Q1.What Is Natural Stone?

Q2.Why Use Natural Stone In Your Home?

Q3.How Do Natural Stone Tiles Differ From Ceramic Tiles?

Q4.Where Do Your Natural Stones Come From?

Q5.Isn't Natural Stone Prohibitively Expensive?

Q6.How Do I Keep My Stone Clean?

Q7.How Often Do I Have To Seal My Stone?

Q8.Will Natural Stone Make For A Cold Floor?

Q9.Can I Use Underfloor Heating With Stone?

Q10.Can I Get A Quote Over The Phone?

Q11.Can I See A Sample?


ANS.1.Natural stone is a completely natural substance. It comes straight out of the ground and is made up of crystals, which are made up of minerals. These crystals lock together to form the stone. When it's quarried from the earth, stone is very rough as it breaks along where the crystals join each other. Natural stone comes from one of three different rock types.

Igneous — Formed when the Earth's magma cools and the minerals crystallize. When this cooling takes place deep in the earth's crust, it can take millions of years. The resulting crystals are extremely large. Granite is formed in this way.

Sedimentary — Formed when minerals in water settle on the bottom. Over time, these layers of sediment build up. And the pressure of the water turns it into rock. Limestone is formed in this way, so can actually contain animal and plant fossils.

Metamorphic — Formed when one type of rock is subjected to such intense temperatures and pressures, that another type of rock is formed altogether. Marble is created in this way from limestone. And Slate from shale.


ANS.2. Natural stone is hard wearing, beautiful and timeless. It has a luxurious look and feel, yet is affordable and easy to maintain. The question shouldn't really be 'why use natural stone?' The question should be 'why would you want to use anything else?


ANS.3.Ceramic tiles are artificial, that is to say, they are man made. Aside from cutting, the only force to have helped craft stone tiles is Mother Nature. Rarely are man made materials as unique or as durable as natural stone. And whilst ceramic tiles that have been scratched or stained, stone tiles can simply be restored to their original splendour.


ANS.4. The easy answer is the earth's crust! But at Natural Stone Direct we source our stone from quarries all over the world.


ANS.5. Whether you decide to let admirers on to this little secret or not, natural stone is not just for the extremely rich. Technological advances and improved methods of quarrying and importing mean that natural stone products are within almost everyone's reach.


ANS.6. You should wipe up any spills immediately, particularly acidic liquids such as juice or alcohol. And you should take care to regularly sweep dirt from stone floors to prevent scratching. It's a myth that natural stone is difficult to maintain. With just a little bit of care, your natural stone will retain its beauty and strength over time. Please see our Aftercare and Maintenance Section for more information, or Contact Natural Stone Direct for advice.


ANS.7.This depends on how much you use your stone and how clean you keep it. Generally speaking, you should only have to reseal your stone about three to five years or so. Some products you should never have to seal at all, after the initial treatment.


ANS.8. No stone is wonderful at heat transference and retains heat for long periods. If you have a well insulated house with modern central heating system then a stone floor will normally be a few degrees below the ambient temperature of a room.


ANS.9. Yes. There are underfloor heating systems for every type of floor covering, including natural stone. Whilst a stone floor will be no colder than room temperature, underfloor heating will create added warmth. Our team of professional tile fixers can install underfloor heating systems for you.


ANS.10. Yes. Yes if you can give us approximate measurements, we will be able to give you a rough idea of the cost. Or, you can send us an email to request a quote online. A site survey will give you the most accurate quote of all.

Contact Natural Stone Direct to request a Free no obligation site survey.


ANS.11. Yes we'd be glad to send you a 10cm x 10cm Free Sample. We charge for full size sample tiles plus posting costs. We would offset these charges against any order we receive.