Welcoming natural stone to your home

It’s important to understand some components of using natural stone surfaces in your home’s design. Because natural stone is produced by nature, it makes each and every section of your natural stone surfaces unique. No two stones are exactly alike. The uniqueness of all natural stone surfaces has an appeal and character to it that no manufactured materials can attain.

Due to the natural variation of natural stone there may be variations in color, veins, and fossils within the slabs. It is critical to inspect the material you have chosen for variations in color, veining, fossil markings, finish, sizing, thickness and any possible damage to the natural stone surfaces before it’s installed. This will ensure the natural stone surfaces are what you ordered.

The standard of the industry prior to installation is ensuring the material is uncrated and inspected before it’s installed. This will allow help modifications, such as blending, to be made to meet the buyer's approval prior to the material being set. After the material has been set, claims are generally not accepted, which is why it’s critical to ensure everything is correct prior to installation.

When it comes to natural stone tiles specifically, all tiles must be viewed and shuffled as a dry layout before being set. With the natural range of color, veins and fossils that are ingrained into the material, it’s important to lay the tiles out. This helps the customer and vendor properly mix and shuffle tiles around to ensure the perfect layout. If this step is skipped, then you could end up with ranges of shades of tiles that don’t flow together in a pleasing manner.

Before any tiles are set, it is vital to test the stone using the setting materials and subfloor systems being used for the particular project. Because stone is a natural material, it can react differently to setting materials, sealers, grouts and sub-floors. So, be sure to create a test patch prior to setting and ensure that you will be happy with the look of the finished product.

Also, keep in mind that tiles may still be wet when they are received. When tiles retain moisture they appear darker than dry tiles within the lot. It is important to allow the stone to dry completely to see the true color.

If you have any questions about natural stone surfaces and what they will look like in your home, visit our website to use our special visualizer tool. This will help ensure the look of your stone on your countertops or backsplashes will look cohesive with your trim, appliances, cabinets and paint colors.

If you are interested in adding natural stone to your home, office or retail space, contact us at GMS Werks and we would love to help you create the space you’ve always dreamed of!