Choosing the stone is only half the decision. The same marble arrives at site as a gang-saw slab, a calibrated tile or a finished counter - and the format you buy changes the cost, the wastage and the final look. Here's how the trade thinks about formats and finishes, in plain language.
Slabs - for continuity and drama
Gang-saw slabs are the large sheets cut straight from the block. They give you long, unbroken runs of veining - essential for feature walls, kitchen counters and any surface where a grid of joints would kill the effect. Slabs demand more skilled fabrication and handling, but nothing else delivers the same continuity.
Tiles - for speed and scale
Calibrated tiles are machine-ground to a uniform thickness, which means faster laying, thinner adhesive beds and predictable levelling across large floors. For apartment projects and commercial floors, tiles in standard or custom sizes are the most economical route to a marble floor.
Cut-to-size - made to drawing
Counters, vanities, staircase treads and risers, window sills, cladding panels - anything with a fixed dimension can be cut, edged and finished at our Silvassa unit before it reaches site. Cut-to-size shifts wastage from your site to our factory, and the pieces arrive ready to install.
The finish decides how the stone feels
- Polished: mirror gloss, deepest colour and veining - the classic marble look. Shows scratches sooner on floors.
- Honed: smooth matte. Softer light, hides wear, better grip - our default advice for bathrooms and busy floors.
- Leathered: a gentle texture that adds grip and hides everyday marks - superb on counters and outdoor surfaces.
Book-matching - when veining becomes architecture
Consecutive slabs from the same block are near-mirror images of each other. Open them like a book and the veining forms a symmetrical pattern across the wall. Book-matching needs sequenced slabs reserved from a single block - tell us early and we'll hold the sequence for you.
On resin and mesh: many imported slabs are resin-treated and mesh-backed at origin. This is standard practice, not a defect - it fills natural micro-fissures and adds strength in transit and handling. Dense stones like Makrana need none of it.
A simple way to specify
Send us three things: the areas with measurements (or a floor plan), the look you want (a reference photo is perfect), and the budget band per square foot. From those we'll propose the stone, the format, the finish and the wastage allowance - the way we've been doing it for wholesale buyers since 1993.