Antique French limestone
Need advice? Call 0845 260 8070 for free, no-obligation technical help for all matters related to natural stone.
08/11/2011: Italian Marbles back on trend?
This last couple of months, we have seen a huge increase in the sales of Italian marble floor and wall tiles.
The classic Italian Carrara marble has always been popular and current projects include bespoke vanity tops, polished and honed tiles for bathroom floors and walls and flamed-finish tiles for a garden patio. Recently we have been selling much greater quantities of some of the other white Italian marbles such as Calacatta that has creamy beige/blue veining rather than the usual grey/black that is seen in other white Italian marbles.
Calacatta comes in various forms and, as I mentioned in an earlier blog below, we installed the rare Calacatta Sam together with black Nero Marquinia to create an exquisite Victorian style honed black and white marble chequerboard floor. You can see images from this project on our Facebook site.
For another customer, we installed Calacatta Michelangelo marble tiles in a hallway and the customer sent us a photo of the wildlife that invaded shortly after the floor was completed! (You really must see the photo on Facebook but don't worry, the snake is optional!)
Yet another form of Calacatta, this time the even rarer Calacatta Bhorghini, is being sourced for an exclusive hotel that is being refurbished in Berkshire. We have tendered to supply bespoke-designed intricate water-jet cut mosaics and solid marble baths all made from this very rare marble.
Why are so many people choosing Amarestone for their Italian marble? It might be because we choose carefully the quarries we work with or it might be that we care about the quality of the marble we deliver and, above all, it might be that we have a genuine passion for seeing your project succeed. Whatever it is, it's nice to see that we are doing something right!
27/10/2011: Natural Stone Specialist magazine
A little while ago, Eric Bignell from the Natural Stone Specialist magazine came to see us at our new showroom and offered to run a feature on Amarestone in the Natural Stone Specialist magazine. Eric had first seen us at the Ecobuild exhibition in March earlier this year and thought that the story of our new showroom would fill a column in his magazine. We never expected it to run to three pages! Click the link here to download the article and then contact Eric to subscribe and receive your own copy. It is a great magazine (and I'm not just saying that!) as it gives some super insights into the stone industry.
11/10/2011: Laying external paving in cold weather
As the weather gets colder and the overnight temperatures drop below 5 deg C, there are some precautions that have to be taken when laying tiles, particularly when working outside or in unheated buildings. The cold weather can cause newly laid tiles to "de-bond" as the water in the freshly mixed adhesive can freeze or at least inhibit the chemical reaction that makes it stick. Inside, in a heated house, this isn't going to be a problem but outside, this can cause tiles to come unstuck and its a very real problem. Last winter, we supplied over a hundred square metres of slate for a patio to a landscaping company. The installers were careful to follow the instructions on the bags of adhesive and avoid laying tiles when the temperature dropped below 5 degrees but, overnight, it turned cold and frosty and a couple of months later, large patches of tiles worked loose.
The simple answer is not to carry out any installations outside when there is a risk of frost but this can obviously cause problems to the project schedule. It's difficult to decide not to the lay the patio in the months of October through to April!  Now, though, there is a way of keeping to schedule. Tiles can be laid on Buzon pedestals instead of adhesive which means that the installation can go ahead regardless of the weather. If your project just has to be completed on time and without the risk that the frost can bring, give us a call or email us and we'll talk you through the process and explain all the pros and cons.
22/09/2011: New projects
This last couple of weeks has been increasingly busy and thrown up some fascinating new projects.
We had a call from a customer looking for some marble to match an existing floor. We identified the existing floor as a "chequerboard" of black Nero Marquina and white Calacatta Sam marble. It turned out that the original floor was over 100 years old and this Calacatta is a rare form of the famous Italian marble. We will be repairing the old floor and supplying and installing matching new marble for an adjacent extension. Identifying and then tracking down a source for these unusual marbles is one of the aspects that makes this business so rewarding.
An existing client, a design company, has asked us to quote for 3 more limestone panels that will be used to display perfume in 3 European airports. We made 4 panels a few weeks ago that you can now see in Luton and Heathrow (T3) airports and it's great to be asked to do it again. The first panels were a real technical challenge as we had to find a way of making large, thin panels of combed French limestone with intricate cut-outs that wouldn't crack and fall apart as soon as they were moved or installed.
On another project, we had already supplied Greek and Italian marbles for the interior of the house and the architect and client decided that they would use more Italian marble for the pool surround and for the external patios as well. The challenge is now on to get the material produced and shipped back from Italy in time to meet the deadline to get the project finished in time for the client to move back in to the house.
Other quotes on the go include the supply of marble tiles, basins and even baths for a hotel, limestone tiles and staircases for a new apartment block and flooring and bathrooms for several private houses. Yes, it's been pretty manic but we're not complaining!
13/09/2011: New website under construction.
We're very excited to say that our new website is being worked on by Urban Media in High Wycombe. We were really impressed by their vision and attitude and we are looking forward to seeing the new site up and running. There's a lot to do. We'll be adding video hints and tips on various topics that we hope our clients will find useful plus links to our Twitter and Facebook sites where we can add value by answering general questions and giving advice.
For now, we have a simplified working version that just hints at the new style. What do you think of it? Click here to have a look at the "work in progress" version.
04/08/2011: New Showroom now open for business.
Just a quick note to say that our new Winchester showroom is open but not permanently manned as yet. Please call 0845 260 8070 for detailed directions and to make an appointment and we will arrange for someone to meet you there. We still have a few sections to complete but even so, there is plenty to see. We look forward to meeting you there.
04/08/2011: Ever considered a marble or limestone staircase?
We have supplied and installed many limestone, marble, slate and travertine staircases over the last few years but now we are able to give a much more coordinated service.  Our intention has always been to offer our customers the best technical help with their projects by linking with our supplier partners and getting answers to our customers' questions. Now, our network of expert partners has increased again and includes a team that manufactures re-enforced concrete staircases which are ideal for cladding with our beautiful natural stone. Imagine having your hallway and staircase in matching marble or limestone. Now, it's a realistic possibility at a sensible price costing less than an equivalent solid wood staircase. We will be putting an example into our Winchester showroom in the next few weeks but call me on 0845 260 8070 in the meantime to have a chat about the possibilities.
26/07/2011: Frequently Asked Questions #1:
What happens if I spill red wine on my limestone floor? - this has to be the most common question that we are asked. The straight answer is that any type of natural stone will stain if it has not been protected properly with a good quality sealer (or "impregnator" as they are more correctly known). Any sort of coloured liquid can cause a stain including tea, coffee, gravy and oil or grease based products. However, the good news is that it is really easy to seal effectively. We always recommend using the Fila range of products that we import directly from the Italian manufacturer. They have a specific sealer for each type of stone and a range of solutions for internal and external stone. For example, a polished granite needs a different treatment from a porous, tumbled limestone. It is also very important to ensure that the sealer is properly applied, usually when the stone is first installed, and the protection should then last for many years. It is a simple process but we find that a lot of people tend to rush this stage and they can end up with a floor that is inadequately sealed which will lead to problems later on. It is possible to buy cheaper sealers but remember that the cheaper products don't last as long or protect as well as the premium products. If you would like more details, send an email to sales@amarestone.com and ask for the leaflet on sealing and maintaining natural stone. Alternatively, give me a call directly and I will be happy to answer your questions.
25-26/06/2011: Homebuilding and Renovating Exhibition
I'd like to say thank you to the hundreds of people who visited our stand at this year's show. This was our third year at the Sandown Park event and each year has been really busy. We displayed our new incredibly hard Spanish limestone and a few of the other less well known stones. The Spanish quarry approached us last month and brought a few small samples over. I showed it to some of our architect clients and the response was very encouraging so I will be bringing in much larger samples and we will install some at the Winchester showroom. For such a dense limestone, the pricing is really competitive and I believe that this will be a popular addition to the range. (See the limestone page.)
23/02/2011: ECOBUILD Exhibition
Amarestone will again be at Ecobuild this year as part of the Stone Federation of Great Britain's Stone Zone. Meet us there on 1st to 3rd March 2011 at the London Excel Exhibition Centre. We will be showcasing our new range of English and French limestones.
Bring your project plans if you would like to discuss design ideas and get free advice on what type of stone works well for your project. It could help you to avoid costly mistakes and ensure that your project is the success that you wish for. You will also have access to the UK's leading stone experts from the Stone Federation of Great Britain.
Call 0845 260 8070 for details or visit http://www.ecobuild.co.uk for free tickets.
02/12/2010: NEW SHOWROOM!
In conjunction with our stonemason partners near Winchester, we will be opening a brand new showroom in the first quarter of 2011. Work has already started on installing displays of the new English and French limestones that have recently been added to our range. The stonemasons are making bespoke, hand-carved fireplaces to show off their traditional skills.  Watch this space for more details early in the New Year.
05/11/2010: Porsche says we succeeded where others have failed!
Just had a lovely email from the very nice people at Porsche GB head office. A little while ago, we were asked to have a look at their floor that had become discoloured with limescale over the last 30 or so years. There had been many efforts by others over the years to clean the floor with very little success. In fact, the floor had started to look even worse than before. With help from our partners at Fila in Italy, we were able to provide them with the right type of advice and products to remove the limescale and restore the look of the flooring. As a result, we are now officially on their preferred supplier list and they have placed their first order with us. Thank you, Porsche, for your kind words and we look forward to being able to help again in the future.
07/10/2010: Thank you.
A big thank you to everyone that took the time to call in to see us at the National Home Improvement Show last weekend. We had a really busy time and enjoyed talking through the plans and ideas that you had for your projects. Our English and French limestones proved to be very popular - some of these are new to our range and we were very pleased to see the interest they generated.
The main technical question that was raised was how to prevent natural stone from being stained. Fortunately, our range of sealers can easily take care of this worry and I hope that many more people are now confident of using natural stone throughout the home. More on this later.
11/09/2010: THIS WEEKEND - See us on Stand 28.
Amarestone at the National Home Improvement Show:
We are going to be exhibiting at the show in Earls Court, London on 1st to 3rd October. If you would like to see our latest range of limestone and marble tiles or would simply like to talk through your project plans or get advice on sealing and cleaning natural stone, we would love to meet you there. We have a few complimentary tickets if you call us quickly.
08/09/2010: Welcome to our new Blog page:
This page will contain a wide variety of news, offers, helpful tips and advice. We are planning to add new items on a regular basis to answer your questions, let you know about special offers and a whole range of other things that you might find useful or interesting.

Let us know if there is anything particular that you would like to see here.
Email: blogspot@amarestone.com