We recently supplied some nice slabs of Atlantic Stone to Stone Studio in East Sussex for a contract at Buckingham Palace Gate Hotel. the designer had selected the material to clad shower enclosures in a honed finish, the polished finish to form vanity tops and flamed for the floor tiles (excellent slip resistance).

This project illustrates perfectly the versatility of the Atlantic Stone and the various finishes in which it is available. Backlit glass panels installed by specialists looked stunning, lights change the colour of the glass and of the space working brilliantly with the stone.

On 26th July we visited the factory in Carrara producing the slabs and cut to size for the Portman Square fit out.

First off, we saw the 750x600x20mm honed tiles being cut to size and packed. We laid a few tiles on the floor and experimented with both brick bond and laying them square. Opinion was divided as both options looked good. Corners were crisp and cutting extremely accurate.

Here are a few images taken in the Flint linestone quarry whilst inspecting an order for a client. The blocks are extracted by first drilling, then a low impact black powder is detonated to move the block away from the quarry face. Once free it is pushed and pulled a bit by an excavator and arranged in a nice pile. I did not realise the potential loudness of the large bang when the explosive goes off and admittedly it did catch me by surprise. The blocks have patches of beige in them however unlike some other blue limestones (see Ancaster Blue – MAN Group blog) the beige is very regimented and stays strictly along one edge

Statuario marble is a popular choice for bathroom walls and in recent times often used in conjunction with a flat plain darker tile on the floor. Here we supplied Statuario Venato in large book matched panels with a charcoal grey basalt 900x600mm for the flooring tile. This worked to stunning effect with the basalt offering a good slip resistant surface so forming the shower tray as well as the floor tiles. The basalt was used throughout the property, honed finish internally and in flamed finish outside. Full frost, petrographic and flextural strength tests were carried out to ensure its suitability for outside spaces. These areas included the lining for the reflecting pool plus the swimming pool surround and copings.