We are a wholesaler of natural stone and wood products based in the Derbyshire Peak District. We have 25 years experience within the natural stone industry and are now one of Europe's largest stockists of granite worktops.
Our main granite worktop supplies are from India and China, where we have developed strong relationships with the leading producers of some of the world's finest granites, and we remain at the forefront of the granite worktop sector in the UK.
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Building on our unrivalled expertise in granite, we offer a wide range of granite, marble and travertine tiles, stone bowls, and travertine shower trays.
From our base in the Peak District we have supplied granite worktops and many other products to satisfied customers all over the UK. We have fitting teams able to provide expert nationwide installation of worktops at competitive rates.
Through our ongoing investment in training, systems and processes we strive to provide you with the best products and service in the industry.
Natural Stone
GRANITE
The term granite has been applied to almost any igneous stone that can retain a polish. True granites provide many of these stones but other types of igneous stone that may fall into this classification include syenites, gabbros, dolerites, and diorites. The metamorphic stones gneiss, schist and granulite are frequently also included in this 'granite' classification. The formation of these igneous rocks by the slow cooling of molten minerals such as quartz, feldspar and hornblende has resulted in a wide variety of colours and grain patterns. In the United Kingdom the quarrying of granite is concentrated in a small number of locations. Those of particular importance may be found in Devon and Cornwall, Cumbria, at Peterhead and Aberdeen and on the east coast of Scotland. The main sources for imported granite are Scandinavia, South Africa, Sardinia, Portugal, Spain, India, North America, China and Brazil.
Applications
The interlocking crystal structure imparts both the high strength and low porosity necessary for a wide range of applications other than just flooring; these characteristics are also important in allowing successful use of slabs that are thinner than other types of stone.
Appearance
The immense colour choice includes fine and medium grained silver grey from Devon and Cornwall and fine grained pink from Scotland, whilst other countries provide dense, very fine grained materials with reflective crystals such as larvikite (e.g. blue and emerald pearl) from Norway; reds from Scandinavia and India; large grained brown from Finland; yellows from Brazil; and the delicately mottled greys, fawns and pinks from Sardinia. The surface finish affects the appearances of granite and those available include sawn, flame textured, dolly pointed, fine axed, rough punched, honed, bush hammered and water jet. It is in the gloss polished form, however, that these granites reveal fully their colours and grain patterns. Affordable Granite and Marble can supply granite worktops in all of the popular colours including, star galaxy, absolute black, black mirror fleck, black pearl, blue pearl, kashmir white, baltic brown and tan brown.
Performance
Very hardwearing and physically strong, granite is largely unaffected by erosion, pollution or atmospheric attack. Facades are generally self cleaning, although eye level areas benefit from occasional cleaning as for glazing. A polished finish is almost indestructible.
MARBLE
True marbles in the geological sense are metamorphosed limestone and are principally composed of recrystallised calcite formed into an interlocking granular structure. Some hard or partially metamorphosed limestones are incorrectly referred to as marble, even though they exhibit many of the characteristics of marble. In its 'purest' state marble is typically white, however the presence of other minerals can often provide colour(s). In some cases the colour appears as irregular shaped patches (brecciation) or as substantial veining. Specialist advice should be obtained as to the suitability of such marbles in particular locations. Greater care must also be taken during installation as other construction defects easily taint the pureness of marble, particularly from underlying materials, and may result in staining at a later date. It is common to use marble with a highly polished surface finish and, as a consequence, slip resistance should be carefully considered. Marble is imported.
QUARTZITES
Quartzites are typically the metamorphosed product of an original sedimentary rock e.g. sandstone, composed almost entirely of quartz. In general quartzites are hard wearing, have low porosity, a high compressive strength and good durability making them suitable for use as flooring. The metamorphic varieties in particular may be brittle and so some care is required in assessing a material prior to use. While composed largely of quartz, the presence of some impurities can lead to the development of different colours and the typical range is from white to yellowish brown, through to green, brown, gold, grey and blue. In Eire, the metamorphic quartzites have a complex geological history which has tended to result in them having a relatively small natural block size. All operating quartzite quarries in the British Isles occur in Eire. Elsewhere quartzites are commercially available from Norway, Sweden, Italy, South Africa, USA and Brazil. Affordable Granite and Marble can supply quartz worktops in many colours including quartz black and quartz white.
TRAVERTINE
Travertine is the name normally given to a type of precipitated calcite associated with the cooling of waters around hot springs or in caves. Being formed very slowly it often incorporates dead matter such as tree debris that later rots away to leave a voided structure. The performance of travertine greatly depends on the size and density of the voids, which, in most instances, are routinely resin surface filled before the finished stone is supplied. The nature of the fill material must be compatible with the travertine and not subject to discoloration or decay. Traditionally travertine was naturally bedded and generally referred to as vein cut. Recently travertine cut face bedded and referred to as classico has appeared on the market. Whilst the vein cut material has a long and proven history of use, the cross cut or classico travertine has not yet proved to be as suitable because of surface collapse and filler failure. Before this material is considered, its limitations in performance must be taken into account. Generally travertine is suitable only for internal flooring purposes, and then only after the most careful consideration. Strength may be lower than most other stones and the presence of hidden voids below the surface may lead to ongoing repair when the filling material collapses. Unfilled travertine has been used for flooring purposes but only after strict quality control of the size and distribution of the voids. All travertine is imported.
