Marble and Granite's Blog

Your pool house or cabana area can become the heart of the home during warm weather months with the right amount of attention to style and comfort.  It is the hub of parties, BBQ's, and late night gatherings with friends.  It's important that your poolside design maintains your personal style, while also meshing with the outdoor ambiance that makes it such a unique and desirable living area. 

The right tile flooring is key to creating a high-end aesthetic, while preserving a natural outdoor aesthetic.

Slate Tile Flooring is a Natural Way to Create High-end Appeal

Slate is a natural occurring stone formed from layers of volcanic lava and ash.  After being compressed over long periods of time, these layers can be cut into slate tiles.  Slate usually comes in various shades of grey, although it can also include a variety of colors such as earthy greens, rusty reds, purples, and blues.

When you visit our show room, you will be able to choose from an array of shale textures and colors to ensure that your slate tile selections are consistent with your decorating motifs. You can also browse our selections online.

Slate Tile Flooring Is Not Slippery When Wet

One major benefit to selecting natural slate tiles for your pool house and/or cabana area is that they are nearly 100% slip proof when they become wet.  Because slate is a natural stone that forms over a long period of time, it is porous with a slightly rough texture.  This allows water to be absorbed into, or run off the slate.  It is smooth enough to form a comfortable walking surface but maintains a slip-proof surface when wet, which is optimal for your pool side surroundings.

Slate Tile Flooring is a Perfect Poolside Choice

Because of the naturally occurring colors and patterns, slate is even more attractive when it becomes wet.  The earth tones will become darker and more vivid when they are splashed with water, but maintain their color after they dry.  While other flooring choices will fade over time with constant exposure to sunlight and water, your slate tiles will look as as good as the day they were installed for many years to come.

Slate is easily incorporated into your landscaping designs to create a fluid aesthetic from your pool, to your cabana, to attractive garden pathways. Regardless of what colors you choose, your slate tiles will always blend in with the natural world around them.

Photo by Milleu Design via Houzz

We can check inventory and pricing at Marble and Granite, Inc.

Beautiful Bathroom Renovations By NeoLith

Bathroom and sauna renovations can be such a chore, as they revolve around one of the most functional rooms in the building. This is especially true when a total reconstruction will be taking place.

Often, folks think in terms of an all or nothing renovation. Full reconstruction can take a lot of time, a lot of money and a lot of crew involved in the project. During total bathroom renovations, a great deal of dust is generated, causing the areas adjacent to be affected, as well. Customers are unhappy with construction zones, so the quicker the project is finished, the better.

Affordable Bathroom Renovations

Those who wish to explore options other than a full renovation of a sauna and restroom area can see there are many choices available. One of the wisest considerations is the use of NeoLith. This is a wonderful material for both building managers and contractors alike. It is a manageable, beautiful and workable material that turns a well-used bathroom into a work of art.

Instead of ripping out the cabinetry around the sink, or replacing the walls, which are sound, but weathered, you can put a new face on them.

Advantages of refacing the objects in the room:

• keeps the cabinetry, instead of buying new ones, reducing costs
• changes the look of the walls, as opposed to tearing them down
• has the choice of tiles or slabs, reducing labor costs
• has the ability to custom fit the NeoLith around corners or in artful designs
• NeoLith is very light and easy to transport and carry from the truck to the area in renovation, reducing the need for labor and renovation time
• the NeoLith also is easy to install, reducing labor costs
• reduces the time spent in the overall renovation process, again reducing the cost of labor

NeoLith by TheSize is an amazing material. It is beautiful, scratch resistant, and durable. During the manufacturing process, a coating is added with a protection that forms a complete bond. Pores are non-existent, thereby removing the ability for mold to grow. Wow! And, it looks brand new for years.

Bathroom renovations using NeoLith are affordable, quick and beautiful.

Materials and Installation

Marble and Granite, Inc. is an excellent resource for NeoLith. We are able to help you decide which company can perform your bathroom renovations. As we are one of the largest suppliers, we have available the whole line of stock for you. Contact us today to begin your renovation.

Web designer Josh Byers says, "The proper and subtle use of texture takes a design from being flat and dead to noticeable and alive." While Byers was referring to a different kind of design when he said this, this concept applies just as well to interior design. Texture is one of the 5 basic elements of interior design. It is the tactile and visual characteristic of a surface, so it can be hard, soft, smooth, rough, shiny, matte, etc. All surfaces have texture, but it is the proper combination of various textures that makes a design balanced, sophisticated and interesting. 

A popular way to achieve textural depth in kitchens, baths, entryways and other living spaces is with natural stone tiles that are modified to have a three dimensional effect. This type of textural rather than colorful mosaic adds a visually engaging aspect to interiors that cannot go unnoticed. Rather than simply viewing interiors, 3-D tiles allow you to experience interiors. In this way, 3-D mosaics are ideal for creating inviting environments in homes, restaurants, retailers and other commercial businesses. 

Take a look at a few stunning examples of 3-D natural stone tile mosaics, and also notice how other design elements are used to enhance and interact with the tile, for example lighting. 

Find the perfect marble, granite, slate, travertine or other natural stone tile here at Marble and Granite as well as a recommended fabricator in your area that will be able to help you achieve a gorgeous 3-D tile mosaic. Our natural stone products can be purchased directly from this website or at one of our two showrooms in Westwood, Massachusetts or Milford, Connecticut. 

A leading supplier of natural stone in New England, Marble and Granite has the finest marble, granite, slate, travertine and other natural stone tiles in the region. Natural stone tile products can be purchased directly from our website and shipped anywhere in the world. Contact us at 877-39-STONE with any inquiries. 

The kitchen is the room of the house where people spend the most time…and the most money. At Marble and Granite, Inc. our goal is to make sure the time you spend in your kitchen is enjoyable and the money you spend is put to good use.

One of the latest trends in kitchen remodeling and design is the use of more unusual granite colors. While homeowners trended to gravitate towards darker granite with shades of gray, brown, black and tan, times are changing. Now brighter colors like white or so-called ‘super-white’ are increasing in popularity.