purchased as a set pattern. Fissures, minor blemishes and edge chipping are characteristics of many of our stones. These are to be expected and are not deemed as defects, once fitted and grouted such characteristics are virtually unnoticeable.

Stone tiles are often packed wet and do not dry out until they are unpacked, therefore some of your stone may appear darker in shade until thoroughly dry. Stone tiles may vary slightly in thickness and overall dimensions. This may be due to their rustic nature or the edge finish of the stone but also because of wear on the cutting machinery and blades during the finishing process. Therefore all sizes listed within this brochure are nominal. Most of our stone, slate and terracotta tiles are supplied in their raw and natural state. Once fitted and sealed your tiles will have a far more finished appearance. For more information on fixing, sealing and maintenance please refer to the relevant section.

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock formed by the consolidation of sediments, seashells and other organic matter. This calcareous stone forms our largest product range. Each limestone exhibits its own characteristic colours and markings. Some degree of edge chipping can be expected together with occasional surface pitting, fossilised shells, fissures and mineral striations.

Travertine

Travertine is created by hot mineral springs. The result of this method of formation is a honey-combed structure which when finished has visible surface pitting and voids. Our travertine is available in either ‘filled’ or ‘unfilled’ finishes. With an unfilled travertine the surface voids will be filled with grout during the installation process. Filled travertine has had these pits and voids filled at source with a colour matched stone resin. Whilst this gives a smoother surface, through general usage, some small areas of fill may dislodge or previously unexposed holes may become visible. This is not unusual and the holes should be re-filled with a suitable resin or grout.

Marble

Marble is a metamorphic rock historically used in ancient buildings. Marble encompasses a vast spectrum of colours with mineral veining generally contrasting to the base stone colour. Some marble tiles or slabs may have a meshed backing or resin on the rear to help strengthen the tiles when the veins are particularly predominant. Marble is a very dense stone that readily lends itself to a polished finish.

Slate

A fine-grained metamorphic rock that is characterised by its ability to be split into broad sheets. Slate is a durable stone which presents a diverse range of colours and textures. We offer ‘riven’ slate, which has a naturally cleft surface and is rustic by its nature, with chips and chisel marks present on some surfaces. Some of our ‘riven’ slate varies in thickness or is ‘uncalibrated’ and therefore requires ‘bedding up’ with the appropriate thick bed adhesive during installation. We also offer ‘honed’ slates that are machined to create a smooth, even surface. Some of the dark honed slate can be prone to scratch marks.

Sandstone

A coarse-grained sedimentary rock formed by compressed sand deposited by water or wind. It is commonly characterised by a granular surface. Sandstone is a hard yet very porous stone that requires thorough impregnation and surface sealing when used internally. Sandstone in its large flag format is a very popular external choice.

Schist

A dense metamorphic crystalline rock that offers considerable shade variation, ranging from light pearl grey to dark gold, with an undulose, riven surface texture.

Terracotta

Terracotta is made from natural clay which has been moulded and then kiln fired to bake the clay and produce rigid tiles. The clay is either moulded by hand, these tiles offer a more rustic feel, or machine-moulded for a more consistent finish. All Terracotta tiles will be subject to edge chipping and variation which is part of the finished look of an authentic Terracotta floor. Terracotta when untreated is very porous and as such any unsealed tiles will look very different from your finished floor.

Granite

A hard igneous rock originating from the slow crystallisation of molten magma cooling deep beneath the earth’s surface, this is the hardest stone in our range. Available in a polished finish this shows off the ornate crystals which serve to make up Granite.

Basalt

A fine grained, dark coloured igneous rock generally formed from volcanic lava flows, it is made up of minute crystals barely visible to the naked eye.

Alea

A finish which offers a gently softened edge to the tile and a very light surface texture.

Antique

A term which encompasses various ageing/distressing methods which achieves a worn look to the stone. Please note that where stones originate from different countries, antiquing methods will vary, and therefore ultimately the look of the stone will vary.

Brushed

A form of antique stone, which has only slight surface texture and a softly rounded edge.

Calibrated

Where the stone has been finished to a uniform thickness.

Cerato

Virtually the same as ‘brushing’. A finish which is used by the Italians in our Renaissance range, leaving the stone with a silky texture.

Chipped

Where the edge of the stone has been worked to give a hand-chipped appearance.

Chiselled

Where the edge of the stone has been chiselled by hand to recreate a traditional looking floor.

Cobble

Generally a smaller stone of greater thickness. Normally used externally.

Cross-Cut

Relates to travertine where the blocks are cut horizontally to achieve its well known mottled appearance.

Fabrication

A term used to describe the process in which large stone slabs are made into bespoke worktops, vanity tops, bath surrounds etc.

Filled

This term is related primarily to travertine. Travertine is characterised by surface pits and holes, these can be pre-filled at source by a stone resin which is as similar as possible to the colour of the stone. Not every single pit/hole may be completely filled, and therefore even a pre-filled stone may require some filling by grout during the fixing process.

Fissure

This is thin mineral veining which can be mistaken for a crack in the stone.

Flag

Generally a larger stone of a thicker depth for use externally or internally.

Fossils

Fossils are remnants of past animals or plants. Fossils can exist in many different types of mineral.

Free Lengths

Free length material has a static width (i.e. 400mm or 600mm) and is a mix of either random lengths or of several fixed lengths, which when laid with a staggered joint, gives a more random appearance to the floor. Please enquire if you would like to know the variation within current stock of a product.

Honed

The stone is run through a machine to give a smooth surface to the face of the stone.

Minerals

One, two or more minerals combine to form rock. They are non-living solids that are found in nature. Quartz and calcite are commonly found in stone.

Nominal

A small variation from stated sizes and thicknesses.

Opus

Where the stone is laid in a repeated pattern which gives a random effect. There are various Opus patterns depending on the stone. Please note you cannot choose a stone to come in a particular Opus, a stone will come in an Opus specified by us, please see pricing tables throughout the site.

Pillowed

A form of antique stone, where the edges have a soft, but almost pronounced ‘pillowed’ edge.

Polished

Where the stone is worked to achieve a high reflective gloss to the surface of the tile.

Provence

A finish where each piece of stone is finished by hand. Some pieces will have a soft stippled surface, whereas others will have smooth undulations. These combine to recreate the effect of an original antique stone floor.

Riven

A naturally cleft or riven face simply achieved by splitting blocks of stone. This term usually relates to slate or sandstone, giving a fairly rustic feel.

Slab

A large piece of stone which can be fabricated into worktops, vanity tops, bath surrounds etc.

Tatami

A decorative linear border tile in the marble range.

Tumbled

A form of antique stone, where the stone has been ‘tumbled’ which gives a rounded edge to the tile and the surface may be slightly textured.

Uncalibrated

Where the thickness of the tile varies to a greater or lesser degree.

Unfilled

This term is primarily related to travertine. Travertine is characterised by surface pits and holes, and an unfilled finish leaves the travertine in its natural state. This then requires the surface of the stone to be filled with grout during the fixing process.

Veining

This is the term describing the natural, irregular mineral lines found in stone.

Vein-Cut

This term relates to travertine, where the stone is cut in such a way which shows the natural striations, giving a banded appearance to the stone.