What to know before you choose
Marble, granite, quartzite or quartz: which countertop should you choose?
A clear comparison of marble, granite, quartzite and engineered quartz for kitchen countertops: hardness, staining,…
How much does a marble countertop cost in Spain?
Typical price ranges per square metre for a marble kitchen countertop in Spain, real examples and the factors that…
How to clean marble (and what never to use)
A practical guide to cleaning and caring for marble: daily cleaning, oil, wine and coffee stains, lemon and vinegar…
Quartzite vs quartz: the differences and how to tell them apart
Quartzite is natural stone; engineered quartz is a manufactured material. We explain the differences and two simple…
Types of marble: the most popular varieties and how to choose
A guide to the most popular types of marble — Italian whites, greens, reds and Spanish classics — with photos of real…
Quartzite countertops: pros, cons and care
What to know before choosing a quartzite countertop: why it is so durable, what makes it more expensive, how to care…
Marble in the bathroom: choosing stone for vanities, showers and walls
How to use marble and natural stone in the bathroom: vanity tops, basins, shower trays, walls and floors. Which finish…
Natural stone for outdoors and façades: which lasts best
Which natural stone to choose for terraces, pools, façades and outdoor kitchens: resistance to sun, frost and rain,…
Backlit onyx: what it is, where to use it and how it is installed
How backlit onyx works, which stones let light through, ideas for bars, walls and bathrooms, and what to plan for…
What is bookmatching in marble and how to use it
What bookmatched marble and natural stone means, why it creates symmetrical patterns, where to use it and what to…
Natural stone finishes: polished, honed, leathered, bush-hammered and more
The differences between natural stone finishes (polished, honed, leathered, bush-hammered, flamed, sandblasted,…
Natural marble vs marble-look porcelain: the real differences
We compare natural marble with the porcelain and sintered surfaces that imitate it: look, durability, repairs and when…
Marble kitchen countertops: pros, cons and how to live with them
The good and the bad of a marble kitchen countertop, which marbles and finishes work best, and how to reduce everyday…
Spanish marble: Crema Marfil, Negro Marquina, Emperador and Rojo Alicante
A guide to Spain's best-known marbles, where they come from and what they are used for: Crema Marfil, Negro Marquina,…
Taj Mahal quartzite: what it looks like, where to use it and how to choose a slab
A guide to Taj Mahal quartzite: origin, appearance, benefits in the kitchen, polished and leathered finishes, pairings…
Types of Calacatta marble: Oro, Viola, Borghini, Macchia Vecchia and more
What Calacatta marble is, how it differs from Carrara and Statuario, and what its best-known varieties look like:…
How to buy natural stone slabs and blocks from abroad
A guide to buying marble, quartzite or onyx remotely: choosing a slab from photos, crating, containers, Incoterms,…
Patagonia quartzite: what it is, how slabs vary and where to use it
Everything about Patagonia quartzite: where it comes from, why every slab is different, whether it can be backlit, the…
How to remove stains from marble: coffee, wine, oil, rust and hard water
How to identify each type of marble stain and remove it step by step with a homemade poultice: coffee, wine, oil, ink,…
Do you need to seal marble? When, how often and how to do it
What a sealer does and does not do, which stones need it, the water-drop test to know when to reseal, how often for…
Marble vs quartzite: the real differences for countertops
Marble vs quartzite: what each is made of, which one scratches and which one etches, how they handle lemon and heat,…
Marble shower: pros, cons, slip-resistant finishes and care
Everything about marble showers: slab walls or tiles, a one-piece marble shower floor, which finishes are slip…
Carrara vs Calacatta marble: how to tell them apart at a glance
Carrara vs Calacatta: where they come from, how to tell them apart by background and veining, where each one works…
Marble etching: what it is, why it happens and how to fix it
Why lemon, vinegar and wine leave dull etch marks on marble, how to tell etching from a stain, how to remove it with…
Onyx countertops: pros, cons and where they really work
What to know before choosing an onyx countertop: what onyx is, why it is so delicate, where it works (bars, vanities,…
Natural stone or imitation? How to tell a real Calacatta, Taj Mahal or Statuario
Many porcelain and quartz surfaces carry stone names: Calacatta Viola, Taj Mahal, Statuario. How to tell natural stone…
Quartzite that looks like marble: 6 stones and how to make sure it's real
Quartzites with the look of marble and the toughness of quartz: Taj Mahal, Calacatta Da Vinci, Super White, Mont Blanc,…