Residential renovations

What to consider

Approximate measurements

It is fine to start with approximate sizes and a few photos. Mark which figures are estimates. Rooms are rarely square, and the final quantity should come from your installer’s or fabricator’s site measurement before the order is confirmed.

Existing floors and worktops

Removing old tiles can reveal uneven screed, hollow areas or damaged pipes; laying over them raises the floor and can leave doors catching. Decide with your contractor whether to remove or overlay, because it changes the stone thickness and quantity.

Defining the scope

List every element: floors by room, skirting, thresholds, kitchen worktop, vanities, steps. Then note who does demolition, cutting and installation. A clear scope avoids quotes that compare different things.

Living in the home

Dust, noise and crates in a lived-in villa or apartment are disruptive. Phasing rooms helps, but each phase may bring stone from a different delivery, so order the full quantity together where you can.

Matching existing stone

If you are extending or repairing an existing stone floor, an exact match is unlikely even with the same material name. Bring a loose piece or clear photos, and consider a deliberate border or change of material at a doorway instead.

Limitations and when to get technical advice

Overlaying stone on existing tiles depends on the bond and condition of the old floor and on the height available; your installer must assess it. Removing walls, altering stairs or adding heavy stone to upper floors can raise structural questions for an engineer. Wet areas, showers and outdoor terraces involve waterproofing and slip safety for your contractor and designer. Matching stone laid years ago cannot be promised. Dark Emperador marble needs more care than granite in kitchens and busy floors. Black Marquina’s family is unconfirmed. Ask for technical review when any of these apply.

Finish

Finishes are not documented in our catalogue and are confirmed in your quotation. For homes, think about who uses each room: polished floors look bright but are slippery for small children and older relatives when wet; honed floors hide scratches from pets and sand. Keep finishes consistent between connected rooms, and match the worktop finish to how you cook and clean. See our finishes guide.

Thickness

Tiles are mostly 20 mm (some 60 × 30 cm in 30 mm), slabs 20 or 30 mm, steps 30 mm and porcelain slabs 15 mm. In renovations, height is often the limiting factor: thickness plus adhesive or bed decides whether doors, thresholds and kitchen plinths still fit. Your contractor confirms the thickness that works with your existing levels.

What to measure

List each room or area with approximate dimensions in metres, and say which numbers are estimates. Photos of the current space are very helpful. Your installer or fabricator should confirm final sizes on site before you place the order.

• Room or area name
• Approximate length × width (m)
• Elements in that room (floor, skirting, worktop, vanity, steps)
• Existing finish: remove or overlay
• Measurements are estimates (yes / no)
• Photos of the current space (attach)

Give floors in square metres (m²) per room, worktops and vanities as pieces with sizes, steps as pieces, and skirting in linear metres. If you are unsure, tick “I don’t know the quantity yet” on the quote form and send photos and approximate sizes; we can quote indicatively and update once your contractor has measured.

What we supply

We supply material. Demolition, waste removal, screed repairs, fabrication of worktops and vanities, and installation are by your contractor or fabricator. If you need items cut to size, tell us and we will confirm whether that can be arranged before quoting. Let us know who your contractor is, so measurements and deliveries can be coordinated.

Site conditions to tell us

• Permission from building management or the community for renovation works and deliveries, where required.
• Lift booking, parking and where a delivery vehicle can stop.
• Existing finishes and whether they are being removed.
• Door heights, thresholds and kitchen plinths that limit floor build-up.
• Whether the household is living in the home during the works.
• Space to store crates without blocking access or damaging finished areas.

Natural variation

Natural stone varies between pieces and between lots. In a home, connected rooms are seen together, so order the whole floor from one lot where possible, and ask your installer to mix tiles from several crates. Strongly patterned stone needs more planning than even, speckled stone. See natural variation.

Technical documents

If your designer, consultant or client needs technical documents such as test reports, data sheets or certificates, list them in your request and we will tell you what can be provided for the materials you choose.

What affects the cost

• Material and grade (meanings of Standard, Premium and Extra confirmed with your quotation).
• Total quantity, including waste for irregular rooms.
• Format: tiles, slabs, steps or porcelain.
• Thickness, which may also affect how much existing floor must be removed.
• Extra items such as skirting, thresholds and spare tiles.
• Delivery access to the villa or apartment.
• Fabrication and installation, priced by your contractor.

Delivery preparation

For villas, check gate width, driveway access and where crates can be set down. For apartments, check lift size, booking rules and the route through common areas, and protect finished floors on the way in. Slabs for worktops usually go to the fabricator, not the home. Terms are confirmed in your quotation; see delivery preparation.

Samples and viewing

Ask whether a sample or a yard visit is possible. If you can get a sample, look at it at home next to your cabinets, walls and existing floors, in daylight and in the evening.

Care

Each material in your home needs slightly different care: granite floors and worktops generally need routine cleaning with a pH-neutral cleaner and an occasional sealing check; marble needs more care with acids; porcelain needs little beyond cleaning. Keep a note of what was installed where, and keep spare tiles. See the granite care guide.

Alternatives

For a marble look with easier care, consider our porcelain slabs. For durable floors and worktops, granite is generally the practical choice in our range; marble suits rooms where you accept some patina. Compare in granite vs marble and, for worktops, granite vs quartz.