Stone Benchtops: The Ultimate Guide To Buying Natural Stone
If you’re renovating or building a luxury home on the Sunshine Coast, you might be considering natural stone for your benchtops. Natural stone is, after all, a luxury feature, and a timeless and enduring choice for your benchtops. We believe the return of natural stone far outweighs the cost and extra care required, it hold its value and can be the hero of your project (if you get it right!). Read on for our handy guide, where we’ve gathered several key considerations and tips to help you make the right decision.
We’ve hand selected this special piece of Dolce Vita Dolomite from Finestone Granite and Marble for our Noosa project ‘Drift’. The leathered finish feels like a dream to touch!
THE BASICS
The basics: Know what you’re getting into. The first thing you need to know if you’re considering natural stone is the extra maintenance and care required. Natural stone is porous, so it requires sealing at installation. It is generally recommended that it is to be resealed every year. The sealing process is fairly straightforward; the sealant is sprayed over the stone by a professional, left to dry for 24 hours and then you’re good to use it again. Many people let the resealing process lapse over time- this is ok, it happens, and a good stone sealer will be able to get your stone looking good again in no time. Anecdotally, I would say most people I know get their stone resealed every 3-5years.
Natural stone also requires specialized, mild, PH-neutral cleaning products. Absolutely no Jiff or Exit Mould- the chemicals in these everyday cleaning products can damage your stone. Stone Cleaning products are readily available at natural stone tile suppliers or online. It’s just getting used to a different set of cleaning products.
There is also extra cost in fabrication. Unlike sheets of engineered stone, natural stone requires specialized blades at the stonemason and extra time and care during the fabrication process. So although you might find a nice slab of stone that you adore and is roughly the same price as a high-range Caesarstone, for example, the fabrication cost will always be higher. Just something to be aware of. If you’re considering natural stone flooring like travertine, marble or limestone, your tiler will also charge slightly more per meter in laying cost/ labour as it will need to be wet sawn. This is where you’ll want to find a tiler that thrives on working with this gorgeous material- they’re certainly out there and they are usually immensely proud of the luxurious finish they can achieve for their clients.
This beautiful kitchen by Kerri-Ann Jones features Patagonia Quartzite. I love how the warmth of the timber flooring and cabinetry enhances the stone.
STONE SOURCING
Ok, so now you know what you’re getting into. The next stage is the fun part-sourcing your stone. Walking through a stone yard is like browsing an art gallery. Each piece is unique, ancient and wonderful in its own way. I liken the sourcing stage to wedding dress shopping- you need to do your research, prepare a short list of requirements and must-haves, and go with an open mind. You’ll know when you see The One.
So, what should be on your list of requirements? This is where you determine the application and intended purpose, which will generally dictate the best type of stone you should consider. The many different types of stone have varying degrees of durability, strength and composition. You can identify how hard each stone type is on the Mohs Scale, which ranks stone from the softest (Soapstone, travertine, limestone) through to marble, dolomite, onyx, granite and Quartzite.
The intended purpose of your stone must be taken into consideration first and foremost. A frequently used, high traffic kitchen benchtop will probably be best suited to a more durable, less porous stone like quartzite or granite. However, many clients see divine photos in magazines featuring a stunning and classic marble island! This is certainly achievable, however you’ll just need to be aware of the extra cleaning and care required. For instance, red wine, citrus and tea can stain the porous marble and will need to be wiped up with a soft cloth immediately. Which is fine for clients who are neat and tidy in everyday life, but possibly not best for a family with several rambunctious boys and no-one to keep an eye on the marble. A marble benchtop would also benefit from yearly sealing. I usually steer a client like this towards Dolomite which has the same classic veining and feel as marble but is more durable and less prone to etching or staining. Anything is possible within the realms of practicality- as long as you understand the cleaning upkeep, you can have what you like!
If you’re considering natural stone for your floors, even a softer stone like travertine or marble, all you need is a gentle stone cleaner and a weekly mop and you’re pretty good. Similarly, a softer stone on a vertical face like a powder room wall should hold up fairly well.
Another tip is to do your research as to where you can source your dream slab from. Some stone yards are much larger than others, with several batches of each type of stone, and high rotations of best-selling slabs. Each stone varies from batch to batch, depending on what part of the quarry it’s cut from, so if you’re looking for Calacatta Viola marble, for instance, you’ll want to find the PERFECT piece of it, rather than go to your nearest stone yard and say yes to the first piece you see. Viola marble can range from purples, to burgundy to grey, depending on the batch. As I’ve mentioned, each slab is different and unique in its own way and you’ll want the piece that speaks to you…you’ll know when you see it!
Another tip: You can also buy stone per slab or per meter. Different stone yards offer different pricing structures, so if you just want a smaller piece for a mantelpiece or powder room vanity, you can call around and ask different stone suppliers if they sell by the meter or have any offcuts.
This spacious kitchen by Kyal and Kara features a hero slab of Taj Mahal quartzite on the island.
THE BIG PICTURE
Natural stone is a big deal. It’s a premium, high-end feature that can inject your home with sophistication and opulence, and from a real estate/ re-sale perspective, it’s truly holds its value.
When sourcing your stone, you want to think of the whole picture, the visual story you are trying to tell. The overall combination of stone, splashback, cabinetry, flooring and hardware must be considered when shopping for stone. I’ve seen a magnificent slab of stone surrounded by cool, white gloss cabinetry and square chrome handles- sacrilege!
Although the stone is a good place to start, and you can flesh out your other selections from this point, the whole scheme should be considered. Take your other selections, samples and options along with you when browsing the stone yard. You want to offset the stone beautifully. The whole story needs to be told. If you aren’t experienced in this area, talk to an interior designer– if you’re investing in a natural stone slab you’ll want it to have the starring role in your project: this is best achieved by a complementary and harmonious colour palette.
This beautiful kitchen by Anna Carin features Calacatta Viola marble to great effect. A busy, heavily veined stone is best paired with subtle, neutral tones to showcase the stone.
LIGHTING
This is another factor you’ll want to give thought to. Lighting can play a huge role in the overall effect of your interiors, and your stone can be showcased beautifully with lighting. Some slabs like Quartzite are translucent in places, this can be used to great effect as we can backlight these slabs. If your stone is solid, you can softly illuminate and showcase your natural stone with directional lighting or recessed LED strip lighting. This again should all be considered prior to your shopping, as it can dictate the type of stone you might like to select.
We sourced this beautiful slab of Brazillian Quartzite for our Penthouse Project, ‘Bella La Vista‘. It has translucent, crystalline qualities and beautiful gold and copper veining throughout.
Overall, we absolutely adore the wondrous timelessness of natural stone and we love using it in our interior design projects. It makes each project completely bespoke and unique. We believe the beauty and luxuriousness of natural stone outweighs the extra cost and care required. We love to create interiors that immerse the client in beauty and luxury, and natural stone is, to us, the ultimate luxury.
If you need help with your next Sunshine Coast interior design project, please get in touch, we’d love to help!
