Why Choose Natural Stone Tiles?

Nothing adds value to your property like natural stone. Natural stone is visually appealing and every piece isn’t identical so the appearance is more natural. If a piece gets chipped, the same colour goes all the way through the tile.

Products such as granite are extremely dense which greatly increases stain resistance and durability.

Please satisfy yourself regarding the colour and texture consistency of each stone tile type prior to choosing and ordering your tiles.

We cannot accept any claims about colour or texture variation after the stone has been laid.

Where possible we try to explain and illustrate typical stone colour and texture variations, for each type of stone,  in brochure photos, photos on our website and the tiles and photos in our showrooms.

If your chosen stone tile product isn’t in stock, it will normally already be on re-order and shouldn’t be far away or we will have a close alternative that should meet your needs.

Yes, absolutely!

Getting stone cut to size has a number of benefits. The pieces can be made to suit site restrictions or personal taste. Pools being renovated often need sizes that are uncommon and also require bullnosing to two edges. This is best done by bringing in sizes to suit each individual pool. Granite in particular offers a great scope for customisation with sizes (up to one metre in length), thicknesses and edge profiles. As most of our natural stones are imported there will be a lead time. This is around 8-10 weeks from China

(Granite), 14-16 weeks from India (Himalayan Quartz) and 12-14 weeks from Europe (Travertine and Limestone).

Yes, for instance Granite can be supplied with the following finishes:

• Flamed
• Bush hammered
• Sandblasted
• Sawn
• Sparrow pecked
• Pineappled
• Water jet
• Honed and polished

And the list goes on…

Basically if you have seen something you like, we should be able to source it for you.

We are often asked by clients to match a particular product. We have an extensive array of contacts and significant experience with sourcing products both locally and globally. So we welcome the opportunity to work with you on your project.

Yes, we recommend sealing of all natural stone products. Sealing does not make Natural Stone ‘stain proof’ but it gives a window of opportunity to remove the stain before it penetrates into the stone.
Sealing also helps protect it from salt attack and pool chemicals. Also, many types of stone contain small amounts of minerals that may oxidize when exposed to the air and cause small tea like stains on the surface. Although these stains will disappear naturally over time, sealing can prevent them from occurring. Sealing is not usually included by the Pool Builder.  It is up to the homeowner to arrange.

Not really, the most difficult job about sealing is the cleaning prior to sealing. For this reason it is best to stay on top of keeping your paved areas cleaned and sealed. We have recommended cleaners and sealers for each type of paving material we sell.

Absolutely. Sealing is very easy to do. After cleaning the stone and allowing it to dry completely, two to three coats of sealer are usually applied with a garden sprayer or lambswool applicator, leaving a couple of hours between coats. In general, we recommend a ‘penetrating & consolidating’ type sealer that blocks the pores in the stone but doesn’t change the appearance of the product. This product does not need to be removed prior to resealing. Surface sealers are not recommended as they can decrease the slip resistance of the stone and may go milky when wet.

This depends on the type and quality of sealer used. In general, most sealers last two to three years depending on the type and brand. You need to reseal when you notice that it takes longer to dry out after it gets wet and/or water doesn’t bead on the surface.

No, we do not recommend sealing stone on water features as the constant water running over the stone can cause the sealer to look milky (i.e. white in appearance), which is unattractive, particularly on dark stones.

Yes you can but they generally need to be thicker in height than our standard products to stand up to the greater movement. The thicker the product, the more expensive it is to buy but they can be custom ordered if you can afford to wait 8 – 14 weeks. The vast majority of professional layers only pave onto a concrete base. This eliminates the risks of movement and weeds.

This is not uncommon. According to the Australian Stone Advisory Association, this is often caused by moisture percolating through concrete (in this case, the pool shell and/or surrounding slab) from which soluble alkali salts are leached. The salts are then carried by the moisture through the stone, where partially oxidised organic matter is picked up. This is then transported to the surface of the stone, where it is deposited as a stain as the moisture evaporates. It does not harm the stone, and if left alone the stain is removed naturally by the elements, usually in the course of a few months.

This is a natural reaction in a natural product and it is completely beyond our control as to when and where it may occur. If you wish, you can speed nature along by having the stone professionally cleaned and then sealed.