What are Natural Granite Worktops?

An exclusive creation of nature. Each slab is unique & a tiny

masterpiece. Veins, patches of colour & crystals, combined

in a design that was planned by nature millions of years ago.

The Marble Warehouse offers you the opportunity to visit its

stone yard to select the slab for your worktop

yourself and this is definitely worth taking advantage of,

especially if you are considering a particularly unusual

granite. You will be able to see its individual markings

before you buy. Polished finishes reflect light best, so even

dark colours can work well in relatively small kitchens. This

coupled with the fact that they require little ongoing

maintenance means they tend to be the most popular

preference.

‘Stain Resistant, Scratch Resistant, Heat Resistant’

Natural Granite has a beauty that is hard to replicate. Each slab is unique with

individual characteristics that can be used to make an amazing feature in your

kitchen - think of an island wrapped in book matched granite. It can be so eye-

catching, transforming furniture into statement pieces.

Stain Resistant Easy to clean

Heat Resistant High quality, Low prices

Scratch Resistant Natural Beauty

‘An exclusive creation of nature’

Worktop Profiles

Natural Granites – Our most popular colours

Black Pearl Eleonora Creme Star Galaxy

Blue Selena Burgundy Midnight Sky

Madura Gold Nero Assoluto Nero Marinace

Tan Brown Titanium Blue Pearl GT

Natural Granites – Our most popular colours

Chiffon Mint Royale Emerald Pearl

Mallorca Stargate Maelstrom

Blues in the Night Kashmir Gold Snowstorm

Shivakashi Ubatuba Fantastia

Natural Granites – Our most popular colours

Blue Moon Mocca Pearl Giallo Veneziano

Bianco Piracema Dakota Slate Grey

Premium Black New Venetian Gold Sapphire Blue

Cariola Brown Nero Africa Baltic Brown

Natural Granites – Our most popular colours

Giallo Ornamentale Brown Antique Nero Exotica

White Pearl Ikon Teak Azul Platino

White Crystal

What are Silestone Quartz worktops?

Silestone offers its clients and consumers an

added and unique advantage in the market, a

new guarantee period of 10 years.

Silestone is natural quartz surfaces treated and created to decorate today’s kitchens and bathrooms in a range of

attractive quartz colours, extraordinary quartz textures, and top-quality performance. It is the only one with an

anti-bacterial protection for worktops that guarantees maximum hygiene on its surfaces.

What is Silestone?

Silestone is a compound made up of 94% natural quartz,

which make it extraordinarily hard and resilient. This is the

one and only worktop made of quartz with anti-bacterial

protection, giving it hygienic properties that are not to be

found anywhere else on the market. It is an excellent

surface for kitchen worktops, bathrooms, floors and wall

cladding using the minimum number of joints.

In addition, it comes in a variety of different shades of

quartz colour, offering a number of decorative possibilities

from a mere kitchen top to a project for a complete set of

furniture. Silestone is an investment for the future.

Silestone is forever.

What is Quartz?

Quartz is crystallised silicon dioxide (SiO2), which is usually

white or transparent, although it can be found in other

colours if it comes into contact with impurities during its

formation.

It is found either in a pure state or present in other

compounds. However, because of its extreme hardness and

resistance to acids, it is used to make a large variety of

products that require precision and top-quality

performance. This type of quartz forms the main

component in Silestone slabs,

Silestone Quartz Worktops ADVANTAGES

There are many advantages to using Silestone: since it is a surface that is manufactured from natural quartz, it is a surface

highly resistant to stains and scratches, and has a low level of fluid absorption. Silestone comes in over 60 quartz colours for

worktops, and several different formats, which make it extremely versatile, and can even be used in large pieces without

requiring any joins. Silestone is perfect for use in a great many applications in the kitchen and bathroom.

Natural Beauty

Silestone has an elegance and beauty that can only be compared with the most stunning natural stones such as quartz or

diamonds. The natural quartz of Silestone has a density all its own: it has a gloss, a sparkling gleam and a unique touch.

Colour

Silestone is now available in over 60 colours, ensuring that there is a Silestone colour to suit most styles and textures

Resistance to stains

Silestone is a non-porous quartz surface that is highly resistant to staining from coffee, wine, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar,

make-up and many other everyday products.

Versatility

Silestone can be used in any interior surface, including kitchen and bathroom worktops, stairs, panels, bath tubs and bath

surrounds, floors, walls, bar counters, tables and desks, etc.

Resistance to scratching

Quartz has a hardness of 7 in the Mohs hardness scale (diamond is number 10). Therefore, whereas with the majority of

other worktops, such as those made of granite or melamine, which can get scratched, with Silestone no mark is left.

Silestone is highly resistant but should not be treated with reckless force, care needs to be taken with knife blades.

Resistance to knocks

The high level of resistance of Silestone quartz worktops to knocks, far surpasses that of other products with similar

applications (granite, solid surfaces, etc. This resistance provides peace of mind in the kitchen when handling very hard

objects (saucepans, trays, etc).Such resistance is achieved thanks to its composition: quartz (hardness) and polyester resin

(elasticity), and the vibro-compression system used in its production process. Silestone is highly resistant but should not be

treated with reckless force, care needs to be taken with very heavy objects and worktop edges.

The Cosentino Group is the owner of the Silestone brand. It is a company that develops leading products and provides

innovative and functional solutions for public and private spaces, all under the criteria of design, innovation and respect for

the environment.

The Cosentino Group currently has 6 factories, 7 production facilities for kitchen & bathroom surfaces, 53 Cosentino centres

and over 2250 employees all over the world. From its headquarters in Almeria, Spain, the Group manages and controld its

own facilities and insfrastructure in 15 countries.

Silestone is the ideal surface for modern architecture and interior design. It is mostly used for kitchen and bathroom

worktops in which it is a world leader.

Silestone is a quartz surface with a sophisticated appearance; it has the feel and weight of natural stone but with superior

quality. Comprised of more than 90% natural quartz, Silestone is one of the most resistant and beautiful natural elements. It

can create the most beautiful kitchen worktop or the most innovative commercial project. Its colour consistency is unrivalled

by any other natural stone.

It is manufactured using cutting-edge raw materials and is also extremely environmentally friendly, as zero particles are

emitted into the atmosphere during the maufacturing system and 98% of the water is reused in the process.

Silestone is the world leader in quartz surfaces and is exported to over 60 countries. Thanks to the extensive network if the

Cosentino Group, the Silestone brand can be found all over the world and has become the sales leader in kitchen and

bathroom surfaces, creating a strong brand with an undeniable reputation around the world.

Silestone represents Continuous Innovation: Aware of the importance of continuous innovation, Silestone has constantly

evolved its features to adapt to new market needs. Proof of this innovation is its unique finish, its wide range of colours and

its bacteriostatic properties.

Silestone represents Advanced Technology: Silestone is produced with advanced technology, through an industrial process

that uses 93% quartz, as well as crystal, glass and polyester resin. All of them are compacted at a high pressure and constant

temperature, thus obtaining a material with exceptional qualities.

Silestone represents Quality and Guarantee: Silestone offers physical and mechanical characterisitics that make it a

benchmark product and an essential product. It has numerous certificates attesting to its quality such as the Greenguard

certificate granted bythe U.S Environmental institute and the NSF who recognises the safety of the product in view of contact

with all kinds of food. Silestone has also received the LGA "Hygiene" certification granted by the German consulting firm

QualiTest GmbH, which recognises the highest levels of hygiene in products.

Polished Silestone Quartz Colours

Group 1

Amarillo Monsol Gris Expo Marengo Blanco City Beige Daphne

Crema Urban

Group 2

Arden Blue Blanco Norte Cemento Spa Crema Minerva Negro Tebas

Niebla Toffee Rojo Eros

Group 3

Aluminio Nube Blanco Capri Blanco Maple Marron Jupiter Mont Blanc

Negro Anubis White Storm Amarillo Palmira Amarillo Gea Azul Ugarit

Kona Beige Verde Ugarit

Stellar Series (Sparkly Mirror) – Special Discounted Prices on this range

Stellar Negro Stellar Blanco Stellar Crema Stellar Eros

Group 4 (ECO: Polar Cap & Starlight)

Amazon Bamboo Bianco River Blanco Zeus Brazilian Brown

Gedatsu Haiku Kensho Rosso Monza Tao

Tigris Sand Unsui Verde Fun Yukon Magenta Energy

Naranja Cool

Group 5 (ECO: Luna, Cream Stone & Grey Moss)

Alpina White Altair Cygnus Daria Dreis

Helix Istmo Doradus Lagoon Lyra

Merope Pulsar Black Canyon Dinux Giallo Nova

Giallo Quarry Halley Black Dragon Kimbler Mountain Mist

Quasar Seleno Sienna Ridge Sierra Madre Siridium

Tritium Vortium Zirix

Group 6 (ECO: Iron Ore, Riverbed, Terra, White Diamond)

Carbono Chrome Steel White Platinum Zirconium

A guide to templating & installation

Templating The production of accurate templates is a key & major part of the manufacturing process. In order to produce these templates we require the following:

Existing worktops need to be removed before we arrive (alternatively the lower level of wall tiles can be removed)

Sinks and Hobs MUST be disconnected/removed. We can arrange for a plumber to attend at an extra charge.

All base units must be perfectly level with a minimum of high spots and must be secure and in a fit state to support the granite.

All appliances (e.g. Sinks & Hobs) need to be on site

It is vital that someone in authority is present at the time of templating. When the templates are ready, they will be laid out in position and that person will be required to approve the proposed size, shape & layout of the worktops. This approval will be given by signing a consent form to commence the manufacturing and by signing to signify that you have checked and agreed to the final shape. Once approval has been given, manufacturing will be carried out strictly in accordance with the templates and no verbal variations can be accepted.

We will contact you a few days prior to your templating date to make sure you are ready for our visit. Our templating team will be able to answer any questions you may have concerning your worktops.

Installation

If arrangements had been made for your sinks and hobs to be reconnected after templating, you should ensure that they are disconnected again before final granite installation.

We will usually install your finished products 5-10 working days after templating. This lead time may vary depending on size, complexity and volume of orders currently being processed.

Clear and Easy access to and inside the property is a must.

The base units need to provide support for the worktops at all critical points (e.g. at the end of runs of units or where the granite is intended to span a run of underlying appliances).

Our Installation charges do not include joinery costs of providing any necessary extra support or battening, although we can provide this service at an extra charge, subject to survey.

We are unable to provide 100% accurate times of arrival on site on the day specified for templating or installation. It may be possible to give an indication or morning or afternoon but when several jobs are scheduled during the same day it is impossible to predict how long each job will take.

All dates and times quoted for installation etc are given in good faith and every attempt will be made to adhere to them. However, it must be remembered that we are working with natural stone. As such, it is impossible to predict the problems that may arise if pieces of stone should crack or fail to react as planned. In such circumstances we have no option but to recommence manufacturing with new pieces of stone. Delays caused by these occurrences are unpredictable and may lead to your dates & times being varied at short notice.

How to Order We always recommend a visit to our showrooms so you can view the materials on display and in their slab form - this is the ONLY way to appreciate the stone and it is far easier to see the complete colourings. You can even specifically select which slabs you would like you worktops manufactured from. In order to get an idea of what worktops may cost, it may be a good idea to use our "Online Calculator". By completing a few questions we will return to you within 24 hours a complete estimate in all our most popular colours. If you live in the South Wales area, please feel free to contact us for a free, no obligation site survey. Our representative will provide you with an immediate estimate and can supply you with samples to gain a better perspective of which colours/materials suit you kitchen or bathroom.

Kitchen Plan

In order to provide an accurate estimate we require a plan of your kitchen (Hand drawn or a designer's drawing that need not be to scale) and we can cost this while you wait. We will confirm your plan with the relevant price(s) and an initial indication of where we feel any joints would need to be placed (These locations are always subject to templating - our experienced templating and installation teams are able to advise on site which may necessitate some adjustment to the initial estimate given. On the plan we require: a) All dimensions, shape & location of worktops clearly marked b) The number/type/location of sinks and hobs c) Details of any other relevant appliances to be sited within the area d) Whether templating & installation is required e) Details of installation (e.g. If worktops are to be fitted in a house or apartment, upstairs or downstairs, and ease of access into the property)

To sum up: Stage 1: We will issue with a complete estimate in all available colours Stage 2: Should you accept the estimate we usually require 2-3 weeks notice before we are able to template. We will give you a provisional templating date upon placement of order - this date can be amended accordingly should the necessity arise. Stage 3: We ask for a 25% deposit upon placement of order Stage 4: We carry out a site survey and prepare templates Stage 5: We manufacture the worktops Stage 6: We install the completed worktops within 5-10 working days from templating. Stage 7: We ask for the balance payment once you are happy with the completed worktops. Useful Information

We are also able to connect any sinks or gas hobs with our in house Gas Safe Registered Engineers. (Please enquire for more details)

Care & Maintenance

Many natural granites have an extremely low porosity and do not require the application of any topical or penetrating sealers. They are naturally highly resistant to surface staining from cooking oils, wine, coffee, etc.

Some other natural granites are absorbent to varying degrees (largely dependent on their colour & geological composition). Should necessity arise, we will seal some of our natural granite with a penetrating anti-stain, water resistant liquid sealant, designed to provide a barrier to everyday kitchen use.

At installation we will polish the worktops with a proprietary stone spray polish. Thereafter we recommend using a stone polish (say once a month) to enhance the colour & lustre of the worktops. (We can supply polish should this be required). Please note: A waxy build up can occur if too much is used. This will disappear in time.

Generally, substances that should not be used near natural granites or engineered quartz (e.g. Silestone) are: Hydrochloric/Nitric /Sulphuric/Formic Acid, Bleach, Nail Polish remover, Caustic soda, Paint strippers Cleaning solutions containing trichlorethane or methylene or dimetilchlorine. Highly aggressive cleaning agents like oven/grill cleaners that have high alkaline/PH levels. If any of the above contaminates are spilled on the surface rinse off immediately with plenty of water to minimise their effect.

With lighter coloured natural granites it is sometimes possible to see a darkening of colour where excessive surface water has been allowed to stand. This will fade once it dries.

On a day-to-day basis natural granite or engineered quartz worktops simply require a wipe down with a soft cloth soaked in soap (or neutral detergent) and warm water to maintain its natural beauty and shine. We recommend then buffing dry using a soft clean cloth/kitchen roll. Due to the popularity of stone worktops, many supermarkets now sell dedicated worktop wipes/sprays for everyday cleaning.

No stone worktop is 100% stain proof. Natural granite is extremely stain resistant; however substances such as oil & grease should be cleaned from the work surface as quickly as possible and not allowed to sit for a great length of time. A degree of care and common sense is all that is required.

For stubborn marks (especially with engineered quartz worktops, e.g. Silestone), firstly wipe the area clean with warm water and then apply original CIF to the area. Rinse area with water after cleaning.

With engineered quartz worktops, for marks that harden when they dry (food, chewing gum, etc) remove by gently scraping the material off the worktop surface using a blunt plastic blade then wash and remove any residual matter with non-abrasive cleaner and warm water. Any lime scale or water marks can be removed using household lime-scale removers. Manufacturer’s usage recommendations should be adhered to.

Natural Granite and Engineered Quartz have a high resistance to scratching and marking, with every type ranking high on the Mohs scale of hardness. Therefore, normal cutting of materials on a worktop should not produce scratches. However, these materials are not indestructible and common sense should be the watchword. The use of a chopping board is recommended, as over time, without protection, continued chopping in the same spot will produce deterioration in the appearance of the surface. Likewise, dragging heavy objects such as tooling or plastic packaging may cause the worktop to scratch. Stone worktops should not be rubbed with abrasive materials such as metal pads, scouring pads or wire wool. However, it is possible to clean drainer grooves (carefully) with wire wool.

Natural Granite and Engineered Quartz are extremely heat resistant and can withstand high temperatures for brief periods of time without damage. However, all stone can be damaged by sudden and extreme temperature changes, especially near the edges. For this reason we strongly recommend using a trivet or hot pad to protect the worktops from extreme heat (e.g. when transporting pans directly from your hob/oven to worktop surface). Please note that different natural granites have varying degrees of heat resistance.

Try not to hit your worktops with anything blunt and heavy. The worktops, whilst being strong, are not indestructible and can crack, chip or even break if physically abused.

Natural Granite and Engineered Quartz worktops are the most durable work surface in the world and keeping your worktops looking like new is much easier than you think; especially if you follow the above guidelines. Stone worktops are now the “must-have” accessory for modern kitchens. They are stain, scratch and heat resistant and, properly cared for, will maintain their diamond polished look for years. Here at The Marble Warehouse we understand that stone worktops are a substantial investment and one that can pay off in the future. If you take care of your worktops you can enjoy their natural beauty while adding value and desirability to your home.

A journey through Natural Stone

1 2 3

4 5 6

7

Contact Us

The Marble Warehouse Maritime Industrial Estate

Maesycoed Pontypridd

South Wales CF37 1NY

Tel: 01443-408548 Web: www.themarblewarehouse.net Email: info@themarblewarehouse.net

www.facebook.com/themarblewarehouse

@stoneandstoves