China has a reputation like in many industries for offering a second quality product at low prices. These may be true if your are purchasing slabs and tiles of Natural Stone which have been manufactured in China but the material has been quarried in Europe, Turkey or elsewhere.
This is often due to the quality of the blocks which are shipped to China from other nations, but it does not mean that all natural stone from China is bad. There are many materials that are quarries in China and when purchased from a good supplier can provide a very attractive and high quality finish for a project.
It always important to check the country of origin for where the material is quarried from an independent source and also inspect the materials being purchased in China before shipping. There are some excellent Marble companies in China to work with.
My favourite Chinese marbles are –
- Wooden Brown, Coffee, White, Grey and black – These material have same lineal left to right veining and come in in a small range of background colours. The Wooden brown is a fantastic alternative to the more expensive Armani marble. Although this marble is susceptible to cracking so it is important to check and select specific pieces whilst purchasing.
- Nero Potoro / Black and Silver – Nero Potoro is a Black marble with some white and silver veining running horizontally through the slabs. It is a good quality marble although can occasionally have some cracks as it is not as strong as other marbles. It is a very good alternative to Nero Marquina.
- Zebra Black – Zebra Black is another black from China but it is heavily veined with striking white, grey and silver veins running through the material. It is ideal for feature walls, vanity tops, table tops etc but it is not so good for large flooring areas as it is nearly impossible to match the veins and the pattern of the material can be over powering in large quantities.
I will post again to soon to review slate, granite, Onyx, stone and other materials in the Chinese Market.
