Natural Stone Tiles
THE TILE SOURCE’s natural stone is sourced from quarries round the world that meet the high standards that we demand. The quality of natural stone can vary tremendously from seam to seam and quarry to quarry. In turn the finishing of the stone is also critical, accurate sizing of the face and thickness is critical to ensure no lipping or other unevenness occurs. All THE TILE SOURCE natural stone is inspected to ensure it meets our standards.
Our Riverstone slate comes from the San Luis quarry in Argentina. For the more technical it is a 560 million year old Cambrian phyllite which is harder and coarser grained than most slates. This gives it a rougher surface texture and improved slip resistance while also being more resistant to abrasion. Two finishes are available, a riven grey/green and a gunmetal honed surface (matt smooth). All tiles are calibrated.
The travertines come from several quarries in Europe. Our 150x75mm unfilled and tumbled travertine is used as a wall tile and gives a very rustic appearance, particularly when the three colours are mixed together. The honed and filled medium light travertine with square edge is available in 150x50, 200x80, 259x110 and 305x305mm sizes. All are calibrated and the sizes can be mixed to provide interesting wall and floor design ideas. A medium light 405x405mm unfilled travertine with hammered edges can be used to provide a rustic appearance while the 600x400mm honed and filled in both medium and medium light gives a very contemporary feel.
The limestones come from three quarries. We have a range of Applestone, a light creamy coloured stone in a variety of finishes and sizes. In a brushed finish with tumbled edges that provides a very natural look it is available in 305x305, 150x50, 200x80 and 250x110mm. In a honed finish with straight edges for a more modern look it is available in 305x305mm. A white honed square edge limestone with very little colour variation is available in 405x405mm, excellent for the minimalist decors that are currently so popular and finally a rich golden and mottled tones of Jerusalem stone in 406x406mm. The stone is full of shells and makes a beautiful warm looking floor.
Granite comes from China. The all black Nero Orient is a good value solid black, while the Nero Peperino is a mottled grey black. Both are 457x457mm which allows them to be fixed as kitchen splashbacks without having to cut to the underside of the units.
There are a large number of natural stone mosaics which make excellent value borders or features for our ceramic tile ranges, or are fantastic as whole wall surface finishes. Tumbled travertines, mixes, Jerusalem stone, target patterns, brickpoint patterns, marbles are all available and provide a wonderfully tactile surface.
There are a lot of very cheap stones being imported that are likely to disappoint. Before buying check:
1. Check the current stock of any natural stone tile you purchase to ensure it has a suitable shade, colour variation and sizing.
2. Travertine is a stone that has naturally occurring holes, which are normally filled by the stone finishers with an epoxy filler. Check that the filler will stay in the hole and that it is at least as hard as the surrounding stone!
3. All travertines have holes, but the more holes is has the cheaper the tile should be and it will not last as long or perform well.
4. Travertine, marble, slate and limestone are all relatively brittle so ensure the tile is sufficiently thick for its dimensions or you will end up with a cracked floor.
5. Many of the most popular natural stones are relatively soft and can scratch. Again a lot of the cheaper stones can be particularly prone to scratching.
6. Cheaper slates can be prone to lamination (flaking) and are often un-calibrated.
7. Beware of buying natural stone from the web without seeing current batch samples.
You have been warned!
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