People often confuse granite with marble and vice versa, but these stones are different materials geologically. Granite is much older and harder than marble and is actually igneous rock formed mainly of feldspar and quartz, usually with traces of mica or hornblende.

Granite can be highly polished to expose all of its natural characteristics, honed for a matt finish or flame-textured for an aged, antique finish. These finishes are sometimes combined to produce interesting patterns and features.

Granite is tremendously popular for its aesthetic looks and its hardwearing, almost maintenance-free qualities. Which are used for kitchen Counter tops and Vanity tops.

Marble has been used for centuries as a structural and decorative building material and the many famous buildings that still exist today, such as the Colosseum and Pantheon in Rome, are a fitting tribute to the skilled craftsmen of the day and the tremendous durability of marble itself.

Marble was created through a metamorphosis involving heat and pressure and its' most common characteristic is calcium carbonate. It is normally white, but often tinted by iron oxide, carbon and serpentine to form attractive shades of yellow, brown, green or black. Other minerals may grow from impurities within the stone often resulting in coloured streaks or veins. Marble is usually finely crystalline, hard and dense and consequently can be highly polished.

Marble is usually highly polished to highlight its' wonderful natural characteristics. However, it is also available in a matt (honed) finish or an aged (antiqued) finish for a more traditional look.

Slate can be described very simply as a sedimentary mud rock, compressed and compacted over time and altered by metamorphism (a combination of heat and pressure) to form a very hard rock with well defined cleavage lines. These cleavage lines enable the slate to be easily "split" or "cleft" which gives slate its' characteristic appearance. Slates can vary in colour depending on the different minerals that were introduced during their metamorphosis. Bright colours such as greens, reds, yellows and purples can be found, as well as the more common greys and blacks.

Slate is generally harder than other sedimentary rocks like Limestone and Sandstone and is available in a matt, eggshell finish as well as the better-known riven, cleft finish.

Travertine is a kind of sedimentary stone that is common in Italy. Like marble, travertine is a form of limestone When limestone is put under a lot of pressure for a long time (thousands of years), it can turn into travertine, the way peat turns into coal. If the travertine is left under pressure for thousands more years, it can turn into marble, the way coal can turn into diamonds.

Most travertine is white or cream colored. It consists mainly of calcium carbonate. It forms when calcium carbonate separates from water through evaporation. Travertine is often used as decorative building stone because it is easy to cut.

Travertine occurs in areas where limestone is common and where circulating ground water contains calcium carbonate. It often forms around the mouths of hot springs and in streams. Rock formations called stalactites and stalagmites, which are found in caves, consist primarily of travertine. So travertine is a kind of stone that is about halfway in between limestone and marble. It's finer than limestone, but not as fine as marble.

Limestone is very popular as a decorative finish for many reasons, most importantly its appearance. Most limestones are generally pale and light in colour, which makes them subtle and easy to blend into any colour scheme. Many people also prefer limestones matt, eggshell finish to the highly polished look of Marble, Granite or Composite Stone.

Limestone and Marble can be similar in appearance, which sometimes results in confusion between the two. This usually occurs when a limestone is particularly hard and can be highly polished, like Marble. Generally though, most limestones cannot take a high gloss polish, hence their matt finish.

Sandstone is very often called York Stone and vice versa. Although the popular, yellow York Stone is indeed sandstone, it is not the only type. Other colours such as reds, pinks, beiges, creams, blues and browns are also available.

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock formed over millions of years from fine grains of sand glued together by minerals of natural cement. It is the composition of this "cement" which determines the colour and hardness of each sandstone. Some of the harder sandstones are rich in quartz and feldspar, two minerals that are also commonly found in granite.

Sandstone is used in situations where a colourful, durable, non-slip, low maintenance surface is required. Popular examples include flooring and wall cladding, landscape features like patios, terraces, balconies and paths and both internal and external swimming pool surrounds.