Stone grades.

[Aston]

i was in the old sandstone quarry in woolton village, liverpool in the early 80's and they were cutting blocks and putting the top layers to one side as inferior using the inner cuts as premium grade....that particular quarry was responsible for most of the sandstone used to build the liverpool anglican cathedral.

 

[ohhnoo]

I recently tiled my bathroom in classic travertine 610mm x 405mm and paid £17.50 (sale price)per sqm from Homes in stone for what was advertised as premium grade. The stone generally was ok but I thought was not premium and the price suggests it wasn't either, there was quite a lot of colour variation and a lot of chipped edges etc but the thing that got me was the amount of filler in some of the tiles. Some had hardly any but some had loads, I used all the filled and damaged tiles for cuts etc where possible and spent ages working out where these tiles could be used so I could cut out the damaged/filled areas. I can remember thinking at the time I should not have to do this but I'm glad I did because overall I'm happy with the job. As this was my first travertine job is it normal to go through all that hassle to achieve a good result. Now I know what I'm looking for next time I will inspect the stone more closely before I accept it.

 

[DHTiling]

I recently tiled my bathroom in classic travertine 610mm x 405mm and paid £17.50 (sale price)per sqm from Homes in stone for what was advertised as premium grade. The stone generally was ok but I thought was not premium and the price suggests it wasn't either, there was quite a lot of colour variation and a lot of chipped edges etc but the thing that got me was the amount of filler in some of the tiles. Some had hardly any but some had loads, I used all the filled and damaged tiles for cuts etc where possible and spent ages working out where these tiles could be used so I could cut out the damaged/filled areas. I can remember thinking at the time I should not have to do this but I'm glad I did because overall I'm happy with the job. As this was my first travertine job is it normal to go through all that hassle to achieve a good result. Now I know what I'm looking for next time I will inspect the stone more closely before I accept it.

Not when working with proper grades of stone..

By cheap and you get what you got.. but trying to tell customers this is :mad2: stuff..LOL..

At least you got there but normally do check the grading before hand.. you cannot get premium grades that cheap..no matter what the stone seller tells you.

 

[ohhnoo]

Not when working with proper grades of stone..

By cheap and you get what you got.. but trying to tell customers this is :mad2: stuff..LOL..

At least you got there but normally do check the grading before hand.. you cannot get premium grades that cheap..no matter what the stone seller tells you.

What would you expect to pay for travertine that is premium grade, the place from where I got mine Now sell what I got for £22 per sqm and still describe it as premium. Most of the websites seem to be around that price all describing as premium. Now I know what I'm looking for I feel like giving the place a call to let them know they should not be describing their travertine as premium.

 

[DHTiling]

It should be minimum amount of filler and nothing bigger than a small finger nail..

Calibration should be spot on and virtually no chipped edges( some do in carriage)..

Some cheaper grades have what looks like wood worm type holes and lots of them in various pieces.. not good..

Also tile surface should be smooth on honed and not filler residue left on them..

I would say for a premium grade then a cost indication will be over £30+ a mtr..don't be fooled by sales or bargain prices etc.. as it will be low grading..

 

[ohhnoo]

It should be minimum amount of filler and nothing bigger than a small finger nail..

Calibration should be spot on and virtually no chipped edges( some do in carriage)..

Some cheaper grades have what looks like wood worm type holes and lots of them in various pieces.. not good..

Also tile surface should be smooth on honed and not filler residue left on them..

I would say for a premium grade then a cost indication will be over £30+ a mtr..don't be fooled by sales or bargain prices etc.. as it will be low grading..

I bought 28sqm out of which 30% had either filler or chips, the size of the chips ranged from tiny less than 1mm to whole corners missing , I think most of the damage was done in transit. All the tiles apart from 2 were the same thickness/square and nice and smooth. The slightly damaged/filled ones I used for cuts etc or placed them behind cabinets/toilet sink etc where they wouldn't be seen. Some of the filled ones with good edges I had to use but put in less visable places. Some of the tiles that I think have been filled may not of been because there was no evidence on the reverse side but on the face although smooth looks like filler to me. I've even thought about using wood stain on the filled areas to make them blend in better, may experiment on some offcuts.

 

[tomar]

I market German Jura limestone in the UK. This is all sold as one quality. However the greater the colour variation that the customer will accept then the lower the price will be (within a quite small range). For large projects the quarry will ensure that all the material comes from the same part to minimise variation (not eliminate it). Filling of limestone is common and does not reflect it's quality.

 

[Colour Republic]

Oh my god yet another link to you site! I didn't expect that from you of all people. This must be a record, how about you add some value to the site mate and give some advice.. oh wait.. I get it it's all on your website...

 

[Richard Edwards]

Just a note to say that a trade client of mine asked me to install some Limestone in a kitchen for him / his client which I did last week. If ever there was a case for stating - you only get what you pay for, this was it !

The product came from Mandarin Stone and whilst I understand it was their basic Limestone (Modular) at the entry / lowest price. The cost was £26 /m2 and it was an absolute pig to install -
The thickness varied from 12mm to 8mm from piece to piece. The modular pattern uses 205 x 205 / 405 x 405 / 606 x 405 or thereabouts. Putting the 2 of the 205 x 205 squares together along the 405 edge should give you enough of a joint to make a consistant grout joint for the whole pattern - Did it hell - I had to lay the 205s with 2mm joints between them and put the bigger tiles alongside them with 8mm joints to make it fit !

Some tiles were so badly cut in the quarry that there were 8mm out of square - even along a 205mm length. :mad2:

It was truely awful - That said I did my best to make it look really good and the client is pleased with the result. Thank goodness it was pillowed edge or was it tumbled - some of each probably - :incazzato:

At £26/m2 you don't get a lot for your money !

As we have all said time and time again - you only get what you pay for (mostly)