Specifying a Granite Tile or Slab Order

Granite is quarried, not manufactured

Every other product in this catalogue has a specification sheet because it was made to one. Granite was not. Two slabs from the same quarry, cut a month apart, can differ visibly in tone and grain density. That is not a defect and no supplier can eliminate it — but it can be managed, and managing it is most of the work in a stone order.

Start from the colour reference, then see it

The seven references here run from the very uniform pale grey KG-04, through KG-03 and the pink-greys KG-01, KG-02 and KG-05, to the strong red KG-06 and the dark grey-green KG-07. Use the reference to narrow the choice, then ask for a physical sample. Screen colour is not reliable for stone, and a rejection on delivery is the most expensive outcome in this category.

Finish changes the colour you approved

The same stone reads differently polished, honed and flamed. Polishing deepens colour and brings out the grain. Honing flattens it to a matt, lighter tone. Flaming lightens it further and adds texture. If you approve a polished sample and order a flamed floor, you have not ordered the stone you approved. Specify the finish on the sample request, not just on the order.

Finish also decides slip resistance

Polished granite in an entrance lobby or on external steps is a hazard when wet. Honed and flamed finishes give considerably more grip. Where the stone is going somewhere that gets wet, let slip resistance drive the finish and accept the colour that comes with it.

Tile or slab is a fabrication decision

Tile is cut to standard sizes and is faster to lay. Slab is cut to your dimensions and suits worktops, large-format floors and anywhere a joint would be intrusive — but it needs a fabricator at the destination. Decide which before asking for a price, because the two are not comparable per square metre.

Thickness follows the application

Thin tile is for wall cladding and interior floors on a solid substrate. Worktops, external paving and anything taking traffic or point loads need more thickness. Confirm the thickness with the order; it is one of the items marked TBC on the product pages precisely because it depends on your application.

Order the whole area in one batch

This is the single most useful thing a buyer can do. Calculate the full area plus wastage and order it together, so the material comes from the same block or the same production run. Phased ordering across a large floor is where colour mismatch shows up, and it cannot be fixed afterwards.

Dry-lay before fixing

On a large area, lay a representative section out before any adhesive goes down. Natural variation that looks acceptable on a single sample can read badly across twenty square metres, and it is far cheaper to redistribute slabs at that point than to lift them later.