In today’s busy world that is full of frequent change, the only way to add value to your home and ensure that it will last is to use products and practices that are sustainable. One of these products and practices is the use of natural stone tiles for your floors or walls. The...

Walnut is a fruit tree and there are two main species of walnut tree, National or Blonde walnut (Juglans regia) and Black or Canaletto walnut (Juglans nigra). Both species are sources of timber. Walnut is a very dense timber species that is popularly used for flooring, furniture,...

Zellige tiles, also known as Zilij or Zelij, are traditionally handcrafted tiles made with natural clay extracted from Morocco. The clay is kneaded with water, before being moulded by hand, and naturally dried and fired in a kiln. At that point, glass enamel is applied to the...

Smugglers who hid millions of pounds worth of heroin in shipments of stone are due to be sentenced on 11 May by a court in the Netherlands.  According to police, shipments would arrive in containers at the docks in Antwerp from where the drugs would get smuggled into England,...

The 150-year-old Houses of Parliament (the Palace of Westminster) are falling apart faster than they can be fixed, with the cost of maintenance and ongoing works doubling to £127 million a year during the three years to 2018/19. That helped convince a review of the proposed...

Olive trees (Olea europaea in Latin) are very long-lived trees, which produce a hard and compact wood, with intricate veins. They are mostly known for their fruits, from which we extract oil, whose uses are limitless. Olive trees are as old as Mediterranean Sea and its culture....

A highly refined covering with centuries of history. Created to decorate noble homes and for many years known in the European courts as grit or Venetian Terrazzo, today it is more simply referred to as “terrazzo”. Terrazzo-effect tiles are extremely fashionable, not only for...

Prime, Select, Superprime, Rustic, Nature, AB, BC, ABCD and much more. It’s an absolute chaos of different names out there, all used in different ways with different meanings. So, how do you navigate it all and how do you identify the right wood flooring for you? Grading...

Yes, generally speaking I would advise a more anti-slip finish for floor areas that are subject to spillages close to a wet room. A honed / matt finish seems more suitable as it offers enhanced slip resistance while maintaining the same look. The only difference between polished...

Granite and quartzite are generally harder than most marble. That’s why granite took over as the popular stone of choice for kitchen worktops and counter tops. However, this doesn’t mean that – for the right project, with the right clients – you can’t use marble. Yes, you heard...