At Stoneworld we pride ourselves on over twenty years of experience in natural stone. Our expert team helps customers buy the perfect stone for their home or garden and keep it looking great for years after purchase. In this article, we offer some simple tips to common questions and issues we find when talking to customers, and some insight into this amazing natural resource.

Natural stone flooring can be a fantastic addition to any home, offering durability and longevity while providing a subtle, natural quality to its surrounds. However, what should you look for when choosing a stone? One key consideration is the desired usage of the flooring. If this part of your home is high traffic, or will see hard use such as a family kitchen, a thicker slab and more robust stone such as xxxxxx will weather this constant usage far better and requiring less maintenance over time. Next; design. What shape does your space take? If your home has varied corners, angles or steps are required, then getting a quality cut is key to ensuring continuity and is essential when purchasing premium flooring. What better way to compliment your natural stone floor than with matching, precision cut steps? Lastly, we need to talk about the aesthetic. Choosing stone flooring can be a minefield, with so many variations and colours on offer, which is right for you? Consider the existing architecture and setting. In a traditional English cottage for example, a warm limestone such as La Roche can give an understated yet Mediterranean feel to the room, with soft tones avoiding harsh contrasts.

Whether adding a paved area to a small plot, or embarking on a swimming pool development, natural stone can offer an attractive, traditional, and sustainable solution. When planning your project, there are some important aspects to consider. First, what thickness of stone to use? While a thinner slab will offer affordability, a thicker slab, for example Stoneworld 50mm Raj Green sandstone, will give far greater longevity and a greater return on investment – withstanding harder use and more “Freeze/Thaw” cycles. In addition, bespoke elements can add the finishing touch to a project, but what forms might they take? In a pool project, for example, stone skimmer lids or precision cut steps can bring the project together and avoid your beautiful new paving being broken up with unsightly plastic caps beside your pool. Lastly, particularly when building swimming pools or “wet use” areas, safety is a vital concern. How will your stone be finished? One recommendation is an acid-etched surface on limestone paving such as La Roche, giving a reliable non-slip surface around the pool, or on your patio.

Stonecare

Interior or exterior, natural stone is often a considerable investment and undertaking, so caring for and maintaining it is vital. Sealing natural stone can ensure a far greater lifespan for your stone, and can be done relatively quickly and easily. Stoneworld’s specially developed Rob Parker’s Best stone sealer is developed to create a lasting seal on your stone while not damaging the surface nor diminishing its appearance. Cleaning can also be a factor in natural stone. As a natural element, stone will interact with the environment around it, attracting over time issues such as black spot, which can be easily remedied with Rob Parker’s Best patio cleaner, also by Stoneworld Oxfordshire. Our patio cleaner reaches to the roots of the fungus which creates black spot, helping to prevent reoccurance and avoiding the damaging effects of using a harsher cleaning product. Similarly, interior surfaces such as granite worktops can diminish over time, as the effect of food or liquids over time, even soap which often contains tallow, generating films or stains. To combat this, and keep your worktop clean and beautiful, we recommend our Rob Parker’s Best quartz and granite cleaners and sealers.

Natural stone is a the perfect way to add something special to your home that should last a lifetime. If you would like advice on buying or maintaining a project in your home, get in touch with us today and share your thoughts; we love helping people find their perfect match in stone.