Natural Stone Blog

When using one of our materials for your fireplace its important to consider the different factors and characteristics of the stones. In this blog we will review which materials are most suitable for which fire types and differences between using stone veneer and split face cladding.

All of our split face cladding stone tiles can be used for fireplace feature walls with fires of all types.

It may be necessary to source a tile adhesive to use with the stone that has a high heat resistance. We do not sell the tile adhesives for this range, they can easily sourced from your local builders merchant.

If there is a chance any liquids could be accidentally spilled onto the stone don’t forget to order and sue one of stone sealers to protect the stone from staining.

All of our split face cladding stone tiles can be used for fireplace feature walls with fires of all types. It may be necessary to source a tile adhesive to use with the stone that has a high heat resistance. We do not sell the tile adhesives for this range, they can easily sourced from your local builders merchant.

If there is a chance any liquids could be accidentally spilled onto the stone don’t forget to order and sue one of stone sealers to protect the stone from staining.

When considering the look of your stone fireplace finish you should consider the style of the design and the colours and textures of the other finishes in the room. We offer materials that suit both cotemporary and traditional designs and also have materials with subtle matt finishes and some with a shimmer along with varying degrees of texture.

If you are working with a log burning fire you may wish to avoid light and or white colours as they will be a lot more work to maintain where as with a gas or electric fire any colour finish will be suitable.

You can order samples of every material we sell from our website and we recommend you do this to assist in your material selection. With our split face cladding a sample represents very well the look of the material you will receive, however we can send you images of our current available stock if you require. With our slate and stone veneers some of the materials vary a lot from batch to batch which is why we always send sheet images of current batches for approval before shipping orders wherever this is the case.

Its important to consider many different factors when selecting the right veneer material for your kitchen, the material type, specific application and install methods must all be taken account. In this blog we will breakdown the key points and give you guidance on the best way forward.

When choosing the veneer for your kitchen you should consider the material type and application in the room. All of our materials can be used as kitchen door and panel cladding but some would not be suitable for a splashback behind a hob.

You can adhere our veneers directly to a wooden door panel using a hybrid polymer or resin based adhesive. For the edge panel you can either use a thin strip of the veneer, wood veneer or a paint. For a DIY project painting the edge profile is the easiest method.

When using one of our stone veneer types in your kitchen it is important you seal the top surface of the stone after installation in order to protect it from staining, we offer two different stone sealer options for use with our veneer range. We also offer a care cleaner that we recommend be used for regular cleaning of the sheets.

It is especially important when using a stone veneer as a splashback to seal the material with our strongest sealer – Special protection. As this area behind the hob is the area which will get the most use whilst preparing food. Some materials such as our Limestone and Marble veneers are not suitable as a splashback as they are light colours that will stain.

There are so many different ways you can use our materials in a kitchen and so many different materials to choose from. Our Concrete, metal, split face cladding and multi brick slate veneer can also be used on kitchen walls and some can be used on doors. When fixing our materials directly behind a hob it is becoming popular to mount a sheet of toughened glass in front of the veneer. To enhance the colour and make the area very easy to maintain.

Features walls is one of the most popular applications for our range of veneers. In this blog we will breakdown the key points and give you guidance on the best way to create a beautiful slate or stone veneer feature wall for your project.

All of our veneers are suitable to be used as feature walls. They are all available in a 122 x 61cm sheet size and some are available in a 240 x 120cm jumbo sheet size. The standard 122 x 61cm is the most popular as it is easiest size to work with and the cost effective. It easy to create subtle and attractive joints and and external corners with the veneers.

A slate or stone veneer feature wall is most popular in the living or dining room. However they can be installed in any room and our customers have created stunning feature walls, landing spaces, kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms and lobby’s. Its important to remember when installing veneers in wet areas such as the kitchen or bathroom the stone surface must be sealed after installation.

There are so many different ways you can use our materials for feature walls and so many different materials to choose from. You can use one of our unique ranges or a unique block of our stone to create a beautiful and original feature wall in your room.

You can use our veneers to box around TV’s and fireplaces as part of a media wall in a living room, you can create a beautiful feature wall in a dining area like the image above, clad columns and box off piping and electrical work.

You can find a full written install guide and videos on our website and be sure to review these before starting any project to make sure you know the best way to cut, apply adhesive and work on external corners before starting the work. You can also order samples on our website which is a fantastic aide to help you select the perfect finish for the room.

Our range of concrete and metal veneer use the same resin backing as our slate and stone veneer sheets. The top surface is a mix of resin and crushed metal or concrete pigment. They are thin and light weight like our stone veneer but the metal options are not flexible.

Our metal and concrete veneers are processed in the same as way as our slate and stone veneers and adhered using the same adhesives. They do not need to be sealed like the stone veneers do and some extra care and time is required when cutting the sheets.

Our concrete veneers and metal veneers are suitable for internal feature walls and furniture cladding. We do not recommend using them outside or on shower walls. They are also not suitable for flooring.

Its important to consider many different factors when selecting the right veneer material for your bathroom, the material type, specific application and install methods must all be taken account. In this blog we will breakdown the key points and give you guidance on the best way forward.

When choosing the veneer for your bathroom please make sure the surface finish you are using will be suitable for the area.

Our slate veneers can be used in every area including shower walls and bathroom floors. The rest of our veneers (limestone, marble, concrete and metal) can only be used for feature walls which are not in the shower and bath panels.

When installing our veneers in a bathroom area it is important the correct adhesive is used and applied in the correct way. We offer Soudal Fix All High tack which is both strong and water proof.

The adhesive must be spread evenly on the back of each sheet to ensure there are no gaps between the adhesive and sheets where moisture can sit.

Its important to consider many different factors when selecting the right veneer material for your external project, in this blog we will give an overview of the key factors.

Selecting the right veneer.

We only recommend using our slate veneers for external wall projects. Our marble and limestone veneers are not suitable due to the porosity of the stone and our metal veneers will oxidise and change colour outside. Our slate veneers and slate veneer multi brick are made from stones that are very durable and suitable for external use. You can also use our Travertine split face cladding.

Installing external projects.

When installing our veneers in an external area it is important the correct adhesive is used and applied in the correct way. We offer Soudal Fix All High tack which is both strong and water proof.

The adhesive must be spread evenly on the back of each sheet to ensure there are no gaps between the adhesive and sheets where moisture can sit.

Sealing, Cleaning and Maintaining your Veneer.

When using one of our stone veneer types in a wet area it is important you seal the top surface of the stone after installation in order to protect it from staining, we offer two different stone sealer options for use with our veneer range. We also offer a care cleaner that we recommend be used for regular cleaning of the sheets.

Using the correct substrate for external projects.

When installing slate veneer externally the veneer must be stuck to a flat level surface so it cannot be adhered to directly to brick or block work. We recommend using an external grade cement board or high quality marine ply. Mount the board to the brick work and then bond slate veneer to the board using a strong hybrid polymer adhesive.

Our slate veneer can be used for all kinds of external vertical applications, including building cladding, garden walls and planter cladding. However we do not recommend using our slate veneer for external flooring applications or patios.

Its important to consider many different factors when selecting and working with natural stone split face cladding. In this blog we will breakdown the key points and give you guidance on how to move forward.

All of the Split face cladding options we offer can be used internally as general feature walls, around fireplaces and in bathrooms and kitchens.

They can also be used externally as feature walls, cladding garden walls and buildings. However we do not recommend using our white marble split face tile outside.

You can cut a full split face cladding tile with a tile saw, it is best to use a strong diamond tipped blade that is suitable to cut through stone.

You can also remove the individual bricks from the mesh back of the tile and cut the brick pieces with an angle grinder and circular disc tile blade attached.

It is possible to make very nice external corners with our split face cladding tiles by interlocking the end pieces of two tiles at a 90 degree angle. Then cut half brick size pieces to fill the gaps where the two tiles interlock as showed in the image above.

Use a strong tile adhesive to fix split face cladding stone tiles. Do not use ready mix tile adhesive that comes in a tub, these are not designed to carry the weight of stone tiles. Ensure the adhesive is external grade when fixing outside. Apply the adhesive to both the wall and the back of the tile.

Translucent slate veneers are one of our most popular product ranges as they provide a genuine back lit natural stone finish that can be used in so many ways. In this blog we will breakdown the key points and give you guidance on the best way to create a beautiful translucent slate veneer back lit finish for your project.

We have five main translucent slate veneer finishes that we regularly keep in stock. The most popular are falling leaves and Rustique which are available in both 122 x 61cm and 240 x 120cm sheet sizes. We also stock Bianco, D black and Caldera Gold only in the 122 x 61cm sheet size.

Translucent slate veneer needs to be adhered to a transparent backing, this usually perspex, acrylic or toughened glass. We recommend lighting the sheets with LED light panels or LED strip lights. Adhere the veneer to the backing panel and then run the lights behind.

There are so many different ways you can use our translucent slate veneer. The most popular applications are for the front of bars and counters, closely followed by feature walls. They can also be used for one off feature pieces and light boxes. They are most popular as features within high end commercial hospitality projects and residential projects also.

When you select the lighting for your project keep in mind the colour of the light will have a big impact on the final look of the translucent slate when the lights are on. If you use a warm orange light you get that effect, if you use a blue, green or red light then the slate will be that colour when the lights are on.

When working with our translucent slate veneer It is really important when applying the adhesive to spread a thin layer of adhesive across the back of the sheets as if you apply the adhesive in blobs or lines you will see those when you switch on the lights.

When using the material in a wet area like a kitchen or bathroom it is important to apply a sealer at the end of the project to protect the stone finish from staining as you would with any natural stone finish in these areas. It is also possible to back laminate the veneer to toughened glass so the glass is the surface finish which then means the sheets don’t need to be sealed and the feature is very easy to maintain.

Our slate veneer multi brick sheets are a fantastic way to introduce a light weight and easy to install natural stone brick pattern into your project. In this blog we will give an over view of the material, its application and how to work with the material.

Slate veneer is a resin backed ultra thin layer of natural stone. The multi brick format is a brick pattern made from many small rectangles of slate veneer which are then adhered to a mesh backing. A multi brick sheet is 120 x 60cm and made up of approximately 70 individual brick pieces which are two different widths. Multi brick is a light weight easy to install alternative to split face cladding.

You work with multi brick in the same way you work with regular slate veneer. It is important with multi brick to make sure you don’t let any of the glue bleed through the individual brick pieces. Multi brick can also be easier to cut as you can remove individual brick pieces from the mesh backing as well as cutting the full sheet.

Slate veneer multi brick can be used for all kinds of internal and external feature walls. They can be used around fireplaces, their heat resistance is up to 120 degrees Celsius. They are also suitable in wet areas like bathrooms and kitchens. There are 6 different material finishes that offer both contemporary and traditional styles and a varied range of colour tones.

Slate veneer multi brick has been one of the most popular new materials supplied by Lite Stone.

Using approximately 70 individual pieces per sheet, stuck to a mesh to make a 120 x 60cm sheets, these slate veneer multi brick are ideal for feature walls and fireplace areas.

Here you can see the material used in dining rooms and kitchens in both Nero and Burning Forest finishes.